UC Berkeley's Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP) has been recognized for its leadership in climate action - for meeting its first greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and for the strategies that brought this success including student and faculty engagement, innovative planning, broad partnerships, financial investment, and the institutionalization of carbon reducing strategies throughout the organization.
CalCAP is a coalition of faculty, campus leaders, staff and students that formed in 2006 to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions on campus. CalCAP announced that the campus had met its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels two years ahead of the campus schedule and eight years ahead of the UC systemwide policy goal. Key to CalCAP’s success has been the implementation of hundreds of energy efficiency initiatives, transportation fuel reduction efforts, and smart consensus driven decision-making that has transformed the campus culture around energy use, green buildings, procurement, travel, and student service learning.
The Sustainability Innovations Award is one of the higher eduction best practice recognitions awarded each year to showcase successful and cost-effective energy and sustainability initiatives on UC, CSU and CCC campuses. Now in its tenth year, these awards highlight sustainable design strategies and technologies and outstanding sustainability programs that can be replicated at other campuses.
Lisa McNeilly and Kira Stoll with Berkeley’s Office of Sustainability & Energy accepted the CalCAP award in San Diego in June at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference.