Large Projects (<$35K)

These projects received more than $35,000 from TGIF

Campus for Landscape Decarbonization

Project Description

Urban landscapes are an understudied source of carbon emissions and water consumption, yet their environmental impacts remain largely unmeasured. At UC Berkeley, where 40% of the campus is covered by landscaped spaces, hardscaping materials like concrete, steel, and asphalt contribute to embodied carbon and resource use. This project develops a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to quantify these impacts, identify high- and low-impact landscape elements, and propose sustainable design strategies for impact reduction. By integrating LCA into...

Reducing UC Berkeley’s Environmental Impact through Stormwater Management

Project Description

Designed to address lacking stormwater infrastructure and the pollution of Strawberry Creek during rain events, this project implements a stormwater infiltration basin on the north side of the A&E parking lot (directly east of Sather Gate) to reduce the volume of stormwater and pollutants entering Strawberry Creek. Throughout campus, impervious and semi-impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, parking lots, lawn fragments, and plazas accumulate harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, fertilizers, oil, gasoline, trash, and...

Resilient Sustainability Community Fellows

Project Description

This Spring, the COVID- 19 global pandemic has radically shifted seniors’ last semesters at UC Berkeley and will most likely affect the career opportunities and job availability after graduation in the sustainability community. This project hopes to provide up to seven (7) post-baccalaureate fellowships.

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Mapping EJ

Project Description

At UC Berkeley, over a dozen organizations (both departmental and student-led) work on waste-related issues. Until 2019, collaboration and communication among them was minimal and ineffective. The Zero Waste Coalition was established in Fall 2019 to allow for successful collaboration among organizations and to mobilize educational campaigns reaching over 5,000 students. Strong leadership within the zero waste community is vital to its continued progress, and the creation of the Zero Waste Fellow position (similar to Carbon...

Capturing Energy Savings from VAV Box Minimums

Project Description

This project will move the campus towards carbon neutrality by reducing campus energy waste and the associated emissions, by reducing minimum airflows without changing the amount of ventilation (fresh) air entering the building.

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Focus 2020 Student Team Project

Project Description

Berkeley has a unique and exciting opportunity to advance sustainability in the next three years – through strategic assessment and planning; implementing measures to reach zero waste and advance carbon neutrality; and, to more widely institutionalize sustainable practices and understanding. This project adds two key graduate and undergraduate student leadership positions to the Office of Sustainability team, to help us reach the next level of campus sustainability by 2020, and beyond. This project will support funding for two years: the project will start in June...

Vermicomposting

Project Description

In efforts to better campus' waste management practices and improve waste-related knowledge and transparency, UC Berkeley affiliates are working towards developing the capacity to process all of campus’ organic waste matter in-house. Due partially to permitting restrictions, but also to ensure diverse methodology and research opportunities, the group will be introducing the following three different composting systems: 1) The first is an experimental aquaponics system, inspired by Sacramento State's. This innovative and newly developed system offers research...

Wurster Hall Waste Management

Project Description

Funding will be used to pilot an indoor recycling program with standardized bins, signage, and education to then be implemented campus-wide, pending results.

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Project Poster

Compost Alliance: Institutionalizing In-House Composting

Project Description

The grant will assist Compost Alliance in continuing compost implementation within campus buildings in order to reach “critical mass” and work with campus officials to institutionalize composting as an in-house operation.

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Water Metering and Sub-metering of UC Campus Buildings

Project Description

Update water meters on several buildings and install efficient toilets in Wurster.

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