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. 

EPA University Challenge 2017

Project Description

As an extension of the services provided by UCB College of Chemistry's Chemical ReUse Facility (CRF), high quality chemistry & chemical safety information has been compiled into a "Safety Sheet" format that is user-friendly and readily comprehensible to researchers, EH&S professionals, and the graduate & undergraduate students, which is available to those that have access to the CRF searchable database. Unlike more traditional Safety Data Sheets (SDS's) made available by chemical manufacturers, these Safety Sheets provide many active weblinks in their...

Building Sustainability Curriculum and Learning at Berkeley

Project Description

Our overall objective is to boost climate neutrality and sustainability education at UC Berkeley, especially targeting faculty and students for whom sustainability may not be a focus. This project will not only impact the faculty and departments involved, but the countless students that will benefit from having sustainability education integrated into a variety of disciplines. A pilot project was implemented in 2015‐2016, as part of the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative. With funding from the UC Office of the President (UCOP), each UC campus organized a course...

Elimination of Single-Pass Water Cooling Systems in Support of the UCOP Sustainability Policy

Project Description

Scientific instruments that go to low temperatures generate large amounts of waste heat along the way. Water-cooling is the primary method used to cool such equipment. Water-cooling is often open loop (also called "single pass"), meaning all the cooling water used runs through the system only once, with a continuous supply and drain of water through the system, leading to enormous water waste. In contrast, recirculating water systems, which consist of a water chiller that uses common refrigerants to cool a recirculating, closed water loop, use the same quantity of...

Graduate Assembly Environmental Sustainbility Conference

Project Description

This project is to conduct a one-day environmental and climate science, policy, and advocacy conference for graduate students to engage with these issues in a manner outside their academic focus, building cross-disciplinary skills and collaborative efforts.

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Food Day 2012

Project Description

This grant will fund a student intern and materials for Food Day 2012. The intern will work with campus eateries and student groups on continuing Food Day ideals year-round in collaboration with the Nutrition & Physical Activity Workgroup and Sustainable Food Service Workgroup.

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Cal Dining Sustainability Team

Project Description

This grant will fund four sustainability interns to 1. Audit Cal Dining operations for consistent application of green standards; 2. Measure the environmental impact of Cal Dining operations, identify benchmarks, and implement programs to reach the benchmarks; 3. Increase sustainability awareness amongst the Cal community.

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Waste Not, Want Not: Zero Waste Events

Project Description

This grant increase campus efforts to hold zero waste events by supporting Cal Dining, hiring a student intern, funding medium-sized zero waste campus events, and collaborating with the Office of Sustainability’s Green Event Certification.

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Getting to Zero Waste: Waste Audits

Project Description

Funding will allow CRRS to standardize and perform week-long waste audits in collaboration with student interns, providing needed metrics for UC Berkeley's zero waste plans.

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CITRIS Sustainability Champion Awards for Undergraduates

Project Description

This grant will fund five student internships. Interns will be mentored by graduate students and partnered with environmentally-related companies to complete hybrid research-job training internships.

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Break the Mode- Alternative Transport Marketing & Outreach Program

Project Description

Funding will be used four student interns charged with conducting a transportation survey assisting commuters with switching to alternate modes of transportation.

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