Sierra Magazine recognized UC Irvine as the number 1 'Cool School' for the third time in 12 years, and in the top ten for nine consecutive years. UCI's net-zero-emission housing, power-to-gas hydrogen-pipeline injection project, and student led sustainability initiatives all contributed to it being named the top sustainable campus in the US and Canada.
Created by the Office of Sustainability, the Sustainability Certificate Program launching this fall is a seven-course certificate program aimed to broaden and deepen the sustainability conversation on campus. Topics covered include sustainability in the UC system, social equity, climate change and justice, mindfulness and sustainability, green office certification, leadership, and procurement strategies.
The Smith Cardiovascular Research Building serves as an excellent example of UCSF's commitment to green building. The building achieved LEED Gold with energy and water efficient design, sustainable operating practices, and resource consumption savings. A tour of the building during Greenbuilder highlighted the building's green lab and energy efficiency practices, key sustainability features, and a discussion on the launch of the Arc platform to measure the building's sustainability improvements and benchmark its performance.
More than 4,700 solar panels will be installed on five structures at UCSF and on the surface parking lot at UCSF Fresno. The six projects will produce approximately 3.1 million kilowatt hours of renewable, emissions-free electricity per year. That's about four percent of the annual electricity used at UCSF.
Following a report from the Global Food Initiative, UC Berkeley is gearing up to tackle food insecurity on campus. The new academic year will bring increased efforts to sign students up for CalFresh, a revamped on campus food pantry, a new basic needs center, and pilots for food recovery and food waste prevention programs.
