TGIF Program Overview
Since its inaugural grant cycle in spring 2008, TGIF has awarded more than $4.5 million in grants to 315 grant projects. These projects have included the funding of 464 student sustainability internships.
As of Fall 2022, 224 TGIF projects have successfully concluded and 78 are currently in-progress. Only 13 projects have been discontinued, with funds returned to be allocated to future projects.
2023 Spring Grants: 12 projects
2022 Mini-grants: 9 projects
2022 Spring Grants: 9 projects
2021 Mini-grants: 8 projects
2021 Spring Grants: 9 projects
2020 Mini-grants: 6 projects
2020 Spring Grants: 5 projects
2019 Mini-grants: 3 projects
2019 Spring Grants: 7 projects
2018 Mini-grants: 3 projects
2018 Spring Grants: 5 projects
2017 Mini-grants: 0 projects
2017 Spring Grants: 2 projects
2016 Mini-grants: 0 projects
2016 Spring Grants: 0 projects
2015 Mini-grants: 0 projects
2015 Spring Grants: 0 projects
2014 Mini-grants : 0 projects
2014 Spring Grants: 0 projects
2013 Mini-grants: 0 projects
2013 Spring Grants : 0 projects
2012 Mini-grants: 0 projects
2012 Spring Grants: 0 projects
2011 Grants: 0 projects
2010 Grants: 0 projects
2009 Grants: 0 projects
2008 Grants: 0 projects
2023 Spring Grants: 0 projects
2022 Mini-grants: 2 projects
2022 Spring Grants: 1 project
2021 Mini-grants: 3 projects
2021 Spring Grants: 6 projects
2020 Mini-Grants: 4 projects
2020 Spring Grants: 8 projects
2019 Mini-grants: 5 projects
2019 Spring Grants: 6 projects
2018 Mini-grants: 5 projects
2018 Spring Grants: 15 projects
2017 Mini-grants : 10 project
2017 Spring Grants: 7 projects
2016 Mini-grants : 6 projects
2016 Spring Grants: 10 projects
2015 Mini-grants : 3 projects
2015 Spring Grants: 13 projects
2014 Mini-grants : 8 project
2014 Spring Grants: 11 projects
2013 Mini-grants: 12 projects
2013 Spring Grants: 13 projects
2012 Mini-grants: 11 projects
2012 Spring Grants: 22 projects
2011 Grants: 14 projects
2010 Grants: 14 projects
2009 Grants: 8 projects
2008 Grants: 8 projects
Project Counts by Theme
Education & Behavior Change: 45
Energy Conservation & Efficiency: 24
Agriculture & Food Justice: 22
Habitat Restoration & Native Landscaping: 27
Transportation & Urban Development: 22
Waste Diversion & Reduction: 55
Water Conservation & Efficiency: 17
Environmental Justice: 18
Project Titles by Theme
Education & Behavior Change:
- Earth Week 2009-2013
- Healthy You for a Healthy Universe
- Student Internships for Jump-Starting the Office of Sustainability
- University Hall: Going Green!
- Talking Louder about Campus Sustainability
- BERC Energy Symposium 2011
- Custodial Staff Outreach 2010-2011
- Greening Kroeber Art Studios and Bathrooms
- Teaching, Learning, and Change (TLC)
- ASUC Green Certification
- Custodial Communications 2011-2012
- Sustainability Map Project
- Talking Louder About Sustainability, Next Generation
- CITRIS Sustainability Champion Awards for Undergraduates
- EcoMovie Nights
- Food Day 2012
- Nature Village Sustainable Family Living, Phase I
- Student Environmental Resource Center
- Multi-Family Housing Sustainability Retrofit Documentation
- Campus Sustainability Photos and Video for UC Berkeley's Public Affairs Digital Gallery
- Nature Village Sustainable Family Living, Phase II
- SPROUTS
- SERC Mobile App
- Student Environmental Internship Program
- Telegraph Green, Phase I
- Video as Marketing for Event Waste Diversion
- Green Lab Supplies and Equipment Award Program*
- Healthy Bears Take the Stairs
- Sustainability in the Greek Community
- Telegraph Green: The Next Least Generation*
- Developing a Greener Ceramic Art Facility: Energy, Material, Curriculum
- Building Sustainability Curriculum and Learning at Berkeley
- EPA University Challenge 2017
- Graduate Assembly Environmental Sustainbility Conference
- Sustainable Menstrual Products for the Cal Community
- Environmental Action Network
- Herbicide Free Cal
- Latinxs and the Environment Campus Resource Fair
- Video: How Cal Will Achieve Zero Waste by 2020
- Earth Action Initiative (Spring 2018)
- Focus 2020 Student Team
- Residence Hall Education Program
- Earth Action Initiative (Spring 2019)
- The Team Editorial Program at The Leaflet
- Campus Water Sustainability Research and Opportunities Map
Energy Conservation & Efficiency:
- Anthony Hall Window Replacement and LEED-EB Certification
- Building Sustainability at Cal
- UC Berkeley Campus Dashboard
- CLAS Carbon Smart and LEED-EB Certification Project
- Retrofitting the RSF into a Human Powered Gym
- Wurster Hall Sub-Metering
- Air Handling Unit Transmitters
- Cal Greeks Energy Competition- Green Cup
- Learning and LEEDing at Cal
- Cal CAP 2.0 Internships
- Solar Powering Cal
- LED Lighting Retrofit for the C.V. Starr - East Asian Library
- Forest Power
- Lab Microscope Retrofits
- South Hall Energy Efficiency
- CalSoChill Prototype
- Green Hand Dryers
- Sustainable Algae Bioreactor
- WattTime
- Solar Powering Sigma Chi
- WattTime: GHG Reductions From Campus Facilities
- Climate Vulnerability Assessment
- ASUC Solar Committee
- Solar Thermal Heating Systems at The Berkeley Student Cooperative
Agriculture & Food Justice:
- Berkeley Student Food Collective Storefront
- Berkeley Student Food Collective Food Prep Expansion
- Cal Dining Sustainability Team
- Berkeley Student Food Collective Sustainable Business and Development Internship Program
- Student Organic Garden Education Fund
- BSFC Operational Sustainability Intern
- BSFC Produce Refrigerator
- Ohlone Ethnobotany Garden
- Student Organic Gardening Association Intern Program
- Sustainable Food Stand
- Oxford Tract Community Farm Air Quality Research
- Soil Remediation Education
- Agroecological Fellows Program at UC Gill Tract Community Farm
- Cal Dining Garden Expansion
- Student Organic Garden Association Summer Intern Program: Phase II
- Student Parent Association for Recruitment and Retention (SPARR) Food Donations Program
- Multicultural Community Center (MCC) Healing and Learning Garden, Phase I
- Gill Tract Community Farm Student Coalition
- Passive Solar Greenhouse at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm
- Smyth-Fernwald Soil Testing for Community Engaged Land Usage Planning
- Brown's Cafe Herbal Garden
- Decade II
Habitat Restoration & Native Landscaping:
- Strawberry Creek Native Plant Nursery and Garden
- Lawns to Meadows Plan and Implementation
- Cal Habitat Restoration Student Leadership Training
- Reduction in Chemical Use at the UC Botanical Gardens
- Strawberry Creek Restoration Demonstration
- Green Garden Program Intern
- Strawberry Creek Planting (Filling the Weed Shaped Hole)
- Strawberry Creek Watershed Stewardship Program
- Strawberry Creek Water Quality Probe
- Campus Tree Inventory
- Fitting Plant to Place: Site-Specific Restoration Planning on Strawberry Creek
- Hearst North Field Soil Restoration
- Restorative Ecology Training Program
- Strawberry Creek Ecological Stabilization Project
- Blake Garden ADA Path with Native Plant Garden and Viewshed
- Coastal Prairie Restoration and Commemoration
- Community: A Garden Project
- Fostering Community: Clark Kerr Lawns to Meadows
- Strawberry Creek Ecological Stabilization Project, Phase II
- Russell Tree Farm Restoration
- Blake Garden Adaptive Restoration Project*
- Strawberry Creek Planting Resilience Project
- Enhancing the Social Space of Strawberry Creek
- Rain Garden for the Grinnell Natural Area
- Sustainably Remediating UCB Soils
- Reducing UC Berkeley's Impact through Stormwater Management
- Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB) Native Plant Restoration
Transportation & Urban Development:
- Lower Sproul Plaza Redevelopment Eco-Charette
- BicyCAL
- 2010 Bike to Work Day Regional Sponsorship
- Campus Bicycle Initiative
- Break the Mode- Alternative Transport Marketing & Outreach Program
- Break the Mode, Phase II
- Campus Bike Plan Update
- Campus Shared Services Cycles
- Food Bikery Prototype
- Berkeley Parklets, Bike Corrals, and Art Lots
- Bicycle Parking Improvement Project
- Greener UC Berkeley Fleet
- Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY)*
- Pedal Power Bike Share
- ASUC Solar Decathalon
- Way to Go! Social Marketing Alternative Transportation Program
- Campus Bike Infrastructure Inventory
- Reducing BearWALK Wait Times and Fuel Emissions
- EH&S Bicycle Program
- UC Mobility Cooperative
- Berkeley Moves! Targeted Marketing Program
- Building Sustainability at Cal
Waste Diversion & Reduction:
- Better Bin
- No More Down the Drain
- Recycling at Cal Program
- Wurster Hall Composting Project
- Bottle Refill Station Installation and Design Guidelines for Existing Buildings
- I Heart Tap Water Campaign
- Mobilizing Sustainability at Berkeley - The Greening Operations (GO!) Team
- Bring Your Own Mug (BYOM)
- Compost Alliance - Bringing Compost to Campus Buildings
- Installation of Bottle Refill Stations 2011
- Mercury Vapor Detection Equipment
- Waste Reduction in the Cal Greeks Community
- Compost Alliance: Institutionalizing In-House Composting
- Getting to Zero Waste: Waste Audits
- Greening the Berkeley Science Review
- Installation of Bottle Refill Stations 2012
- Minimizing Hazardous Waste Through Chemical Exchange
- Recycling on Campus Tennis Courts
- Waste Not, Want Not: Zero Waste Events
- Wurster Hall Waste Management
- Zero Waste Research Center & Plastic Disclosure Project
- Reusable Sharps Container Pilot Project
- Composting at Blake Garden
- Greening the Berkeley Science Review, Phase II
- Trash to Treasure
- Pedaling Towards Zero Waste
- Refills Not Landfills
- Local Composting Efforts at Pi Kappa Alpha
- College of Chemistry Chemical Reuse Facility Expansion
- Designated Reuse Bins
- Install Recycling Bins at Clark Kerr Dorm Rooms
- Stop Waste in Sororities
- Max-R Bins
- Sustainable Concrete Canoe
- Bulk Bins
- Berkeley Art Studio Clay Recycling Project
- Expanding Zero Waste in Residence Halls
- High Efficiency Hand Dryers in Barrows Hall*
- Wine Barrel Composting
- Greek Recycling at Berkeley (GRAB)
- These Come From Trees
- UCB 3D Printer Reclamation
- Connie and Kevin Chou Hall Zero Waste Certification
- Managed Print Program
- Vermicomposting
- Reusable Ware for ESPM
- Cal Dining Rentable Reusables
- Ethical and Accessible E-Waste Recycling at UC Berkeley
- Integrated Plastics Recycling at UC Berkeley
- Repair for ReUSE Clinic
- Waste Reduction in University Village
- Closed-Loop Mechanical Recycling of PLA Filament in UCB 3D Printing Labs
- Compost Infrastructure in Fraternities
- Supporting Conservation at the Garden: One Water Refill Station to Rule Them All!
- Standardization of Waste Sorting Signage within UC Berkeley Residence Halls
Water Conservation & Efficiency:
- Water Metering and Sub-metering of UC Campus Buildings
- End the Cycle - Sustainable Laundry Campaign
- Water Metering and Conservation
- Fight the Flow
- Low Water Irrigation
- Water Conservation in the Cal Greeks Community
- Fight the Flow, Phase II
- Sustainable Laundry at University Village
- Sustainable Water Infrastructure Campus Tours
- Cool Towers
- Low Water Irrigation, Phase II
- Dual Flush in Cooperatives
- Water Efficiency at the Goldman School of Public Policy
- Elimination of Single-Pass Water Cooling Systems in Support of the UCOP Sustainability Policy
- Rainwater Harvesting Program
- Autoclave Replacement
- Clark Kerr Rain Garden Community Garden
Environmental Justice:
- “The old growth at our feet”: Coastal Terrace Prairie Restoration at Richmond Field Station
- Decolonize the Environment: A Series of Workshops on Environmental Intersectionality
- Environmental Education for Students of Color
- Equity & Inclusion in Campus Gardens and Land Use Decisions
- Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center Garden
- People of Color Sustainability Campaign
- Promoting Student Engagement and Leadership on Sustainability: The role and relevance of universities in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, globalization, and the environment
- Bears Share
- Building Equitable and Inclusive Food Systems at UC Berkeley: Foodscape Mapping Project
- Culinary Cultures Associate for the Community (Student) Kitchen
- Intersections between Urban Agriculture and Engineering at the La Loma Rooftop Garden (Hispanic Engineers and Scientists Rooftop Garden)
- Sustainable Campus Landscaping DeCal
- Land Use Working Group Year II
- Electric Gem for ADA Loop Service
- Environmental Education for Students of Color
- Carbon Crew: A Diversified Approach to Carbon Neutrality
- Increasing Diversity in The Environmental Workforce through Education and Training
- Phase II: Decolonize the Environment: A Series of Workshops on Environmental Intersectionality
TGIF Project Metrics
Project metrics are calculated using the TGIF Metrics Spreadsheet.
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Firsts
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Education, Outreach, & Behavior Change
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Energy Conservation & Efficiency
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Food Justice & Sustainability
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Habitat Restoration
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Transportation
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Waste Reduction
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Water Conservation & Tap Water
In 2008, TGIF awarded Strawberry Creek restoration enthusiasts a grant to build UC Berkeley's first Native Plant Nursery.
In 2009, The Berkeley Student Food Collective received a grant to open UC Berkeley's first student food cooperative at 2440 Bancroft Way.
In 2009, TGIF provided BicyCAL with a grant to open UC Berkeley's first student-run bicycle cooperative.
PowerSave Campus and TGIF developed a How To: Organize and Run a Greek House Energy Savings Competition Guide.
In 2010-2011, Bottle Refill Station Installation and Design Guidelines of Existing Buildings implemented the first water bottle refill station on campus in Dwinelle Hall. Installation of Bottle Refill Stations 2012 saw the installation of 6 additional water bottle refill stations and 2 water fountain retrofits on campus.
From 2011-2012, Compost Alliance - Bringing Compost to Campus Buildings offered waste sorting education and installed the first compost receptacles in 15 buildings on campus.
In 2011, the Campus Bicycle Initiative hosted the first Campus Bike Day, which offered free bike tune-ups for the Cal community, raffled off a free bike, and promoted bike commutes to reduce transportation-related emissions.
In 2012, Campus Recycling and Refuse Services established UC Berkeley's first Zero Waste Research Center. The grant also allowed for UC Berkeley to become the first university in the world to join the Plastic Disclosure Project.
In 2012, a TGIF Grant established UC Berkeley's Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) with the hiring of 7 student staff members.
In 2012, Learning and LEEDing at Cal hired 5 interns from Building Sustainability @ Cal (BS@C) to help develop the Green Project Certification program, which provides guidelines and recognition for sustainability improvements to buildings that don’t qualify for LEED Certification.
In 2012, Getting to Zero Waste: Waste Audits designed and implemented the first standardized waste sorting bins on campus in Wurster Hall, with receptacles for compost, mixed paper, landfill, and bottles and cans.
In 2012, the first Food Day was hosted on campus, a zero-waste event which drew an estimated 1,000 attendees and provided information about nutrition, hunger, sustainable food systems, and products from 4 local vendors and small-businesses. 2 cooking demonstrations were held, and 10 student organizations tabled at the event.
In 2013, Fight the Flow, Phase II: Residence Halls and University Village received a Best Practice Award from the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference for installing efficient, low-flow shower heads that reduced water consumption to 1991 levels.
In 2014, the Berkeley Food Institute and SOGA members of the Student Organic Garden Education Fund project helped ideate and develop the CNR Food Systems Minor.
In 2014, Installing Bins at Clark Kerr Dorm Rooms installed the first recycling and compost bins within student dorms. An estimated 400 residents used the newly-installed 100 compost minibins and 180 recycling minibins in the first year of the program.
In 2014, the College of Chemistry Chemical Reuse Facility Expansion project created the first UC Berkeley system to reduce waste and facilitate the reuse of compressed gas cylinders by campus researchers.
In 2014, TGIF funding enabled the Student Organic Garden Association Summer Intern Phase I project to hire paid interns for the first time in SOGA’s history.
In 2015, WattTime partnered with Building Clouds to make Sutardja Dai Hall the first campus building to optimize HVAC systems and reduce emissions.
In 2015, Telegraph Green: The Next Least Generation organized UC Berkeley’s first-ever Zero Waste Week, which included a “Game Day Recycling Challenge,” a waste audit on Sproul Plaza, and other educational events.
In 2016, the Bulk Bins project installed the first bulk food dispensers on the UC Berkeley campus in Bear Market, Cub Market, and Golden Bear Cafe.
In 2017, the Goldman School of Public Policy became the first school at UC Berkeley to receive a WaterSmart Certification from the East Bay Municipal Utility District following water efficiency upgrades made by the Water Efficiency and Goldman School of Public Policy project.
In 2017, the ASUC Solar Decathlon project was the first instance of UC Berkeley participation in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition. RISE (Residential, Inviting, Stackable, Efficient) was constructed by UC Berkeley and the University of Denver, designed to be a net-zero energy home for urban infill lots in Richmond with potential for expansion with stackable units; it was awarded third place in the 2017 decathlon.
In 2017, the Climate Vulnerability Assessment project authored the first report to analyze the impacts of climate change on campus populations and infrastructure.
In 2018, Connie and Kevin Chou Hall became the first business school building on campus to attain a Zero-Waste certification.
In 2018, the Smyth-Fernwald Soil Testing for Community Engaged Land-usage Planning project analyzed the nutrient composition and soil contamination levels of the Smyth-Fernwald land tract (located near Clark Kerr Garden) for the first time.
In 2019, Environmental Education for Students of Color organized California’s first environmental justice conference for students of color.
In 2020, a member of the Focus 2020 Student Team from the Office of Sustainability developed “The UC Berkeley Zero Waste Guide,” the first educational sustainability video to be integrated into Golden Bear Orientation.
In 2008, Building Sustainability at Cal created two new classes—ES 84/98/198 General Sustainability and ER 199 Energy Efficiency—to develop students’ service learning skills. From 2008-2009 UC Berkeley Campus Dashboard employed 20 students to create an online data visualization dashboard of the electricity, water, and steam use data for over 40 campus buildings. A real-time electricity and water use kiosk was also installed in Wurster Hall, in addition to a LED display that displays real-time energy use in the Free Speech Movement Café. In 2023, the Zero Waste Coalition included 170 members and 15 student organizations. Through classroom chats, the Zero Waste Coalition engaged over 260 students on waste education topics. In 2023, the Eco-Community Development Department hosted “Highlighting Environmental Intersectionality within UC Berkeley,” a 4-person speaker panel attended by 18 students that focused on the connections between personal identity and its influence on approaches to environmentalism.
In 2008, Building Sustainability at Cal has allowed 2 student interns to get their LEED GA Certification.
In 2008, one of the three interns hired by Student Internships for Jump-Starting the Office of Sustainability served as the primary author for the 38-page 2008 Campus Sustainability Assessment.
In 2008, Lower Sproul Eco-Development Eco-Charrette hosted a Sustainable Design workshop with 40 students and staff in attendence.
From 2008-2009, Talking Louder about Campus Sustainability:
From 2009-2012, the Berkeley Student Food Collective provided education and outreach to 32,780 people.
From 2009-2013, Earthweek organized at least 40 events to engage and educate students on sustainability. These included numerous prize giveaways, tabling events, film screenings, lectures, live performances, and speaker panels.
From 2010-2011, Teaching, Learning, and Change (TLC) certified an additional 23 events for a total of 57 Certified Green Events. At least 80% of these events offered composting and a minimum of 10% of the food served was sustainable. These events attracted an estimated 19,300 attendees.
From 2010-2011, I Heart Tap Water Campaign’s pledge to drink more tap water and reduce single-use plastic bottle waste gathered over 800 student, staff, and faculty signatories.
From 2010-2011, Greening Kroeber Art Studios and Bathroom released and distributed 6 informational posters on saving energy, reducing waste, conserving water, and purchasing and reusing sustainable art supplies in Kroeber Hall.
From 2010-2011, End the Cycle: Sustainable Laundry Campaign conducted sustainable laundry educational outreach to 1200+ res hall residents. In a survey, an average 65.8% of residents stated that they had considered changing their laundry settings after seeing the educational materials from the campaign.
From 2010-2011, Custodial Staff Outreach hosted conversations about custodial work, sustainability, and environmental justice with custodial staff, professors, staff, and students in 6 campus buildings.
From 2010-2011, The Cal Habitat Restoration Leadership program hosted restoration events with 250 volunteers, clocking in 11,600 hours of restoration work for the removal of Periwinkle, Chilean Red Current, English Ivy, Algerian Ivy, and invasive grasses.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, Teaching, Learning, and Change Green-Certified 57 events, which hosted approximately 19,300 people total.
In 2011, Sustainability Map Project created an interactive map of the campus that displays 8 sustainability efforts on campus, including recycling bins, composting, strategic energy projects, LEED-Certified buildings, sustainable dining options, permeable surfaces, hydration stations, and bike racks and routes.
In 2011, Fight the Flow held tabling events, released a survey, and distributed posters about reducing water consumption and using the new efficiency shower valves that they installed. An estimated 300 students engaged with these information materials.
In 2011, the Campus Bicycle Initiative hosted Campus Bike Day, which had over 500 attendees.
In 2011, the BERC Energy Symposium was attended by 800 people. BERC hosted 9 panel discussions on energy and EVs in addition to 3 keynote speakers, 8 partner school representatives, and 80 poster presenters.
In 2011, the Strawberry Creek Restoration Program organized 2 DeCals for students and volunteers to gain experience with participatory environmental restoration activities.
Since opening in 2011, the Strawberry Creek Native Plants Nursery has hosted 100 students per semester who use the nursery as a learning resource.
From 2011-2012, the I Heart Tap Water Campaign tabled at over 25 events—including CalSO sessions, the UHS Open House, RSF Caltopia, and Mind & Body Awareness Week—where they raffled off t-shirts and water pitchers to encourage less consumption of bottled water.
From 2011-2012, ASUC Green Certification Program certified a total of 10 student groups, who committed to reducing the environmental footprint of their club activities.
From 2011-2012, Compost Alliance educated and connected with more than 1,500 people.
From 2011-2012, Talking Louder About Sustainability hosted 2 sustainability forums with an estimated 100 students in attendance.
In 2012, Learning and LEEDing at Cal funded four student interns to achieve professional LEED accreditation. The Learning and LEEDing interns also drafted a specialized renovations checklist for UC Berkeley by sampling other building renovations checklists from organizations such as StopWaste and USGBC. The checklist will increase incentives for smaller, cost-effective, campus sustainability projects.
During Food Day 2012, an estimated 1000 event attendees enjoyed educational activities organized by 11 food-related student groups and ate samples from 4 sustainable food companies.
In 2012, Waste Not, Want Not: Zero Waste Events persuaded 11 caterers and 3 campus facilities to commit to zero waste practices when hosting campus events.
In 2012, the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) acquired a temporary office space in Lower Sproul and then in 337 Mulford Hall (Spring 2013 - 2016), which served as a meeting space for 11 student groups and hosted 75 walk-in students over both semesters. SERC then moved to Sproul Hall until the winter of 2018 where it established its permanent space in MLK bNorth. SERC helped pass 2 bills through the ASUC: one that establishes the long-term durability of the Center, and one that supports the ASUC's divestment from fossil fuel endowments. SERC co-hosted the 2013 California Student Sustainability Coalition Spring Convergence, which had over 700 attendees, and during spring semester 2013 hosted or co-hosted 7 other events and workshops that involved an estimated 150 students. Finally, SERC taught an "Environmental Student Organizations at Cal" Decal in the Spring semester to 25 undergraduate students.
In 2012, Filling the weed-shaped hole: Determining an effective planting palette for Strawberry Creek engaged over 250 volunteers, who attended 11 educational events and spent a cumulative 450 hours on restoration activities.
In 2012, the Strawberry Creek Watershed Stewardship Program installed 6 informational signs—with topics such as watershed pollution, fire ecology, and plant species in the area—along the UC Berkeley Fire Trails, in collaboration with EH&S.
In 2012, CITRIS Sustainability Champion Awards for Undergraduates trained 4 students on topics of sustainable food sourcing, energy efficiency, and marketing before matching them to employers for summer internships.
In 2012, Sustainable Laundry at University Village distributed laundry drying racks to 50 families; the percentage of families in the pilot who air-dried at least half of their laundry increased from 38% to 89%.
From 2012-2013, EcoMovie Nights screened 6 environmental films with a total of 150 students in attendance, on topics such as light pollution, e-waste, advocacy, the oil industry, and climate science.
From 2012-2013, Compost Alliance: Institutionalizing In-House Composting worked in 18 campus buildings and lecture halls to update bins and signage, table to provide information, distribute newsletters, and add new composting bins.
In 2013, the Zero Waste Research Center and Plastic Disclosure Project organized an Environmentally Preferred Office Products (EPP) Road Show for vendors to showcase sustainable office product offerings, such as recyclable and refillable ink pens. They then developed a guide of 12 sustainable product offerings, including pens, erasers, and paper for 11 interested campus buildings to purchase.
In 2013, Greening the Berkeley Science Review, Phase II worked with the BSR Team to make 4 past issues of the Review available online, to increase the accessibility of digitized content that reduces printing and paper consumption.
In 2013, Phase II of Nature Village Sustainable Family Living organized and facilitated discussions on waste reduction and energy conservation with 50 families living in University Village.
From 2013-2014, Fitting Plant to Place: Site-Specific Restoration Planning on Strawberry Creek engaged over 200 UC Berkeley students for over 600 hours of volunteer work events. Around 60 Berkeley High School students also volunteered for a cumulative 1,000 hours.
From 2013-2014, the Restorative Ecology Training Program hosted 12 public education events and workshops, including tabling, rooftop gardening workshops, tours of research and remediation sites, and presentations on metal contamination in soil.
In 2014, the Fitting Plant to Place: Site-Specific Restoration Planning on Strawberry Creek project educated 60 students at the Strawberry Creek plant nursery by leading 3 Kids for the Bay camp field trips.
In 2014, the Restorative Ecology Training Program educated 16 students on plant and social ecology topics, including composting, horticulture, and soil and ecosystem analysis.
In 2014, students from the Berkeley Student Food Collective created Trash 2 Treasure: A DIY Book Aimed at Reducing Home Waste. The book includes 30 pages of recipes and crafting instructions for reducing food waste and upcycling or repurposing scrap materials.
In 2014, the Campus Sustainability Photos and Video for UC Berkeley’s Public Affairs Digital Gallery produced 30 photographs of campus sustainability efforts and a video, “Sustainability in Action,” to incentivize waste diversion. The video showcased student efforts such as the Berkeley Student Food Collective, bottle refill stations, and a sustainable fashion show by the Re-Entry Student Program.
In 2014, Student Projects Redefining Our University’s Trash Sustainably (SPROUTS) partnered with the Cal Dining Sustainability Team to outreach to students about waste reduction during Caltopia. Their informational booth reached an estimated 700 students.
In 2014, Refills not Landfills distributed over 700 refill punch cards to incentivize students to receive refill discounts for bringing reusable mugs to Cal Dining locations.
In 2014, the Student Organic Education Fund project hired 18 interns and facilitated 2 gardening decals with a total of 159 students, including the On-Campus Gardening DeCal in Fall 2014.
In 2014, SERC and Chinook Book jointly developed the free SERC Mobile App, which offered 200 coupons for local, sustainable vendors in the Bay Area. In the Fall 2014 semester, around 240 people downloaded the app and redeemed a total of 20 coupons.
From 2014-2015, the Telegraph Green project encouraged local businesses to incentivize waste reduction; at least 3 restaurants, including ShareTea, Jamba Juice, and Dumpling Express agreed to offer discounts to customers that used reusable foodware.
In 2015, the Strawberry Creek Ecological Stabilization Project Phase II hosted an Opening Ceremony to celebrate riparian restoration of the creek. Approximately 75 students, staff, and community members were in attendance.
In 2015, the Max-R Bins project added new, detailed signage on waste stream compartments—compost, mixed paper, landfill, and bottles & cans—to encourage proper waste sorting to 10 of the campus’ Max-R waste bins.
In 2015, Telegraph Green: The Next Least Generation held their Popup Precycling event, encouraging ShareTea, Caffe Strada, and Dumpling Express to give away almost 300 reusable cups or containers to students to promote single-use waste reduction.
In 2016, Cal CAP 2.0 Internships compensated the work of two graduate students, who contributed to “2025 Carbon Neutrality Planning Framework: A report to inform greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies”. The report assessed current Berkeley emissions production and analyzed strategies for achieving carbon neutrality.
In 2016, the Bulk Bins project distributed about 800 reusable snack bags to students on campus to promote a reduction of single-use snack wrappers.
In 2017, interns from the Student Organic Farm Association Summer Intern Program Phase II project hosted 3 workshops on natural cleaning, DIY personal care, and salve making that attracted over 30 attendees.
In 2017, the ASUC Solar Decathlon project created RISE (Residential, Inviting, Stackable, Efficient), an affordable home unit entered in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition. Tours of the net-zero energy home were offered to over 15,000 visitors.
From 2017-2018, the Cal Dining Garden Expansion educated over 100 freshmen students about garden resources, health, and wellbeing through their Clark Kerr Dining Hall Tea Tabling events.
From 2017-2018, The Earth Action Initiative held 8 workshops with 334 attendees.
In 2018, the Graduate Assembly Environmental Sustainability Conference organized by the Earth Action Initiative attracted a total of 300 attendees and featured over 100 submissions of climate-inspired art from 60 artists.
In 2018, the Environmental Action Network and Software hosted an event discussing how students can have a political influence with 40 student attendees.
In 2018, the Environmental Action Network’s Blooms for Bills tabling event encouraged over 100 students to send emails about environmental legislation to their local representative.
In 2018, Latinx and the Environment hosted 30-40 students at their seminar.
In 2018, Environmental Education for Students of Color has hosted 18 workshops with 276 students registered.
In 2018, Building Sustainability Curriculum and Learning at Berkeley organized a workshop for faculty to implement sustainability topics into their courses. 11 courses across 10 departments were updated after the workshop. The courses were offered in Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, reaching 980 students. Additionally, 2 new classes were created as a result of the workshop, including HISTART 105 Eco Art: Art, Architecture, and the Natural Environment by Professor Sugata Ray and MSE 24 Freshman Seminar by Dr. Matt Sherburne.
In 2018 Equity and Inclusion in Campus Gardens and Land Use Decisions hired 3 student interns.
In 2018, Latinx and the Environment Resource Fair held 2 events with 30 attendees for each event.
In 2018, Environmental Action Network Software had 40 students attend their events.
Since 2018, the video “What is Zero Waste at UC Berkeley” produced by How Cal Will Achieve Zero Waste by 2020 has been viewed over 500 times on YouTube. It was also played for the audience at the PAC-12 Zero Waste Bowl at California Memorial Stadium.
In 2018, Herbicide Free Cal (now Herbicide Free Campus) worked with campus groundskeepers to end the use of herbicides in Memorial Glade and Faculty Glade. They distributed at least 300 stickers to promote campaign awareness, and engaged over 20 student volunteers to construct a soil foundation for an herbicide-free space outside of Evans Hall.
From 2018 to 2019, Decolonize the Environment: A Series of Workshops on Environmental Intersectionality hosted 2 panels— The Environmental Justice Panel: A Dialogue about Racial Disparities and An Environment without Prisons: Prison Abolition is Environmental Justice—that attracted over 200 attendees.
From 2018-2019, Brown’s Cafe Herbal Garden engaged over 300 students with gardening workdays and herbal cooking demos.
From 2018-2020, the Residence Hall Education Program engaged approximately 2,000 students in a series of educational zero waste events.
In 2019, Environmental Education for Students of Color organized and hosted a total of 21 workshops at SCECon 2019, attracting 200 attendees in total. In a survey of SCECon attendees, 77.8% of conference attendees felt they were able to recognize their belonging to the environmental and sustainability movement and over 70% of attendees reported that they were able to a) meet, connect, or build community with other students of color; b) learn something about themselves or their community, and c) learn more about environmental justice.
In 2019, the 3 undergraduates who had participated in the 2018 ISCN Conference in Sweden and the 2018 IARU Borderland summer field research course as a part of Promoting Student Engagement & Leadership on Sustainability hosted a teach-in. The 12 students in attendance discussed sustainability takeaways from the conferences with the 3 undergraduate representatives.
In 2019, the Waste Diversion in University Village project hosted 4 events on waste education that were attended by 330 residents.
From 2019-2020, Building Sustainability at Cal hosted the BS@C LEED DeCal, which educated over 30 students and prepared them for the LEED Green Associate Accreditation Exam.
From 2019-2021, The Perennial has published 4 issues of at least 50 pages of content each, in addition to 3 undergraduate environmental research papers.
In 2020, Increasing Diversity in the Environmental Workforce Through Education and Training helped to arrange 12 virtual internships in 6 different organizations. Some interns contributed to increased attendance in the Fall 2021 Latinxs and the Environment seminar.
In 2020, Garden restoration work by Bee Campus USA engaged nearly 50 student and community volunteers. 45 seed packets that would support bees and habitat restoration were distributed to the volunteers.
In 2020, the end-of-semester virtual Eco-Summit from the Community Development Events ASUC Office of Sylvia Targ project engaged over 50 student participants and brought together over 15 student organizations.
In 2020, textbooks provided by the Food for Thought Textbook Library are used by about 80 students per semester, increasing textbook accessibility for students with financial needs.
In 2020, the Resilient Sustainability Community Fellows project included 11 student fellows, who were advised by multiple campus organizations to develop professional skills and reflect on climate and pandemic resiliency.
From 2020-2022, SERC recruited 240 students to 18 teams focused on promoting zero waste, education and networking resources, carbon neutrality, and food justice through the SERC Membership Fund. Retention increased from 15% in Fall 2020-Spring 2021 to 25% in Fall 2021-Spring 2022.
From 2020-2022, the Leaflet produced over 100 articles on environmental justice, environmental science and policy, and sustainable lifestyles. Their website attracted over 16,000 visitors and they employed over 45 paid writers and editors through the Editorial Program and Team Writers Program.
In 2021, Environmental Education for Students of Color organized SCECon 2021: Our World, Our Time, Our Voices, which featured over 20 workshops and panels and attracted over 250 attendees.
In 2021, GETH project presentations on student involvement in the Planting Native Milkweed Habitat for Monarch Butterflies project engaged 60 student attendees.
In 2021, Climate Fix Radio and Podcast produced over 50 ninety-second audio clips and 1 video to educate the public and students about climate solutions.
In 2021, Environmental Pláticas: From School to Our Homes, De La Escuela a Nuestro Hogar hosted 4 climate change and environmental justice workshops that involved 3 Latinx organizations, which attracted a total of 65 student participants. Of the 26 students who responded to post-workshop surveys, 24 reported feeling more comfortable discussing environmental issues with their family and 26 believed the workshops to be a helpful introduction to climate change and environmental issues.
In 2021, Latinxs in Their Element hired 8 undergraduate research fellows who gained experience by working with graduate student mentors in preparation for the Latinxs and the Environment Initiative Annual Student Research Conference.
In 2021, Latinxs in Their Element hosted 4 “Four Elements” workshops, attracting a total of 49 student attendees.
In 2021, a member of the Focus 2020 Student Team from the Office of Sustainability wrote “UC Berkeley’s Sustainability Curriculum & the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” a 14-page report that quantifies campus courses related to UN SDGs.
From 2021-2022, Healing the Pavement on Campus hosted 3 remote workshops and 3 in-person workshops to share their recycled concrete research, in addition to engaging over 30 undergraduate students in hands-on training and restoration site surveys for 2 semesters.
From 2021-2023, the Haas Rechargeable Battery Program was used by Haas students to check-out batteries 125 times.
From 2021-2023, Student Fellows Activating Campus Sustainability Plans developed a 10-part Sustainability Staff Training program that 50 staff members participated in. 30 staff members received a certificate of completion for the training.
In 2022, the Berkeley Student Native Plant Nursery hosted 3 community-engagement events, attracting 28 attendees.
In 2022, the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens Crops of the World Internship attracted over 20 student visitors to the Crops of the World garden.
In Fall 2022, outreach events conducted by Parking & Transportation and AC Transit—as part of the BerkeleyMoves! Parking and Transportation Program and Data Evaluation Intern program—engaged nearly 6,000 students with information about transportation options on campus.
From 2022-2023, the Business Air Travel Carbon Mitigation program developed by Student Fellows Activating Campus Sustainability Plans has assessed fees for over 8,100 flights by campus members, which will be used to fund carbon emissions reductions projects. The program will raise an estimated $100,000 each year for these projects.
From 2022-2023, funds for ASUC Eco-Office Stipends supported 7 departments within the Eco-Office.
In 2023, the SURG Redwood Restoration Project:
In 2023, the Eco-Community Development Department facilitated 12 mentorship pairings to connect freshmen and transfer students to the campus environmental community.
Air Handling Unit Transmitters (Differential Pressure Switches Project) has installed: In 2008-2009, Building Sustainability at Cal worked in a total of 20 campus buildings, generating 17 audits and implementing 13 education/outreach projects and 5 infrastructure projects. Through the infrastructure projects alone, students were able to save 3 million gal of water and divert 350 lb of waste, resulting in a reduction of over 9000 kg of CO2. Students also replaced 312 sink aerators with the most efficient 0.5gpm aerators in 13 buildings on campus. These water savings have the potential to save 8794 kg of CO2 emissions on campus (estimated in 2009).
In 2009-2010, the Center for Latin American Studies became a Blue Certified Green Department (a sustainability certification from the Berkeley Office of Sustainability) because it cut electricity use by 30% to save UC Berkeley $70/month. They also eliminated two 5-gallon water jugs, estimating that the energy necessary to make a month's worth of water jugs is equal to the energy needed to run a laptop for 144 hours or a clothes dryer for 17 hours.
In 2010, University Hall: Going Green! distributed 300 task lights to offices in University Hall. When replacing overhead lighting, these task lights reduce office energy consumption by an estimated 64 kWh each year.
From 2010-2011, Wurster Hall Sub-Metering installed 24 submeters to track the electrical load of various parts of the building, including Ramona’s Café, kilns, elevators, and the studio floors.
From 2010-2011, the End the Cycle - Sustainable Laundry Campaign encouraged a 7.85% average increase in residents using the coldest wash laundry setting, or an annual savings of 965.8 therms of energy. The campaign resulted in a 7.45% average increase in residents using the delicates drying setting and a 2.15% average increase in residents air drying their clothes; these changes resulted in an estimated annual savings of 1,985 kWh of electricity. Cumulatively, these changes save an estimated 13,000 lb of carbon dioxide from being emitted.
Since 2011, the 12 replacement Energy Star refrigerators installed by University Hall: Going Green! have saved the campus a minimum of 6,014 kWh of energy each year.
In 2011, Cal Greeks Energy Competition - Green Cup offered funds to fraternities and sororities to retrofit their houses in a competition to save energy. It saved an average of 143,883.885 kWh and 3580.82 therms per semester (Fall 2011 and Fall 2012), resulting in total cost savings of $27,725.31. The winning houses—Fiji Fraternity and KA Fraternity—increased their energy savings to 63.4% and 61.5%, respectively
In 2012, the Cal Dining Sustainability Team created the Chews to Reuse program for reusable to-go food containers. At least 4,200 students participated in the Chews to Reuse program, which saves an estimated 77,947 kWh of electricity and 2,660 therms of energy by replacing compostable containers.
In 2012, Sustainable Laundry at University Village distributed laundry drying racks to 50 families; the percentage of families in the pilot who air-dried at least half of their laundry increased from 38% to 89%. This reduced use of dryer machines saves an estimated 110 kWh of electricity, equivalent to about 22.6 kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
In 2013, Retrofitting the RSF into a Human Powered Gym designed and implemented 2 retrofitted machines—an elliptical and a bike trainer—at the RSF, which transform kinetic energy into electrical energy. If 27 other ellipticals were retrofitted, this could generate an estimated 10,000 kWh of electricity.
In 2013, Fight the Flow, Phase II: Residence Halls and University Village installed new low-flow shower heads to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency. The water use reductions helped to conserve an estimated 950 therms of energy associated with water heating.
In 2013, TGIF funding helped purchase a hybrid-electric truck trike for ReUSE for their Pedaling Towards Zero Waste project. The truck trike replaced the campus fleet Ford Ranger that was previously used for transport of reusable materials; its first year of use prevented an estimated 330 miles worth of carbon emissions.
In 2013, the LED Lighting Retrofit for the C.V. Starr East Asian Library replaced 39 low-efficacy incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. Since installation, this retrofit has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 11,950 kWh each year, and reduced emissions by 2,350 kg of CO2 annually.
In 2014, TGIF funding enabled the purchase of the Berkeley Student Food Collective’s first dedicated produce refrigerator, as part of the BSFC Fresh Produce Refrigerator project. At the time of purchase, this refrigerator was the most energy efficient in the BSFC store, using 0.15 kWh/ft3.
Since 2015, LED lamps installed by Lab Microscope Retrofits to replace high intensity discharge (HID) metal lamps in campus labs have resulted in a campus energy savings of 235 kWh each year.
In 2015, the Cal Concrete Canoe competition team used a geopolymer concrete in their construction to reduce global warming potential by 35% as part of their Sustainable Concrete Canoe project.
Since 2016, smart meter plugs installed by the South Hall Energy Efficiency project are estimated to reduce South Hall’s weekly energy consumption by 5%, or 70 kWh per week.
In 2016, Forest Power installed a hydronic heater to heat the UC Center for Forestry. Using wood instead of propane in this heater system increased energy efficiency and reduced yearly carbon emissions by 9,000 lb.
In 2016, the Sustainability in the Greek Community project increased energy efficiency by 73% by retrofitting 310 light bulbs with LEDs.
Since 2016, the Green Labs Supplies and Equipment Award Program has saved 4 campus labs a cumulative 16,000 kWh each year with the purchase of a more energy-efficient printer and 3 freezers.
In 2016, the Developing a Greener Ceramic Art Facility project purchased a new kiln with TGIF funding that reduced natural gas conservation by 85% and conserves an estimated 10 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
In 2017, the solar panels installed at 4 UC Berkeley Sites by Solar Powering Cal were fully operational. The MLK Jr. Student Union and Eshleman Hall buildings collectively produce approximately 150,000 kWh of solar electricity each year, while the Recreational Sports Facilities produce about 340,000 kWh of solar electricity each year, and University Village produces about 700,000 kWh of solar electricity each year.
In 2017, the ASUC Solar Decathlon project created RISE (Residential, Inviting, Stackable, Efficient), an affordable home unit designed to achieve net-zero energy consumption through conservation and recycling of heat.
Since 2018, the sustainable, affordable tiny home created by Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) has saved an estimated 6,000 kWh per year as compared to standard housing.
In 2021, Capturing Energy Savings from VAV Box Minimums discovered that 21,024 kWh of energy could be saved each year in the Cesar E. Chavez Student Center with adjustments to the variable air volume setpoints in the ventilation system.
As of 2023, the Haas Rechargeable Battery Program has supplied 24 Haas classrooms with 48 rechargeable, energy-efficient batteries for clickers. Throughout the course of the program, 27 batteries have been recharged.
In 2009, Earthweek organized the establishment of the Memorial Victory Garden, located between Evans Hall and Memorial Glade. The garden had 6 beds to grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs, and was managed entirely by volunteers.
In Fall 2012, The Cal Dining Sustainability Team formulated and implemented the "Chews to Reuse" pilot program, which was then expanded to all Cal Dining dining halls in Spring 2013. An estimated 77,947 kWh and 2,660 therms of energy are saved per year by opting for the Chews to Reuse containers. These results will save Cal Dining a minimum of $46,369.03 annually. Students can potentially save a combined $65,658.00 a year by participating in the program.
In 2012 the Cal Dining Sustainability Team hosted Food Day 2012, during which an estimated 1,000 event attendees enjoyed educational activities organized by 11 food-related student groups and ate samples from four sustainable food companies. Food Day will now be an annual event executed by the Cal Dining Sustainability Team.
In 2013, the Berkeley Student Food Collective Operational Sustainability Intern helped encourage Cal Dining to begin using the Real Food Calculator. The calculator, developed by the Real Food Challenge, is a tool that determines how much of the food budget is directed towards spending on food that is local, fairly-produced, environmentally-friendly, and that involves the humane treatment of animals.
In the summer of 2014, the Student Organic Garden Association Summer Intern Phase I project cultivated and donated over 70 lb of food to the UC Berkeley Food Pantry.
From 2017-2018, the Cal Dining Garden Expansion donated over 140 lb of produce to the UC Berkeley Food Pantry, and planted over 30 fruit trees in a new orchard at Clark Kerr Garden to supply fresh fruits to the food pantry.
In 2018, 12 fellows worked a combined 1,500 hours to learn about urban farming through the Agroecological Fellows Program at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm.
In 2019, Brown’s Cafe Herbal Garden planted approximately 75 herbs and donated over 100 bunches of herbs to the UC Berkeley Food Pantry.
In 2019, the Building Equitable and Inclusive Food Systems at UC Berkeley: Foodscape Mapping Project tabled to promote catering vendors and food waste recovery information to over 30 student groups and 50 students.
In 2021, Food Literacy Coordinators hired under the HADSA Covid Relief project organized Sustainable Food Challenges at 4 campus dining halls, such as a Plant-Forward Recipe challenge. At least 200 students sampled the dishes prepared for the challenges.
In 2021, the HADSA Covid Relief project tracked the donation of 13,419 lb of food from Cal Dining to the Basic Needs Center Food Pantry.
In 2009, Lawns to Meadows converted 4 grass lawn and lawn strip campus areas to gardens with native plants or pavers and paths. The native grasses, drought-tolerant perennial species, and drip irrigation systems will help to conserve irrigation water; the new pavers will help to redirect runoff stormwater. In 2013, the Blake Garden ADA Path with Native Plant Garden & Viewshed built an ADA-accessible pathway and bathroom in the Blake Garden, also planting 13 species of drought-tolerant shrubs and trees to prevent invasive species incursion. In 2014, the Coastal Prairie Restoration and Commemoration project planted over 100 Native California grasses to restore the Grinnell Natural Area. In 2015, the Strawberry Creek Ecological Stabilization Project Phase II: In 2015, the Russell Tree Farm Restoration project cleared 5 acres of understory fuel trees in the Russell Tree Farm research station to improve wildfire and drought resilience.
From 2010-2011, Reduction in Chemical Use at the UC Botanical Garden used TGIF funding to purchase a 100-gallon compost tea brewing unit. The unit was used to create 12 applications of compost tea that were used in 8 collections at the Botanical Garden, including the Garden of Old Roses, Arid House, the New World Desert, and more.
In 2012, Composting at Blake Garden built three opened ended compost structures out of inter-locking block material, allowing staff to use a front-loader to turn compost on-site, rather than turning by hand, therefore saving 250 hours of labor/year and $3000/year of green dumping fees.
In 2012, the Strawberry Creek Water Quality Probe purchased a water quality probe that will assist with sediment and erosion research along Strawberry Creek and also promote environmental stewardship. The probe can test for the traits of total coliform, turbidity, chloramines, and pH in creekwater.
In 2012, Strawberry Creek Planting (Filling the Weed-Shaped Hole):
In 2014, the Restorative Ecology Training Program:
In 2014, the Strawberry Creek Confluence Ecological Stabilization Project planted over 250 California native plant species, including California Honeysuckle, Wild Strawberry, White Alder, Douglas Iris, and Torrent Sedge.
In 2014, Fitting Plant to Place: Site-Specific Restoration Planning on Strawberry Creek:
In 2016, the Oxford Tract Community Farm Air Quality Research project found that urban farms like the Oxford Tract can reduce industrial particulate matter by about 36%.
In 2016, the Blake Garden Adaptive Restoration Project propagated and planted 240 native Californian Stipa pulchra/Purple Needlegrass plants.
In 2017, The Smyth-Fernwald Soil Testing project improved 4 acres of land.
In 2017-2018, the Sustainably Remediating UCB Soils project hired 5 undergraduate interns and outreached to 215 students via online, tabling, and classroom education. They also removed 45 g of arsenic from the RFS and sustainably 85 square meters of land. 19,440 kg of soil was remediated to reduce the concentration of hazardous waste and 648 gal of water per week is conserved.
In 2019, Brown’s Herbal Garden improved approximately 280 ft3 of land and planted 125 plants.
In 2020, Enhancing the Social Space of Strawberry Creek removed invasive plants and planted 12 native California species—including Hummingbird Sage, California Lilac, and Douglas Iris—at a restoration site near Birge Hall.
In 2020, Bee Campus USA helped to restore over 5,000 ft2 of garden space on the UC Berkeley campus and greater Berkeley community, and clear at least 10 yards of invasive weeds.
In 2020, Bee Campus USA planted 45 species of native California flowers across 6,500 ft2 of space.
In 2021, the Planting Native Milkweed Habitat for Monarch Butterflies project team planted a total of 35 milkweed plants at Clark Kerr garden.
In 2021, milkweed restoration by the Planting Native Milkweed Habitat for Monarch Butterflies project attracted an estimated 20 monarch butterflies, in addition to monarch caterpillars.
In 2022, The Berkeley Student Native Plant Nursery project grew over 600 individual plants belonging to 16 native California plant species for distribution to local climate resilience projects.
Since 2010, BicyCAL has assisted with an average of 250 bike repairs per semester of operation. From 2010-2013, BicyCAL has repaired about 1,500 bicycles in their six semesters of operation.
From 2012-2013, Break the Mode - Alternative Transport Marketing & Outreach Program hosted 2 tabling events to encourage use of public transportation and other alternatives to cars to users of the now-demolished University Hall Parking Structure. Over 37 University Hall employees signed up for customized trip planning assistance to find commute alternatives, and 14 employees signed up for a BearPass. If these 51 staff members chose an alternative form of transportation from home to Berkeley other than driving, it would save 11,220 driving trips per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 115,015 kg annually.
In 2015, the Campus Bike Plan Update analyzed current campus bike routes and transport data to identify ways to increase bike usage and reduce emissions, improve bike route safety, and improve bike parking and security. The Campus Bike Plan estimated that expanding the bike share program could result in 1,500-2,000 new campus bicycle commuters.
From 2015 to 2017, the 2 e-bikes purchased for the Greener UC Berkeley Fleet project provided alternative transportation for 3,000 trips and over 60 employees.
In 2016, the Bicycle Parking Improvement Project added an additional 76 new bike parking spaces to promote green transportation.
In 2017, the Reducing BearWALK Wait Times and Fuel Emissions project purchased 2 e-bikes for BearWALK Community Service Officers that increased efficiency, conserved approximately 148 gallons of fuel, and saved an estimated $400/month in fuel costs.
In 2017, the UC Mobility Collective studied residents at University Village and estimated that 18 cars and their trips could have been reduced to a fleet of 13 shared vehicles, saving users between $500-1,000 each year.
In 2017, the Climate Vulnerability Assessment project predicted that storm surges and flooding would be a major climate change-induced disruptor affecting roads and transportation on campus.
In 2018, promotion of the RideAmigos website through the Way to Go! Social Marketing Alternative Transportation Program led to the sequestration of an estimated 7 T of CO2 through carpooling and rideshare trips coordinated through the site.
From 2018-2019, Berkeley Moves has saved 17.4 T of carbon emissions.
From 2018 to 2020, the bike purchased as part of the EH&S Bicycle Improvement Program replaced 37 car trips. Assuming a 10-year lifetime of the bicycle, using the bike instead of a motor vehicle could save $3,600 in fuel costs each year.
In 2019, the Campus Bike Infrastructure Inventory conducted a study of the capacity and utilization of campus parking facilities, determining that 5,198 bicycle parking spaces were only providing enough parking for 7.9% of the campus population, short of the 2006 Campus Bike Plan goal to provide bicycle parking for 10% of the population.
In 2019, the BerkeleyMoves! Targeted Marketing Program organized Mobility Week events that promoted carpooling and other alternative transportation; 115 staff and students participated, saving up to 6,933 lb of CO2 with 1,670 trips via bike, carpool, transit, walk, vanpool, telework.
From 2020 to 2021, the BerkeleyMoves! Carsharing Pilot helped allocate 160 GIG rideshare credits of a cumulative $7,200 value to low-income students.
Since 2021, the addition of 1 Gem electric vehicle to the ADA Loop service prevents an estimated 10,400 lb of CO2 emissions per year and saves $10,000.00 per year in maintenance and gas costs.
As of Fall 2022, BerkeleyMoves!, the campus’ official rideshare program, 2,279 users have saved 110.8 T of CO2 with an estimated 48,000 trips. The program coordinated nearly 8,000 trips in the Fall 2022 semester alone.
In 2008, Student Internships for Jump-Starting the Office of Sustainability hired 3 interns. The interns researched and provided recommendations for a campus Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program. The purchasing guidelines saved an estimated 1,340 T of carbon emissions.
From 2008-2009, Building Sustainability at Cal helped to divert waste by reducing paper in landfill by 13% through education and outreach programs. Their paper towel composting pilot in the City of Berkley’s MLK Jr. Civic Center also diverted an additional 350 lb of paper towels from landfill.
In 2009, Recycling at Cal designed and installed 56 new outdoor recycling bins (28 Bottles & Cans and 28 Mixed Paper).
From 2009-2010, No More Down the Drain diverted approximately 900 pounds of scrap clay and 40 gal ceramic glaze from landfill or wastewater with the installation of 2 closed-system recycling sinks (“cinks”). The recovered scrap clay could be used to make around 900 mugs, and the recovered glaze provided enough material to glaze another 3,840 mugs.
In 2010, Mobilizing Sustainability at Berkeley - The Greening Operations (GO!) Team worked 120 hours at 5 football games and diverted 15-50% of the total waste stream per game. This is the equivalent of 2-9 T of recycled material per game or 24 T total over five games.
From 2010-2011, Mobilizing Sustainability at Berkeley - The Greening Operations (GO!) Team implemented composting and recycling bins, signage, and waste education at the International House Dining Hall and Kitchen, resulting in an average of 125 lb of food waste being diverted to compost after each meal.
From 2011-2012, Compost Alliance - Bringing Compost to Campus Buildings installed compost and waste sorting receptacles in 15 campus buildings, which diverted an estimated 18 T of waste from the landfill and prevented the release of 2,336 kg of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
In 2012, Wurster Hall Waste Management created studio give/take system to divert construction materials from landfill and offer them for reuse. This reuse system helped to divert an estimated 2-3 T of material waste from landfill.
In 2012, Recycling on Campus Tennis Courts installed 8 recycling bins at Hearst Tennis Courts and 8 recycling bins at Channing Tennis Courts to divert the estimated 19,880 tennis ball cans and 59,940 tennis balls used annually from landfill. The Zero Waste Research Center and Cal Women's Tennis Team are working with Project Green Ball and ReBounces recycling to reuse the tennis balls through a re-pressurizing machine or recycling the material into other surfaces such as equestrian turf.
In 2012, Installation of Bottle Refill Stations 2012 built upon an existing TGIF grant to install 3 new bottle refill stations and retrofit 16 existing water fountains with bottle filling technology. Each station can divert approximately 30,000 plastic bottles from landfill before it requires a filter replacement.
In 2012, Greening the Berkeley Science Review worked with the BSR Team to print Issue 22 on paper that contained 30% post consumer waste and 55% recycled content.
In 2012, Minimizing Hazardous Waste at UC Berkeley developed a proposal for the creation of an online chemical exchange program for the reuse and recycling of campus chemicals. The proposal was presented to and accepted by EH&S, who will implement the proposal and develop the program. As of 2013, the program has collected over 300 chemicals for reuse rather than disposal.
From 2012-2013, The Compost Alliance: Institutionalizing In-House Composting installed:
- 17 composting bins at the Energy Biosciences Building
- 8 composting bins at Hearst Gym and Hearst Annex
- 1 composting bin at Peet's Coffee at Crossroads Dining Commons
- 59 paper towel compost bins by converting existing bins at International House.
From 2012-2013, Compost Alliance: Institutionalizing In-House Composting installed compost bins in 18 campus buildings, which:
- Diverted over 35 T of waste from landfills between June 2012 and March 2013. If composting continues at the same rate, these bins may divert over 3.6 T of organic waste from landfills every month.If composting continues at the same rate, these bins may save the campus $468 every month.
- Reduced campus carbon emissions by over 5,110 kg. If composting continues at the same rate, these bins may reduce carbon dioxide emissions about 525.6 kg monthly.
As of 2013, the Dwinelle refill unit implemented by Installation of Bottle Refill Stations 2011 has been used enough times to require 4 filter replacements, meaning that it has diverted an estimated 120,000 plastic bottles of water from the landfill.
In 2013, Greening the Berkeley Science Review, Phase II worked with the BSR Team to print Issue 23 on paper containing 60% post-consumer waste. By printing on 1,375 lb of this paper, BSR conserved 1 ton or 7 trees worth of wood, 3,535 gal of water, 4 million BTUs of net energy, and 791 lb of greenhouse gases.
From 2013-2014, the Restorative Ecology Training Program diverted approximately 60 kg of plant and food waste per week from landfill to create compost for their restoration site. Cumulatively, the project diverted 2,400 kg of organic waste.
In 2014, Student Projects Redefining Our University’s Trash Sustainably (SPROUTS) helped coordinate a zero-waste basketball game and football game—including the display of informational posters, monitoring trash disposal, and supplying compostable or recyclable dining ware with the help of Cal Dining—which resulted in a waste diversion rate of 95.7% and 74%, respectively.
In 2014, the Designated ReUse Bins project purchased 9 specialized bins to allow campus Moving Services to more easily divert reusable office supplies from the landfill. From 2014-2015, the ReUse Bins diverted over 600 ft3 of office supplies from the landfill from 12 campus buildings, instead donating them to local schools.
In 2014, the College of Chemistry Chemical Reuse Facility Expansion project diverted 20 compressed gas cylinders from disposal, with an estimated 5-10 gas cylinders being diverted each year after the program’s beginning.
In 2015, Refills not Landfills distributed 437 Klean Kanteen bottles in collaboration with SERC, CRRS, and the Beverage Alliance to students who pledged to use the reusable bottles for refills, in an effort to reduce the use of single-use beverage cups.
Since 2016, the High Efficiency Hand Dryers project has resulted in an estimated 21 lb reduction of paper waste per day at the Recreational Sports Facility, through the installation of hand dryers and removal of paper towel dispensers.
In 2016, the Berkeley Art Studio Clay Recycling Project recycled about 30,000 lb of clay over the course of the year. They reused 1,300 plastic bags for clay distribution, and prevented an estimated 16,000 lb of CO2 emissions.
In 2016, 845 lb of food was sold from the installations of bulk food dispensers by the Bulk Bins project, estimated to be the equivalent of 5,000 single-use snack wrappers diverted from landfill.
In 2016, the Wine Barrel Composting/Anaerobic Digester project designed and constructed 3 composting systems from recycled wine barrels, which can each process 100 lb of food every 45-60 days or divert 2,100 lb of organic food waste each year if used continuously.
In 2016, the Developing a Greener Ceramic Art Facility project diverted over 2,000 pounds of waste from materials purchased by students by recycling unfired clay and other materials.
As of 2017, the water bottle refill station that was installed as part of the Water Efficiency and Goldman School of Public Policy project was used to fill over 19,000 reusable bottles.
In 2018, the Waste Diversion in University Village project installed 10 max R waste bins.
In 2018, the 3D Filament Reclamation Project helped divert approximately 100-200 lb of waste produced by labs and makerspaces by recycling their 3D printing filaments; they were able to process and recycle every 100 lb of printing waste into 45 spools of recycled filament at about a third of the cost of virgin material filaments.
From 2018-2019, Reusable Ware for ESPM diverted approximately 240 plates, cups, and sets of cutlery from landfill by creating a reusable dishware program for the department.
From 2018-2020, the Residence Hall Education Program collected over 1,000 lb of donations through residence hall move-out donation drives.
In 2019, These Come From Trees placed educational stickers on paper towel dispensers and helped to reduce paper towel consumption by 15%.
Between 2019-2020, the Repair for ReUSE Clinic repaired garments and thus diverted an estimated 146.5 lb of textile waste from entering the landfill.
From 2019-2020, the BearShare lending library of items such as digital camera kits, calculators, and chargers that saw over 100 item check-outs, representing 100 items saved from immediate disposal.
In 2019, Standardization of Waste Sorting Signage within UC Berkeley Residence halls installed over 3,000 waste sorting signs throughout campus residence halls. An audit conducted at Clark Kerr in early 2020 found that 30% of waste was diverted from landfills to recycling. The audit identified a potential for 80% waste diversion from landfills with increased utilization of composting services.
From 2020-2022, SERC developed a roadmap to phase-out single-use plastics from UC Berkeley through the SERC Membership Fund.
In 2020, textbooks reused through the Food for Thought Textbook Library were estimated to save 4 kg of CO2 each. The 38 textbooks purchased in 2020 could save up to 152 kg of CO2 per semester of use.
In 2021, the Reducing the Impact of Chemical Education project developed 3 new laboratory experiments that would teach green chemistry concepts. At least 1 faculty member approved of and committed to using one of the lab experiments.
From 2021-2023, the Haas Rechargeable Battery Program diverted an estimated 390,000 batteries from landfill.
As of 2022, the Cal Move-Out & Cooperative Reuse program organized by the Office of Sustainability’s Zero Waste Fellow has helped divert over 200,000 lb of furniture from landfills—including the recycling of over 600 mattresses—over the past 3 years.
In 2022, Healing the Pavement on Campus implemented their concrete recycling techniques to recycle 500 kg of waste concrete, sequestering an estimated 60 T of CO2.
In 2022, Healing the Pavement on Campus used recycled concrete to repair cracks in 50 square meters of campus pavement.
In 2023, UC Berkeley Green Labs Program Research Community Trainings worked with 7 campus laboratories to reduce discarded pipette tips, petri dishes, and other lab waste.
- After the training, the Kumar Lab reduced their weekly amount of trash by an estimated 14.1 lb.
- After the training, the Conboy Lab reduced their pipette tip usage by an estimated 6-8 boxes of tips per week. They also produced approximately 4-5 fewer bags of trash per week.
From 2006-2011, The I Heart Tap Water campaign decreased campus sales of bottled water by 48%. In 2010, GO! Team conducted water audits for 6 bathrooms in the Gardner Stacks of Doe Library. The team identified 8 problem fixtures and leaks and made recommendations for plumbing solutions and sink aerator installations. Potential water savings could be a maximum of 1,400 gal per day.
From 2008-2009, Building Sustainability at Cal and Physical Plant and Campus Services installed 312 0.5gpm aerators in 13 campus buildings. As of 2008, these new aerators save the campus an estimated 2,918,548 gal of water each year.
From 2010-2011, End the Cycle: Sustainable Laundry Campaign helped promote more efficient laundry habits in the dorms in and acheived estimated Annual Projected Savings (2010) of:
In 2010, the Bottle Refill Station Installation and Design Guidelines for Existing Buildings installed the first bottle refill station in Dwinelle Hall. The Dwinelle station has eliminated waste from over 120,000 disposable plastic bottles as of May 2013.
From 2010-2012, Water Metering and Conservation installed a total of 67 water meters in 21 campus buildings, which detect leaks and measure real-time water use.
In 2011, Fight the Flow installed 124 UZLOW valves in two Unit 1 residence halls. An estimated 40% of the 2,000 residents used the valves, saving over 571,000 gal of hot water and 1,875 therms over the 2-year project lifespan. These savings equal $4,445 saved in water and heating costs and 26,408 lb of CO2 emissions diverted.
In 2011, Installation of Bottle Refill Stations installed bottle refill stations in Evans, Stanley, Boalt, University, and Barrows Hall.
In 2012, Installation of Bottle Refill Stations and Fountain Retrofits funded the installation of three bottle refill stations and sixteen bottle refill retrofits. Bottle Refill Stations were installed in Wheeler, Kroeber, and Sproul Halls. Bottle refill retrofits were completed in VLSB (2), LSA (2), Evans Hall 2nd floor, Wheeler Hall 2nd floor, Cory Hall, Doe Library Annex, GPB, Latimer, LeConte (2), Pimentel, and Tan.
As of May 2012, Water-Metering and Conservation installed or upgraded 67 water meters in over 21 campus buildings.
In 2013, Fight the Flow, Phase II: Residence Halls and University Village installed new low-flow shower heads to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency. These were used by approximately 40% of the over 2,000 residents in the residence halls, resulting in an estimated annual water savings of 215,350 gal of water.
In 2013, Hearst North Field Soil Restoration applied compost tea, compost top dressing, and volcanic soils minerals to improve soil health and thus reduce the amount of water needed to irrigate the field. Over 2 years, the soil health improvements reduced irrigation water needs by 22% in the summer months.
In 2014, the Cool Towers project surveyed 50 water towers, 50 chillers, and over 500 pumps in 72 campus buildings to identify opportunities to improve water and energy efficiency. As a result of their audit, the water cooling system in Koshland Hall was scheduled for replacement in 2015. This will save an estimated 7 million gal of water each year.
Since 2015, 40 field controllers installed by Low Water Irrigation Phase II have reduced the amount of water used for campus irrigation by optimizing around 42,000 sprinklers. The field controllers are estimated to each save around 1 million gallons of water per year.
Since 2016, the Dual Flush in the Cooperatives project has saved approximately 69,120 gal of water each year with the installation of 33 dual flush toilets in housing at the Cloyne Cooperative.
Since 2016, the Green Labs Supplies and Equipment Program has saved an estimated 1 million gal of water per year through the installation of 60 fish pump recirculation systems installed at 5 labs on campus.
In 2017, the ASUC Solar Decathlon project created RISE (Residential, Inviting, Stackable, Efficient), an affordable home unit designed to achieve net-zero energy consumption with a system to recycle greywater.
In 2017, the construction of the Rain Garden for the Grinnell Natural Area helped to capture and recycle between 2,544-6,666 ft3 of runoff water.
In 2017, Elimination of Single-Pass Water Cooling Systems in Support of the UCOP Sustainability Policy purchased 5 recirculating water chillers for lab equipment in the College of Chemistry. These water chillers save an estimated 5 gal of water per minute, or over 2.5 million gal of water per year.
Since 2018, the sustainable, affordable tiny home created by Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) has conserved an estimated 15,000 gal of water per year as compared to standard housing with a waterless compostable toilet, greywater recycling mechanisms, and other efficient technology.
In 2019, Green Labs evaluated aging autoclaves on campus to determine water savings from autoclave replacement. They estimated that autoclave replacement in 3 campus buildings would save 13.7 million gal of water per year.
In 2020, repairs made to the irrigation pipe near the Li Ka Shing Prairie Planting Garden by Bee Campus USA were estimated to save 10 gal of water per week.
In 2022, the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens Crops of the World Internship converted 7 crop beds from micro sprinkler irrigation to drip irrigation.
In 2022, it was found that the Clark Kerr Rain Garden Community Garden/Rainwater Harvesting & Bioswale System at Hearst Field Annex installation saves an estimated 15,000 gal of water per year for irrigation. This is equivalent to an estimated $124 in savings each year, or a 43% decrease in costs compared to conventional irrigation systems.
In early 2022, the bioswale installation of the Rainwater Harvesting & Bioswale System at Hearst Field Annex filtered pollutants from approximately 35,000 gal of water.