University of California, Berkeley 2006 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Application
Category
Four-year and graduate institutions over 10,000 student FTE
Contact
Edward J. Denton, AIA
Vice Chancellor – Facilities Services
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
(510)643-7384
edenton@cp.berkeley.edu
Governance & Administration
The UC Berkeley campus has made a significant commitment to sustainability through its governance and administration in a number of ways. The Chancellor’s most visible commitment is via his continued support and funding of the Chancellor’s Advisory committee on Sustainability (CACS). This three year old committee is comprised of faculty, staff and students from all parts of campus working together to focus their sustainability work and commitment on the institution’s progress. CACS’ goals are to initiate campus dialogue on sustainability issues; integrate sustainability principles into existing campus educational, operational, research, and public-service programs; and instill a culture of sustainability into the campus’s long-range planning and design.
In 2005, CACS published a Campus Sustainability Assessment. Using nine systems comprised of 32 indicators of sustainability, the report describes the campus’s performance, recognizes recent accomplishments, and identifies potential opportunities.. CACS’s focus in 2006 is the sponsorship of student interns to work on sustainability in and around the campus community. Intern projects include the creation and pilot of a program to reduce energy use on campus through education and behavior changes and working with campus and UC Office of the President (UCOP) to develop a green purchasing policy.
The Campus Climate Protection Steering Committee was formed in April 2006. This Committee consists of a diverse range of stakeholders, including faculty experts in the field of climate change, student leaders, administrators, staff, and representatives from the City of Berkeley and UCOP. At the Sustainability Summit on April 27, UC Berkeley’s Chancellor announced the initiation of a program to implement a campus-wide climate protection plan, as recommended by this committee.
Campus administrators from both the business and academic sides of campus (the Chancellor and Provost’s offices) and staff play an important role in advancing sustainable practices at UC Berkeley and throughout the ten-campus UC system. The continued development and implementation of system-wide policies on green building and clean energy, preferable purchasing, and transportation (among others) has included active participation of a number of UC Berkeley representatives.
There are a number of policy and planning documents that demonstrate UC Berkeley’s commitment to sustainability. Those most recently published include the Landscape Master Plan, a Campus Bicycle Plan and the 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The LRDP is designed to shape renewal of the campus during the next 15 years. One of the stated goals of the policy document is to “Plan every new project as a model of resource conservation and environmental stewardship”. Guidelines for achieving that goal as projects are designed and built are detailed in the document.
Our student government has also made an significant commitment to sustainability. The 2005-06 Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) President created a permanent office of sustainability, run by an appointed Director of Environmental Sustainability who oversees an intern program that has worked to increase recycled paper purchasing, creation of a policy to reduce flyers, and establish an organic market on campus.
Operations
UC Berkeley's operations reflect the campus's commitment to sustainability daily in a number of tangible ways. A few examples of current practices, new programs and efforts to increase sustainability in campus operations:
Energy use
- In the last three years, over 6,000 fluorescent light fixtures on campus have been retrofit.
- An annual program in campus residence halls exchanges students' incandescent bulbs for 15-watt compact florescent bulbs.
- A collaborative project of faculty, staff and industry is testing wireless lighting control systems that that allow occupants to control lights individually and integrates light and motion sensors.
- The campus's student union is powered with solar arrays that were expanded in early 2006.
- UC Berkeley was awarded a Best Overall 2005 Flex Your Power Award
- The Green Campus Initiative, a student-led campaign to educate and encourage more efficient energy usage, was recognized with a Best Practices Award at the 2005 CSU/UC Sustainability Conference.
- "Black Out Battles" are conducted as an energy savings competition between residence halls, giving students incentives for reducing their electricity consumption.
Construction and facilities management
- All new campus facilities are designed and built to LEED-certified or LEED-certified equivalent by policy adopted in 2005.
Transportation
- Campus is publishing its first comprehensive Bicycle Plan.
- Campus Alternative Transit Programs include subsidized bus passes and car share programs. Staff bus pass use increased 33% in 2005-06.
Land Use
- Land use decisions are guided by policy documents that include sustainability goals; the emphasis is on infill and re-use.
Housing and dining
- Two of the campus's largest dining facilities are Certified Green Businesses
- The campus opened the nation's first campus Organic Certified Kitchen and 100% organic salad bars in early 2006
- All to-go food containers used by Cal Dining are biodegradable
- "Eat the World, Save the Earth" program: Student Sustainability Coordinators help educate students throughout the year about food waste
Purchasing
- As of July 2006, all departments within Administration (34 campus departments including Printing & Copy Services, Human Resources and the Budget Office) must purchase printer and copier paper that includes at least 30% post-consumer waste.
Investment
- Berkeley Sustainable Investing Collaborative was established in 2005 to encourage sustainable investment of campus funds.
Recycling and Refuse
- Campus Recycling and Refuse Services co-manages the Residential Sustainability Education Coordinator program.
Janitorial
- All custodial paper used on campus is recycled content.
- Campus is actively testing green cleaning chemicals with the goal of adoption across campus.
Water use
- Pilot irrigation project: the campus is partnering with the East Bay Municipal Utility District to install a pilot underground irrigation system in restored landscaping.
- Residential and Student Service Programs (RSSP) has a water retrofit underway, including low flow shower heads, low flow faucet aerators, and retrofitting some toilets.
- Centralized irrigation control: campus watering systems are managed centrally with automation that allows for remote operation.
Curriculum & Research
UC Berkeley has a number of degree programs that integrate aspects of sustainability. These are not only found in the Colleges of Natural Resources and Environmental Design; teaching and research in many other departments includes topics of sustainability and units like the College of Engineering and Schools of Law and Journalism have faculty active in the sustainability arena.
One way to see the integration of sustainability into academics is through the number of Organized Research Units (ORU) on campus with a focus on sustainability. These dedicated research units are organized around broad, substantive topics and draw faculty and students from multiple disciplines. A sample of ORU's on campus with a sustainable focus:
- The Berkeley Institute of the Environment (BIE), which "…strives to establish UC Berkeley as the premier teaching and research institution for environmental science, technology, management and policy." BIE's affiliated research units include the Center for the Built Environment, Geomorphology & Hydrology in Environmental River Management, and Green Building Research Center.
- The Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD) serves faculty and students conducting research into processes of urban and regional growth and decline, and effects of governing policies on development. Current research focuses on sustainable development and regulation of urban growth and land use and the social and economic impacts of changes in urban life.
- The Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) faculty and staff are playing a leading role in research on transportation sustainability. Current initiatives in ITS include the creation of the Joint Center for Transportation Sustainability Research in 2006; publications on the use of ethanol as a source of energy for transportation; support of groundbreaking research on measuring the environmental footprint of transportation systems and the sustainability of transportation systems in developing countries.
Along with these ORU's there are numerous other academic endeavors focused on sustainability. The Boalt Law School has a California Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Environmental Law Quarterly Journal. The Goldman School of Public Policy houses an active environmental policy group. Symposia and colloquia sponsored by UC Berkeley are further examples of the campus's work on sustainability: as an example, this May top climate scientists from China and the US gathered with policymakers, Nobel laureates and business representatives to explore how the world's two biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions can address global warming.
Undergraduate courses are a basic part of the formal curriculum and provide a direct link to thousands of undergraduate students. A few examples of courses offered:
- Earth & Planetary Science 80 - Environmental Earth Sciences: The course describes geologic processes active on and in the earth and man's interactions with them. Energy Audits were one of options for the required service learning assignment.
- City & Regional Planning 119 - Planning for Sustainability: This course examines how the concept of sustainable development applies to cities and urban regions and gives students insight into a variety of contemporary urban planning issues through the sustainability lens.
- Engineering 11 - Engineered Systems and Sustainability: An introduction to key engineered systems (e.g., energy, water supply, buildings, transportation) and their environmental impacts.
Community Service and Outreach
UC Berkeley has done a great deal of outreach to the campus community on sustainability and in keeping with its mission of teaching, research and public service, has reached beyond the campus to partner with other organizations to advance sustainability.
Internal outreach:
- CACS has granted over $10,000 in Green Fund Grants in the last two years. This competitive annual grant awards funds to projects that will create a greener campus.
- CACS' annual Sustainability Awards have celebrated the accomplishments of faculty, staff and students. Nominations are made by members of the campus community.
- Residential Sustainability Education Coordinators are students who conduct outreach in campus residence halls. Programs include battery recycling and an end-of-year Goodwill drive.
- Students for a Greener Berkeley is a graduate student group formed in 2005 with the goal of making policies and practices on campus more environmentally sustainable. The group has advocated for re-use of paper and conducted waste audits on campus.
- Earthweek 2006 was organized by the ASUC Sustainability Team. The week's activities included faculty lectures, a creek cleanup, a sustainability film festival and free smoothies made with solar power.
- CACS, Campus Recycling and Refuse and a number of student sustainability groups participate in annual outreach events on campus like Staff Appreciation Day, Cal Day, and Welcome Week.
Public outreach
- A Campus Sustainability Tour conducted in fall 2005 included the Chancellor and Mayor of Berkeley. The tour was covered by the local media and highlighted sustainable success on campus.
Community partnerships
- A CACS' funded student intern project in spring 2006 focused on identifying and registering green restaurants in partnership with the City of Berkeley.
- The City of Berkeley's Office of Energy and Sustainable Development will partner with CACS in fall 2006 to fund student internships.
Events
- CACS hosts an annual Sustainability Summit in the spring. This year's included presentations on campus green building efforts and the Chancellor's announcement of the initiation of a program to implement a campus-wide climate protection plan.
Relevant initiatives
- The Green Room is a demonstration dorm room showing students how they can live an affordable, comfortable lifestyle while having a reduced impact on the environment. The goal is to teach students about environmentally preferable purchasing with respect to air, water, and land quality, in an interactive way. Tours of the demonstration room are held monthly, with increased frequency during Sustainability and Earth Weeks.
- The Berkeley Environmental Alumni Network (BEAN) was established in 2005 "to mobilize the environmentally minded alumni of UC Berkeley in order to influence academic and administrative processes through philanthropy, public review, and community involvement." A network of environmental professionals who support campus greening and sustainability, BEAN offers social and networking engagements.
- The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley became the first major music venue to address its environmental impact. Thanks to a partnership between Clif Bar & Co. and Another Planet Entertainment to purchase credits and offset its impact on global warming, the entire 2006 Greek Theatre concert season will be climate-neutral.
RESOURCES
Governance & Administration
UC Office of the President (UCOP)
Sustainability Policies and Best Practices
http://www.ucop.edu/facil/sustain/welcome.html
Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS)
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/docs/CACS_UCB_Charter.pdf
2005 Campus Sustainability Assessment
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/assessment.html
The Campus Climate Protection Steering Committee
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/calcap.html
UC Green Building Policy and Clean Energy Standard
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/jan06/110.pdf
(note: links to 2005 report attachments found in body of report)
Landscape Master Plan
http://www.cp.berkeley.edu/LMP.htm
Campus Bicycle Plan
http://pt.berkeley.edu/transportation_alternatives/bicycle_information/bike_plan.html
2020 Long Range Development Plan
http://www.berkeley.edu/administration/lrdp/index.html
Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC)
http://asuc.org
ASUC Sustainability Team
http://sustainability.asuc.org
Students for a Greener Berkeley
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/%7Esgb
Operations
UC Berkeley Facilities Services
www.cp.berkeley.edu
2005 Flex Your Power Award
http://www.fypower.org/feature/awards/2005_awards.html
The Green Campus Initiative
http://greencampus.berkeley.edu/
Black Out Battles
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~gcp/BlackoutBattles.htm
Parking and Transportation
http://pt.berkeley.edu/transportation_alternatives/index.html
Cal Dining
http://caldining.berkeley.edu/community.html
Vice Chancellor - Administration policy on recycled paper purchasing
https://mossberg.berkeley.edu/CalMessages/display_message.asp?d=7/10/2006&s=100
Campus Recycling and Refuse Services co-manages the Residential Sustainability Education Coordinator program:
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~recycle
Re-Use Campus Materials Exchange
http://recycle.berkeley.edu/reuse
Centralized Irrigation Control (SCADA)
http://physicalplant.berkeley.edu/bis.asp#scada
Curriculum & Research
College of Natural Resources
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu
Environmental Design
http://www.ced.berkeley.edu
College of Engineering
http://www.coe.berkeley.edu
School of Law
http://www.law.berkeley.edu
California Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Environmental Law
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/envirolaw
School of Journalism
http://journalism.berkeley.edu
Berkeley Institute of the Environment (BIE)
http://bie.berkeley.edu
Center for the Built Environment
http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu
Geomorphology & Hydrology in Environmental River Management
http://www.cedr.berkeley.edu
The Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD)
http://www-iurd.ced.berkeley.edu
The Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)
http://www.its.berkeley.edu
Joint Center for Transportation Sustainability Research
http://www.its.berkeley.edu/sustainabilitycenter
The Goldman School of Public Policy Environmental Policy Group
http://gspp.berkeley.edu/students/epg.html
Community Service & Outreach
Residential Sustainability Education Coordinators
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~recycle/ssec/programs/rsec.html
Earthweek 2006
http://earthweek.berkeley.edu
Campus Sustainability Tour
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/docs/UCB_Sustainability_Walking_Tour_200511.pdf
Re-Use Campus Materials Exchange
http://recycle.berkeley.edu/reuse
The City of Berkeley's Office of Energy and Sustainable Development
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/sustainable/community/environmentalconnections.html
CACS' Annual Sustainability Summit
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/blogs/announce/cacs/2006_summit_flyer.pdf
The Green Room
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~gcp/GR.htm
The Berkeley Environmental Alumni Network (BEAN)
http://alum.berkeley.edu/clubs/BerkeleyEnvironmentAlumniNetwork/index.asp