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. 

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-...

Greening Kroeber Art Studios and Bathrooms

Project Description

Develop a design/marketing campaign to create awareness in Kroeber Hall about sustainability.

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster

Climate Break II

Project Description

CLEE created Climate Break as a means to discuss climate change with a wider audience in a different way than the typical focus on the inevitable negative impacts coming our way. Climate Break instead focuses on solutions in progress, via bite-sized audio clips of 90 seconds that fit as interstitial segments on radio stations nationwide and as easily distributed digital podcasts. With the experience of creating the clips, longer podcasts, and web material, and having experimented with the form, we now seek to apply lessons learned, add short video clips, and...

Reduction in Chemical Use at the UC Botanical Gardens

Project Description

Establish a compost tea brewing and application program as part of a pest management program.

Project Links

Project Application

Project Poster

Haas Hives Part 2

Haas School of Business is seeking funds to expand their current Hives at Haas mini-grant to build beehives at a new site, after using mini-grant funds to assess feasibility, conduct risk assessments, and obtain necessary campus approvals. The hives would be an educational hub for food and ecology groups on campus, would inlude an educational component, and create signage to connect the new hive location with the existing Haas pollinator garden.

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.

VLSB Pollinator Garden

The Department of Integrative Biology and Herbicide-Free Berkeley seeks to restore previously established pollinator gardens near VLSB. This project will allow for the study of anthropod presence within two distinct plots throughout the restoration process, and will expend most of its funds on the hiring of work-study interns to restore and monitor the garden.

Fellowship for Emerging Sustainability Professionals

The Office of Sustainability sought funds to employ student sustainability leaders to support its efforts to address changes to the UC Sustainable Practices Policy and inform the evolution and implementation of the UC Berkeley Sustainability Plan. OS employed five undergraduate fellows to work within the realms of Communications, Climate Action, and Zero Waste.

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