The Green Fund

Below are students, faculty, and staff who received the Green Fund Grant for the 2008-2009 academic year - a lump sum of $2,500. They were recognized at the Fifth Annual Sustainability Summit on April 21st.

Office of the Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S): Electric Delivery Vehicle - Pat Goff
This project proposes to purchase an electric vehicle from the Campus Surplus Overstock Den for EH&S' pickup and delivery needs. Besides the obvious benefit of less greenhouse gas emissions, acquiring the vehicle from the Campus Surplus Overstock Den will promote commodity reuse. The vehicle will also be outfitted with billboard postings promoting sustainability.

Etcheverry Hall: Waterless Urinals - Trey Cauley and Professor Albert Pisano
This grant proposes to replace several urinals in Etcheverry Hall with waterless urinals and upgrade 40+ water faucets with ultra low flow rate water filters. These upgrades will result in significant water savings and will pay for itself within 1 to 3 years, depending on usage.

University Hall: Sun Mirrors - Jeremy White
This project consists of illuminating exterior and interior space using experimental sun tracking mirror technology called Heliostats in the University Hall annex. During daylight hours, redirecting sunlight using a Heliostat is a very inexpensive way to illuminate low-light space with full spectrum light. Once installed, the Heliostat will help illuminate the north-facing exterior and interior space on the basement and 1st floor levels, which house the new Public Health Library and administrative office space.

Green Campus Program - Kameron Kitajima & Green Camus Team
The Berkeley Green Campus team strives to educate students, staff, faculty, and the local community about the importance of energy conservation and achieve substantial energy savings. The Green Campus portfolio of projects consists of diversified programs from within the campus housing to projects on the main campus with an educational core centered on energy efficiency. The foundation of the Green Campus program was built upon achieving energy efficiency, resulting in $165,000 in energy savings to the University since the program's implementation in 2004.

University Hall - Task Lighting and Education: Rebecca Jones
Together, the occupants of University Hall have begun an initiative to Go Green! with LEED - Existing Building certification as the end goal. This project fits in with that overarching goal, contributing towards LEED credits in optimizing energy performance. Specifically, the goals of this project are:

• Purchasing task lights with compact fluorescent bulbs for office distribution
• Educating occupants on the importance of using task lighting vs. overhead lighting (energy savings and improvement in ergonomic factors) via presentations, conversation, a "green message" printed on the task light and sustainability pledges
• Educating occupants on using daylighting, if they have offices with windows
• Educating occupants on recycling procedures for compact fluorescent bulb

Weather Station to regulate Irrigation - Gary Imazumi
This project will purchase, install and program a WeatherCon weather station system from SeaCom on the existing Motorola (ICC) Irrigation Central Control System. More than 90% of the UC, Berkeley main campus irrigation is centrally controlled. By programmatically integrating weather system data into the base irrigation cycle routines, the system is automatically adjusted to increase time and cycles when weather extends towards extended dry periods and automatically reduces usage when periods of lower temperature, cloud cover, or rain are prevalent.

Mulch Training for Groundskeepers - Theron Klos
This program will demonstrate how to sheet mulch and the benefits of sheet mulching. Every weekend in March (7, 14, 21) for two hours each weekend, volunteers will learn how to sheet mulch through a hands-on approach. The benefits of sheet mulching are: suppression of weed growth without using chemicals, labor reduction and maintenance costs, weeds are composted in place, improved nutrient and water retention in the soil (thus reduction in water usage), encourages favorable soil microbial activity and worms, enhance soil structure, improve plant vigor and health which often leads to improved resistance to pests and diseases.

Workshop for Architecture / Design Students - Merrian Fuller
This grant will bring Rick Chitwood, one of the most experienced and highly regarded building energy performance experts, to campus to conduct a daylong educational workshop for architecture and design students in Fall 2008 on campus. This workshop will be run by S-Club, the organization for design and architecture students interested in sustainability issues. Participants will receive learning materials (handouts, booklets, etc.) to compliment the training. The workshop will be based on a course Rick gives at the Pacific Energy Center entitled "Green Home Energy Retrofits for Architects and Designers," but will be tailored to current students.

Have a great idea how to make your campus more sustainable? Apply for the Chancellor's Green Fund Grant by March 31st. This grant enables members of the UC Berkeley campus community to undertake projects that will create a greener, more environmentally sustainable campus -- while saving resources and money in the process.

At the Annual UC Berkeley Sustainability Summit in April, the Green Fund provides one-time funding to projects led by students, faculty and staff which help move Cal toward environmental sustainability. This funding is given on a competitive basis, and many projects are proposed based on the opportunities identified in the 2005 Campus Sustainability Assessment.

Examples of projects funded in 2007 include creating sustainable practices in Wurster Hall's design studios, an electricity-efficient model at I-House, creating multi-compartment recycling receptacles for dorm rooms and many more.

Apply to make your campus more sustainable - applications are due March 31st. Please note some changes were made to the application on March 26th, 2008.
CGFG_App_2008_final.pdf

Text taken from the Berkeleyan article:

Sharing of the green: a baker's dozen newly funded projects
By Wendy Edelstein, Public Affairs | 02 May 2007

For 2007, 13 projects that will receive funding through the Chancellor's Campus Green Fund, established to create a greener, more environmentally sustainable campus. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $10,000. CACS annually solicits proposals from students, faculty, and staff.

Campus energy-saving feasibility study: $5,000 to Chris Jones, staff research associate at the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, to conduct a study to identify the most effective combination of energy-incentive initiatives that can be implemented to enable the campus to meet the target set by the Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP).

Research-space energy conservation: $4,700 to Alice Agogino, professor of mechanical engineering, to potentially cut in half the amount of electricity used in her faculty research space.

Green Campus Program: $4,000 to Desirae Early, an undergraduate student majoring in environmental economics and policy, to continue the highly successful campus energy-conservation program.

Greening Research@Berkeley Initiative: $3,500 to Justin Remais, staff assistant researcher in the environmental health sciences department, to start the Greening Research@Berkeley (GR@B) Initiative by developing a comprehensive set of tools that researchers can use to minimize the impact - or reduce the "footprint" - of their research activities on the local and global environment, starting with a set of core sustainability principles and a website with a comprehensive list of existing resources on the Berkeley campus and tips on how to "Green Your Lab" and "Offset Research Travel."

Design Students for a Sustainable Future: $2,000 to Sam Borgeson, a graduate student in architecture, working with Design Students for a Sustainable Future under the guidance of faculty advisers Cris Benton and Gail Brager, to create sustainable practices in Wurster Hall's design studios, which produce tomorrow's architects, planners, and landscape architects.

Energy-efficient electricity: $2,000 to Alex Mastrangeli, MSO staff manager of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, to replace the existing 181 incandescent light bulbs in the lobby of Zellerbach Playhouse with low-energy-consumption compact-flourescent light bulbs.

Engaging eco-conscious alumni: $2,000 to Greg Haet, associate director, Environmental Protection, Office of Environment, Health & Safety, to work with the Berkeley Environmental Alumni Network (BEAN) in developing an ongoing support base among environmentally-minded alumni.

Rooftop plant-and-soil cover: $1,800 to Kirsten Weeks, a graduate student (double masters) in architecture (building science) and landscape architecture, to cultivate a 100- square-foot green plant/soil cover on the roof of a campus building.

Electrically efficient buildings: $1,500 to Anna Harvey, an undergraduate student with an intended major in environmental engineering science (and an events technician at International House), to pilot an electricity- efficient model at I-House for student residential settings, which can be thereafter used by the Greek housing system and other student residences.

Outdoor classrooms: $1,000 to Pepper Black, director of the Family Student Housing Program in the Residential and Student Service Programs, to be used for garden-border boxes, supplies, and tools, composting bins, and installation of an irrigation system to create an outdoor classroom with border gardens at University Village, which houses more than 820 students and their families in Albany.

Earth Week 2008 programming and publicity: $1,000 to Christina Oatfield, an undergraduate planning to major in environmental sciences, in her role as chair of the Earth Week Committee of the UC Berkeley Student Union Sustainability Team, to cover the cost of screening environmental films and printing posters, ads, and fliers to promote participation in the upcoming Earth Week 2008.

Campus farmer's market: $500 to Maren Poitras, an undergraduate majoring in conservation and resource studies (sustainable food systems), to work with the Food Systems Committee of the UC Berkeley Student Union Sustainability Team to operate cooperatively the weekly student-run produce stand ("The Local") at Kroeber Fountain, which provides fresh, local, organic produce from the farmers market to the campus and surrounding community.

Dorm-room recycling: $1,000 to Vivek Rao, an undergraduate majoring in mechanical engineering, as part of the student-led interdisciplinary design organization Berkeley Innovation (BI), to create and produce an innovative prototype individual trash receptacle with subdivided compartments for use by students within their dorm room to separate different types of recyclables.

Five Green Fund Grants were presented at the 2006 Sustainability Summit, each worth $2,000.

• Strawberry Creek Grinnell Natural Area Restoration (for purchase of native plants)
• Berkeley Energy Alliance for Renewables (BEAR Biodiesel) project (to convert used vegetable oil from campus dining halls into biodiesel for campus vehicles)
• ASUC Sustainability Team (STeam) (to support its student-intern program)
• Student Organic Gardening Association (SOGA) project (to propagate more than 5,000 plants a year for local school and community-garden projects)
• Expansion of the Green Room Project (a trio of demonstration areas is envisioned)

Green Fund applications / applicants will be evaluated based on the following:
- Commitment to campus greening and environmental sustainability
- Potential to achieve green results
- Relevant work or volunteer experience
- Possibility of securing funding from other sources
- Cost effective use of funds
- Measurability of benefits

Energy Efficiency applications must also include:
- Evidence that savings will be predictable and persistent
- Projected payback period
- Indication of any negative impacts, operationally or aesthetically, to building occupants (including project maintenance costs)

Current students, faculty, and staff of the University of California, Berkeley, may apply for grant funds up to $10,000. Students must be enrolled and on campus regularly for the expected duration of their proposed project. A department; official campus organization; group made up of a mix of students, staff and faculty; or class may apply, but the application must be submitted by an individual. That individual will be responsible for reporting on progress for projects that are funded by the CGCF grant program.

Funds are intended for labor, materials, and supplies to achieve the project goals. Preference will be given to grant requests for materials and supplies.
Money will not be granted for travel expenses, food or entertainment.

CACS will help provide ongoing support to grantees in the form of a "support partner." This partner will aid in problem-solving and the grantee is expected to communicate with the support partner about their project at least once monthly. The grantee is also required to make a formal update to CACS in February, 2008.

Projects must be initiated in a timely manner and completed by the end of the calendar year. Any funds not expended by December 31, 2007 will return to CGCF.

Questions regarding the CGCF application process may be directed to Sarah Hawthorne (510) 642 2795.

Giving to the Chancellor's Green Campus Fund (CGCF, the "Green Fund") enables members of the UC Berkeley campus community to undertake projects that will create a greener, more environmentally sustainable campus -- while saving resources and money in the process.

At the annual UC Berkeley Sustainability Summit, the Green Fund provides one-time funding to projects led by students, faculty and staff which help move Cal toward environmental sustainability. This funding is given on a competitive basis, and many projects are proposed based on the opportunities identified in the 2005 Campus Sustainability Assessment.

Currently, funding is limited to $10,000 per project, but as the Green Fund grows, this limit will be raised to fund larger projects. In addition to providing grants, the CGCF also functions as a revolving loan fund. Sustainability projects that will generate revenue for the campus through resource conservation are given loans. These green loans will be repaid to the campus, for instance, by decreasing the Cal's energy expenditure.

Other universities have developed highly successful revolving loan funds, and the CGCF could be an extremely profitable investment in UC Berkeley. For instance, the Harvard Green Campus Loan Fund currently saves its campus $4,000,000 annually with an average return on investment (ROI) of 35%.

In the Spring of 2007, Cal students sent a strong message in favor of campus sustainability when 69% of voters chose to create The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), pending administrative approval. This Fund will be sustained through 2017 by a $5 per student per semester fee, and its mission is fully complementary to the CGCF. If you want to support the student sustainability commitment, the Green Fund is your chance to help green UC Berkeley!

The CGCF was created with generous support from former Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl in 2004, and it enjoys continued support from current Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) selects Green Fund projects annually, and the Office of Environment, Health & Safety and the Berkeley Environmental Alumni Network (BEAN) help with CGCF administration.

==> Give to the Green Fund