Bright green news from the Office, April 1st

April 1, 2020

April 2020

Earth Month Week 1

Join us in appreciating one another and our planet during Earth Month

Cultivating Community & Inspiring Hope for the Future

During times of uncertainty and difficulty, community is more important than ever. Throughout this earth month, we will be sharing weekly eco-challenges you can do from home, inspiring videos, engaging articles, and tips for well-being. We hope to unite our sustainability community in celebration of our planet, and help remind ourselves why we fight so hard to protect it.  


With gratitude, The Office Team

Campus Eco-Updates & Offerings

Earth Week 2020 at UC Berkeley & CACS Summit

In-person Earth Week events and our annual CACS Sustainability Summit have been cancelled. Online engagement and action around Earth Week will be hosted by SERC and others around the world. Some live campus events may pivot to October in alignment with Climate Justice Week, Zero Waste Month, and Earth Day’s half-50th-birthday. We will keep you apprised in our upcoming newsletters and stay updated with SERC’s FB Page for online events >>

Learn more about past CACS Summits here >> 

Spring CACS Meetings Online

The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability will continue to meet online in April and May. CACS general meetings are open to the campus community - please Zoom in! 


For meeting dates, please contact sustainability@berkeley.edu


For more information on CACS >>



April 7th: Solve Climate by 2030 Zoom Event

University and high school students across the nation, along with faith and community groups, will tune into 52 simultaneous, university-hosted state-wide webinars on an issue critical to their future: how ambitious state and local action can put us on the way to solving climate change by 2030. UC Berkeley Professor Daniel Kammen is hosting the California discussion next Tuesday, 6 - 8 pm. More info here >>

Also check out Kammen’s recent CNN Newsroom COVID19 and pollution levels. Click here for the CNN video & transcript >>

Earth Month EcoChallenge

Dedicate your actions to Earth and all inhabitants throughout April!

What is the Earth Day EcoChallenge?

Earth Day EcoChallenge is a 30-day environmental and social engagement program that helps you put your Earth Day intentions into action by providing you with the information, motivation, tools, and community to make a difference for our planet Earth.

Each week, our newsletter will highlight two key challenges, which contain a list of actions related to the topic. These challenges are not a competition, but a way for all of us to engage in conscientious actions to help our planet and its inhabitants. 


If you’re interested in joining the UC Berkeley team, please click here

(You may also partake in the challenges individually.)

Challenge #1: People

We must keep our communities and ourselves healthy if we are to create a sustainable world. Take the daily challenge to connect with friends and loved ones while social distancing. 

Check out other “People” actions for the week >>

Challenge #2: Food 

Sustainable food feeds us, our communities, and our local economies. Take the one-time challenge to learn the truth about expiration dates.

Check out other “Food” actions for the week >>

Get Inspired & Learn Something New


A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy: An Open Letter to Congress

UC Berkeley professor Daniel Kammen helped author an open letter and call to action to members of Congress. Cli­mate and social pol­icy experts in acad­e­mia and civil soci­ety have devel­oped a menu of solu­tions that would col­lec­tively com­prise a Green Stimulus.

Read more about the proposal here >>

This Week’s TED Talks

Each week, we will be sharing TED Talks in theme with our Earth Month celebrations.Learn how urban agriculture is transforming Detroit, andread about how Detroit farmers are managing the COVID-19 crisisTo slow things down, take a look atSchwartzberg’s stunning time-lapse photography on the beauty of nature.


Stay Informed & Engaged with Online Reading

Did you know that all UC Berkeley students have free and unlimited access to online published content of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal? Faculty and staff have free access to The Wall Street Journal. Read about how social distancing can help fight climate change, or catch up on climate activists’ plans of resiliency during the Coronavirus outbreak


Access your free subscriptions >>

Sign up for The New Yorker’s Climate Crisis Newsletter >>

Plant-Forward Recipe of the Week


With the recent surge in home cooking, it’s the perfect time to try out a plant-forward recipe! Eating a plant-based meal has great benefits not only for our individual health, but for the health of our planet. 


This week, we’re featuring this quick and easy recipe for crispy buffalo cauliflower bites


Check out some of the plant-based recipes below:

Prioritize Your Well-Being

“Eight Acts of Goodness Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak”

For many of us, the world seems pretty dark and hopeless right now. Still, countless acts of goodness, kindness, and heroism are taking place all over as the world battles COVID-19.

Read more >>

Podcast: “Staying Close While Self-Distancing”

The Science of Happiness podcast explores practices to live a happier life. Learn about a practice to feel more connected to loved ones, while sheltering at home. 

Listen here >>

Resources