Spring Grants

These projects were funded during our Spring grant cycle, where projects receive more than $5,000 for projects that take between one to three years to complete. 

Vermicomposting by Zero Waste Resource Center

Project Description

The vermicomposting bin has been actively processing organic food waste from the Clark Kerr Kitchen primarily, as well as the Crossroads Kitchen, since then. Currently, around ten gallons of food waste are being added to the bin per week, but it has the capacity to increase. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating food waste pickup while abiding by city and university public health guidelines has been disadvantageous, but we plan to increase the volume of food waste added to the bin once pandemic conditions allow. We have built up a system...

Biofuels Technology R&D

Project Description

Started in 2015, Biofuels Technology Club (BTC) is a student-run organization whose mission is to engineer a pilot processing plant that will repurpose waste cooking oil produced by Cal Dining facilities into biodiesel for use as a cleaner alternative fuel for campus vehicles.

Project Links

Project Application (coming soon!)

Project Poster

SMART for Campus Construction

Project Description

The SMART (Sustainable Monitoring with Advanced Remote Techniques for Campus Construction) project is dedicated to addressing environmental challenges resulting from intensive construction on the Berkeley campus. Through the utilization of cutting-edge additive manufacturing and intelligent sensing techniques, the project aims to markedly mitigate issues like dust pollution and noise impact, empowering the construction team with effective management and mitigation strategies. This initiative will ultimately advance sustainability efforts on campus by developing a...

Connie and Kevin Chou Hall Zero Waste Certification

Project Description

In 2017, Haas unveiled its newest building, the Connie & Kevin Chou Hall, an 80,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to student learning. The building embodies Haas’s defining principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. Designed for LEED Platinum and WELL certifications, Connie & Kevin Chou Hall will also be the first business school building registered to attain Zero Waste certification by Summer 2018. The building will serve as a model for environmental sustainability...

Building Student Capacity at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm

Project Description

“Building Student Capacity at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm'' is a partnership between the UC Gill Tract Community Farm and the Food Institute Graduate Council. The project will establish an undergraduate internship program facilitated by graduate students and Gill Tract Farmers to increase campus engagement with the Farm. The project will strengthen the UC Berkeley community's role in the local food system as both contributors to urban farming and consumers of local food by promoting volunteering at the Farm and utilizing the Farm's farm stand. Building...

Air Handling Unit Transmitters

Project Description

Pilot program to install differential pressure transmitters on air handling units in eight buildings on campus.

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster

Bike to Work Day Regional Sponsorship - 2010

Project Description

Fund regional sponsorship for Bike to Work Day 2010.

Project Links

Project Application

Latinxs in their Element

Project Description

Latinx in their Element will be a project funding eight (8) student fellows to conduct environmental research projects during the academic year. This project was created with the

intention of supporting students as they explore the field of environmental sciences and guiding them in doing research on a specific element they are interested in. We will be hosting a series of workshops in order for research fellows to gain an understanding of the elements prior to conducting their own research. L&E has the intention of offering students...

Healing the Pavement on Campus

Project Description

Recycling concrete offers a sustainable path for pavement maintenance. Massive concrete wastes are generated in the civil and environmental engineering (CEE) structural laboratory every year because of undergraduate education and scientific research demand. The existing waste concrete disposal such as “landfill” is expensive ($400/ton) and unsustainable. This project aims at wasted concrete recycling for campus infrastructure repairing, mainly focusing on the maintenance of cracked pavements, to fulfill a win-win situation for both the CEE department and Berkeley...

GIF Haas Rechargeable Battery program

Project Description

In an effort to continuously make significant strides towards true zero waste and in line with the university’s “Non-Essential Single Use Plastic Elimination by 2030 Policy”, Haas would like to implement a rechargeable battery program that would be available to all Haas students, staff and faculty. The impact of eliminating single use batteries and plastic packaging from the waste stream would make a huge impact not only on Haas’ carbon footprint, but on the university as a whole.

Project Links

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