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. 

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...

Farm to Fork: Creating a Circular Food System at UC Berkeley

Project Description

To develop a circular food system and advance internal sustainable procurement goals within Berkeley Dining, the Housing and Dining Sustainability (H&DS) Office is partnering with Berkeley Student Farms to procure local, organic produce, grown at Oxford Tract, for Berkeley Dining restaurants. The Oxford Tract is an on-campus farm managed by UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources. H&DS strives to pioneer a hyperlocal, circular food system in campus procurement by incorporating produce grown on-site. This furthers our sustainable procurement goal to...

Sustainable Menstrual Products Program (SMPP)

Project Description

The Zero Waste Coalition (ZWC) is seeking funding to expand their research from the initial pilot in Fall 2023, providing free access to eco-friendly, body-safe period products in the University Health Services wellness area and at community events. ZWC will hold best practices and care workshops, community events, and conduct outreach efforts to educate the UC Berkeley campus around the intersectional issues around environmental justice and menstrual equity.

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BSC Garden Revitalization Plan

Project Description

The Berkeley Student Cooperatives (BSC) Garden Revitalization Plan seeks to materially support and educationally empower BSC’s student Garden Managers in stewarding over two acres of urban forest, vegetable gardens and backyard spaces enjoyed by 1,200+ BSC student residents. In order to cultivate native biodiversity, food sovereignty and build community, a "Garden Manager Hub'' including a greenhouse, seed library, and landscape materials center will be collectively constructed. Agency over plant procurement methods will remove major barriers to achieving Garden...

I Heart Tap Water Campaign

Project Description

Hire two interns for the I Heart Tap Water campaign.

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Project Application

Project Poster

BERC Energy Symposium 2011

Project Description

Sponsor the 2011 UC Berkeley Energy Symposium, a clean energy conference.

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster

Cultivating Equity for a Just Future (CEJF): Empowering Latinx Students Through Sustainable Research

Project Description

The Latinxs and the Environment Initiative (LEI) is launching the CEJF Project, a year-long program intended to promote sustainability and environmental justice research to BIPOC students on campus through educational workshops and presentations and provide a paid summer research opportunity for undergraduate Latinx/BIPOC students at UC Berkeley to receive hands-on experience with faculty and graduate student researchers conducting research about sustainability and environmental justice. This project will relieve students of financial burdens for summer housing,...

Building Diverse Coalitions for a Just Energy Transition: BERC 2025 Energy Summit and Case Competition

Project Description

The Energy Summit, held each spring, is the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative’s (BERC’s) flagship event, a conference that for nearly 20 years has fostered dialogue and collaboration among students and professionals advancing the clean energy transition. The 2025 Summit – entitled “Building Diverse Coalitions for a Just Energy Transition” – will feature panels with experts from government, private sector, and advocacy groups; an expo for graduate students’ climate research; a career fair with private, public, and non-profit organizations; and workshops...

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...

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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Project Application

Project Poster