RSO Sponsor

These projects were sponsored by a registered student organization

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...

Biofuel Technologies Club: Algae Solar Panel Project

Project Description

The Biofuels Technology Club (BTC) is a College of Chemistry club, whose committed mission is to achieve a zero-waste campus. By making biodiesel from waste cooking oil in the campus dining halls, the club has the goal of eventually powering campus fleets. Though CalDining continues to provide an excellent source of oil for feedstock, we have launched an experimental team to look into other potential sources if increased scale is needed. One key area of exploration is microalgae; as it produces lipid content, accumulates in biomass rapidly, and requires low-...

Kingman Hall Creek Restoration

Kingman Hall and the Berkeley Student Cooperatives are seeking funding to restore the riparian cooridor within their house footprint. The upper portion of Strawberry Creek flows through Kingman Hall and there is a current creek bed failure that needs to be addressed. Funding would be used to hire two student leads, cover supplies of new plants and equipment, and the removal of trees to open up the canopy.

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.

High-Output Parallel Biodiesel Processing System (HOPBPS)

The Biofuels Technology Club (BTC) at UC Berkeley's College of Chemistry has a clear mission: to achieve a zero-waste campus by producing biodiesel from campus dining hall waste cooking oil. Since its founding in 2015, the club has successfully produced over 500 gallons of high-quality biodiesel, which has been tested extensively in the lab and for 12,000 miles in a car. The club's ultimate goal is to power the UC Berkeley campus fleets, closing an important loop within the school's consumption and waste streams. However, the club's current processing setup has limited capacity, preventing it from producing the significant quantities of biodiesel needed to achieve its goal.

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...

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!)

Oxford Tract Farm Logistics

Project Description

BSF's primary goals with this funding are to continue farming at the Oxford Tract, and other gardening spaces, which require space in the greenhouse and water, and continue being able to pay students for teaching the agroecology in action decal. Their work aims to reconnect UC Berkeley students with the land through anti-oppression and decolonial frameworks. They also donate food from the farms to the Basic Needs Center as a way to support food-insecure students on campus.

Project Links

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Diasporic Foods Conference 2024

Project Description

Food Institute Graduate Council seeks funds to support a food systems conference that connects the community to various scholars, artists, policymakers to engage in discussions around diasporic food practices. This free-to-all conference hopes to highlight underrepresented narratives and share traditional growing practices that have migrated across the world.

Project Links

Project Application

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UC Gill Tract Community Farm Cultural Foods CBPR

Project Description

The UC Gill Tract Community Farm is seeking funds to begin a commuity-based participatory research (CBPR) project to address culturally relevant food needs of graduate students at University Village through their Bear Pantry. The insights from this survey will inform future food initiatives at the Farm and Bear Pantry

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster (coming soon!)