Environmental Justice Projects

UC Berkeley COP 27 Delegation

Project Description

We propose to bring a cohort of 10 students and 2 staff or faculty members to participate in the COP 27 as representatives of UC Berkeley. SERC would like to give an opportunity to those actively working at the intersections of race, identity, class, ability, and the environment, and will support students who may not have had opportunities to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime global conference for free (prioritization will be for low-income students, students of color, and other marginalized and underrepresented students).

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Food Relatives Conference by the Food Institute Graduate Council

Project Description

By bridging academics, community leaders, consumers, and other vital actors within our food system, FIGC seeks to reinforce the goal of the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI): to understand and transform food systems in a cross-disciplinary manner in order to build a more resilient and equitable future within and beyond academic institutions. In 2022, FIGC ran a free-to the-public hybrid 2022 Conference, “Food Relatives: Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Global Food System” to connect scholars, community members, artists, and policy makers through varying...

Putting the "Campus" in Campus Grocery: The Food Collective as a Full-Service Grocery in the Student Union

Project Description

The Collective serves over ten thousand student patrons each year with affordable, healthy, sustainable and local foods from minority vendors and farmers — including over 150 weekly student member-volunteers each semester — out of a small space never intended for food service with a highly-limited but functional grocery selection. We're returning to the Green Initiative Fund — the single most significant funder in building the Collective's skill sets and capacity over the past 12 years — to support us in fulfilling the longtime student vision for a dedicated...

Community-engaged engineering: a partnership with the AB 617 community in Stockton

Project Description

We request $45,975 to hire student interns to sustain environmental justice work being done by Berkeley engineering students with the Stockton AB 617 community to improve local air quality and address climate change. The AB 617 community in Southwest Stockton, CA ranks in the top 5% of the most disadvantaged communities in California. It is ranked in the worst 1% for overall pollution burden, and in the worst 4% for asthma rates. In Spring 2021, I developed a new community engaged design class (CE 105 Design for Global Transformation) where we worked with...

Hispanic Engineers and Scientists Educational and Technological Rooftop Garden

The Hispanic Engineers and Scientists organization requests funds to pay for garden managers, supplies, and workshops, as well as a mini-fund to support internal projects, within their rooftop garden.

Inclusive Excellence Hub Sustainability and Environmental Justice Initiative

Office of Graduate Diversity seeks to create a sustainable, healthy, and equitable space for underrepresented students on campus. The Inclusive Excellence Hub recently opened, and serves as a community space for climate and diverstiy justice programming on Channing Way. They are seeking funds to make the building and outdoor hub space more sustainable through energy efficiency building improvements, the creation of an outdoor green space, and the creation of environmental justice programming to be implemented by their Diversity and Community fellows

ASUC Sustainable Campus Food System Designathon

Project Description

This designathon aims to empower students to share their voices on decisions about the campus food system, because it should be catered to their needs and values. The Pour Out Pepsi campaign pressures the UC Berkeley administration to end the exclusive pouring rights contract with PepsiCo due to its unsustainable and inequitable practices. There are currently discussions in the UCOP about establishing a UC system-wide exclusive pouring rights contract, likely with PepsiCo or Coca-Cola, demonstrating that they value profit over students. The food and beverage...

Decolonizing Environmental Education Decal

Project Description

Seeking funds to support the "Decolonizing the Environment" Decal which teaches a curriculum on environmental justice, unlearning dominant frameworks, and centering community care. Their goal is to empower students with the knowledge/tools to navigate environmental solutsions from an equitable lens. They will host guest speakers and monthly community events.

Project Links

Project Application

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Graduate Outdoor Pals for Equity (GOPE) Workshops

Project Description

GOPE is seeking funds to support a series of workshops on edible gardening, foraging, and herbal medicine, specifically to engage with URM (underrepresented minorities), and FGLI(first-generation, low-income) graduate students. Their goal is to promote equity and inclusivity in outdoor spaces as well as build community and confidence in the outdoors.

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Project Application

Project Poster (coming soon!)

SERC Conscious Event Certification

Project Description

SERC's Green team is seeking funding to pilot a Conscious Event certification which will provide support, individualized guidance, and monetary incentives for RSOs on campus to implement sustainable choices in their group's on-campus events

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster (coming soon!)