UC Berkeley Sustainability Awards

And the award goes to:

Laura Moreno (student) has taken an active role in sustainability on campus from the very beginning as a freshman when she volunteered as a Residential Sustainability Education Coordinator and has expanded her influence ever since. She was a founding member of the Green Room Committee and the Building Sustainability at Cal Program. Laura has served as the Green Classroom Intern and the first Sustainability Coordinator of Stanley Hall, CACS intern and now CACS co-chair. Several of the projects Laura initiated spread to other areas of campus, further perpetuating all the associated benefits. Laura has had a deep and extensive impact on sustainability on campus and greatly deserves this recognition.

Ashok Gadgil (faculty) is a Senior Research Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and also an Adjunct Faculty member with the UC Berkeley Energy & Resources Group (ERG). His approach and devotion to mentoring students and fostering a forward-thinking and collaborative mindset when tackling sustainability and equity issues is exemplary. Professor Gadgil teaches from his own personal experiences working on sustainability-related projects in developing nations and brings the lessons he learned directly into the classroom. He advocates a mindset that long-term planning requires an understanding of the community that is being served and encourages his students to adapt their technological research to this concept.

Tim Pine (staff) is an Environmental Specialist at the Office of Environment, Health & Tim has made significant contributions to campus sustainability in a number of different areas. He was instrumental in bringing biodiesel to the campus garbage trucks, he initiated a pilot program for bicycle use in the EH&S department to reduce gas vehicle use, he was the lead organizer for the first campus Alternative Transportation Fair, and he has dedicated significant time and expertise to restoring natural areas on campus by working with student volunteer groups. The range of Tim's contributions in meshing sustainability and public service goals within the framework of existing programs, making him a well deserving recipient of this award.

TGIF Grant Making Committee (group): The eight-person Grant Making Committee of the Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is comprised of students, faculty, and staff. It was created to administer the grants made possible by the $175,000 of annual funds generated by the $5 student fee referendum. This committee strengthens the sustainability dialogue across different constituencies on campus and each member of the team contributes a unique perspective and expertise as the team works to select the most promising grant proposals. In this critical first year, the committee did an amazing job of publicizing the grant opportunity, making classroom announcements, building e-mail lists, hosting info sessions, and spreading the word via their peers. Their work paid off as 28 grant proposals totaling over $1.2 million were received. In parallel with managing the grant-making process this year, TGIF's team also had to develop all other processes and necessary parts of its organizational infrastructure. This energetic group has have paved the way for TGIF to make great contributions to campus greening for years to come.

Congratulations not only to the winners but to everyone who was nominated for the Sustainability Award. The campus community is much indebted to the hard work of students, staff, and faculty making Berkeley a more sustainable place to work, live, and play in.

The application to nominate faculty, staff or a student for a Sustainability Award is now available! Nominations are due April 4th, 2008 and should be emailed to Steve Maranzana at stevemar@berkeley.edu. Four winners will be recognized at the Fifth Annual Sustainability Summit on Monday, April 21st during lunch.


Nomination Application
awardapp_2008_v3.doc

Taken from the Berkeleyan article:
Greenhouse-gas emissions: How low can we go?

Photo:
(from left) Jessica Huang, Kameron Kitajima, Desirae Early, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, Edward Arens, Paul Black, and Vi Do. Jessica, Kameron, Desirae and Vi are the leaders of the Berkeley Green Campus. (Deborah Stalford photo, Berkeleyan)

Edward Arens, professor of architecture, for "his leadership in sustainable design and development." Arens, who directs the Center for Environmental Design Research and the Center for the Built Environment, was recognized for integrating the topic of environmental sustainability in all of his building-design teachings.

Paul Black, a utility-engineering manager in Physical Plant - Campus Services, for his long-term dedication to energy conservation and his role as a leader in the Energy Intern program. Black has played a key role in many of the campus's energy-conservation projects: lighting retrofits, steam-trap replacement, and testing building efficiency.

Rebecca Jones, a graduate student in materials science and engineering, for her efforts in solar-cell research and The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), as well as her work with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in China. At Berkeley, Jones researches new materials for solar-cell production. She has also co-founded the campaign to create The Green Initiative Fund here. Pending approval from the chancellor and the Regents, this modest student fee will generate $200,000 annually for sustainability projects over 10 years. As a 2004 fellow in China, Jones worked on a project to make solar-powered flashlights available to rural communities that would otherwise rely on highly polluting, unhealthy diesel torches.

The students behind Berkeley Green Campus -- Desirae Early, Vi Do, Jessica Huang, and Kameron Kitajima -- for their dedication to campus education and leadership in energy-conservation projects. Berkeley Green Campus's energy-education efforts include outreach to residence-hall staff as well as a DeCal course, Energy 101 (award winning), which provides students the opportunity to participate in a variety of campus projects. The group has also worked in the dorms to replace light bulbs with the compact-fluorescent variety and to create excitement about resource conservation through energy competitions.

Chancellor Birgeneau received a special recognition for his leadership in sustainability, and for making the commitment not only to act locally but to work globally as well.

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Sustainability awards were given two the following five groups:

• Students for a Greener Berkeley (SGB)
• Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP) creation team, including Vice Provost Cathy Koshland
• The LeConte Hall remodeling project - Capital Projects staffer Jim Wert
• Campus Bicycle Plan - Karl Hans and Kate Bolton
• The Green Room Series / Green Demonstration Areas

Check out photos of all the award winners!

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From the Berkeleyan

At the well-attended and high-spirited summit, Chancellor Birgeneau presented five UC Berkeley Sustainability Awards to staff, students, and faculty for outstanding efforts to promote the campus’s environmental sustainability. Those honored were:

Lisa Bauer (Peg Skorpinski photo)

+ Lisa Bauer, manager of Campus Recycling and Refuse Services, called the "driving force behind sustainability at UC Berkeley ….Lisa has worked relentlessly over the years," the citation read, "to bring UCB to the forefront on all sustainable issues ... going way above and beyond ... to rally everyone’s abilities and enthusiasm to make significant, positive, and lasting changes."

+ A Cal Dining staff team, for its work to gain Green Business certification at Crossroads and Clark Kerr dining facilities. The facilities compost food waste (60 tons a year), recycle food packaging (350 tons a year), offer discounts for use of reusable mugs, and use biodegradable containers and unbleached napkins. (Update: The Crossroads facility since became the first Organic Certified dining hall in the country. CCOF - California Certified Organic Farmers)

+ Bill Berry, professor of earth and planetary science, for "exploring environmental issues with generations of Berkeley students." Berry was honored for "giving students the tools and inspiration to think about problems from a sustainability standpoint and fostering a culture of sustainability and forward-thinking design."

+ Mezies Chen, a December 2004 graduate of the College of Engineering, who worked with Parking and Transportation to implement a system to provide real-time information on the location of campus shuttle buses.

+ The ASUC Sustainability Team, for its work to advance the student government's work on such issues as energy use and food and paper waste.

CACS' goals are to engage the campus in an ongoing dialogue about reaching environmental sustainability; to integrate environmental sustainability with existing campus programs; and to instill a culture of sustainable long-range planning and forward-thinking design. To formally recognize contributions to each of these goals, the Committee annually presents Campus Sustainability Awards at its Sustainability Summit in April.

Please help us recognize the good work being done on campus. Nominations can be made for groups or individuals and are open to the entire Cal community. There is a great amount of flexibility as to what groups or projects qualify, and creativity is welcome.

The nominee must be closely affiliated with the UC Berkeley campus. Nominators must specify the person or team that had the most responsibility for fulfilling the goals listed above at the UC Berkeley campus. Self-nominations are permissible.

Questions about the Campus Sustainability Awards may be directed to Dana Riley.