Sustainability Awards

To formally recognize contributions of those helping the campus to meet its sustainability goals, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) annually provides awards to faculty, staff, and students. These awards recognize contributors’ hard work towards making UC Berkeley a more sustainable place to work, live, and learn. 

2024 Sustainability Awards

The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability recognized 2024 Sustainability Awardees at the CACS Awards Ceremony. 

The Haas Food Recovery Team earned the team award for diverting thousands of pounds of food in the last year, redistributing it to Hass students as well as the Dorothy Day House, a nonprofit supporting our Berkeley community. The team is composed of Evening and Weekend MBA Students Melissa Little and Kevin Cheng, and undergraduate students Trisha Thontepu, Kaya Richardson, and Phoebe Chen.

Jen Loy, Assistant Director of Government & Community Relations, was honored for her guidance and facilitation efforts as the main staff lead of the Cooperative ReUse program which allows students to give (and receive) household goods that would otherwise end up in the landfill. 

Tatum Hurley received an award for dedicating much of their time at Berkeley to their work in Zero Waste. They are the current Chair of the Zero Waste Coalition, Zero Waste Fellow with the Office of Sustainability, and leading a team of over 20 students for Cooperative Reuse. Brisa Alvarez received recognition for her roles within SERC's Zero Waste Green Team, Zero Waste Lab, the ASUC Eco-Office Environmental Justice Department, the STeam Team's EJ and Education Project, and as the Housing Waste Reduction Coordinator where she trained 300 Resident Assistants on sustainability. 

Arnaud Paquet, a full-time MBA student at the Haas School of Business, was awarded for his work as the Co-President of the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), which is the largest student-run organization of its kind. He also spearheaded the first “Women in Climate” event at UC Berkeley among his many other achievements and contributions to sustainability on campus.

Read the news item here.

See the Ceremony Read-out for more on the awardees.

2023 Sustainability Awards

The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability recognized 2023 Sustainability Awardees at the annual summit.The Food Recovery Program earned the team award for diverting excess wholesome and edible foods from the waste stream to individuals experiencing food insecurity. Michelle Moskowitz, with the UC Berkeley Government & Community Relations department, was honored for her advocacy efforts in Sacramento: she helped to secure $249 million in state funding for the Berkeley Clean Energy Campus project. Two exceptional student leaders, Rohith Moolakatt and Varsha Madapoosi, received recognition for their contributions to resiliency planning, staff engagement, environmental justice, and undergraduate representation in campus sustainability initiatives. And finally, Vesna Rodic, Language Program Director in the French Department, was awarded for incorporating sustainability education into the curriculum.

See the Ceremony Read-out for more on the awardees.

Read more about the nomination process.

2022 Sustainability Awards

The 2022 Sustainability Awardees were recognized at the annual summit hosted by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability, honoring a faculty team, three students and a staff member. Please learn more about the contributions and innovations of these community members.  

Read more about these forward-looking changemakers. 

2021 Sustainability Awards

CACS Senior Award

The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability recognized 6 graduating seniors on their leadership in the environmental community throughout their time at UC Berkeley.  A virtual ceremony took place on 4/23/21 via Zoom.

Read more about these forward-looking changemakers.