VOLUME 2 Bright Green News

November 2008
October 2008 The Campus Sustainability Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE 2008 Campus Sustainability Assessment

• The Office Update
• Just Released—The 2008 Cam-
pus Sustainability Assessment
• Reduce Energy Use & Save
Money
• Cal’s Climate Action Partnership
(CalCAP)
• Campus Greenhouse Gas Emis-
sions— Business Air Travel
Impacts & Alternatives
• Green Activities & Events
The
Office
Update
Welcome to our newest student
interns. Miranda Henely has
joined the Office as the new TGIF
Forum and Communications Asso-
ciate and Marshall Geck is work-
ing with the Office and Facilities
Services on Energy and Water
conservation outreach.
Please encourage your friends and
colleagues to join our list serve
Contact us:
As part of broad effort to reduce • Water consumption has dropped
its environmental impact, the Uni- 6% since 1990 without a formal
versity of California, Berkeley, re- conservation plan
cently released a report showing its
progress in making the campus • An extensive suite of energy
more sustainable in than in the past. efficiency projects are underway
The 2008 Campus Sustainability
• Two parking lots were re-
designed to mitigate the amount
Assessment is the second of what
and toxicity of runoff to Straw-
will become an annual report on
berry Creek
progress in at least nine different
areas. The Assessment reveals that An important feature of the 2008
Assessment is an initial set of Sus- emerge as more dialogue occurs
UC Berkeley has made strides in
tainability Metrics—ones that can and research is done.
reducing its carbon footprint, water
use, and waste. Further the cam- be used to monitor overall success The 2008 Assessment is a collabo-
pus has advanced sustainability by and help the campus adjust strate- rative effort of the Office of Sus-
launching innovative projects and gies as needed to achieve goals. tainability and the Chancellor’s
incorporating sustainability into “The Sustainability Metrics will provide Advisory Committee on Sustain-
broader policies and plans. accurate and transparent data and be ability and generously supported by
The Green Initiative Fund.
A few notable improvements in- the basis for continued campus discus-
clude: sion” says Lisa McNeilly, UCB’s
Sustainability Director.
See the full 2008 Campus Sustain-
• The campus has committed to ability Assessment
reducing its greenhouse gas
Assessment updates will include
additional metrics that will likely
emissions to 1990 levels by 2014
R e d u c e E n e r g y U s e & S ave M o n e y
The Chancellor has asked the campus to implement Close windows when the
cost savings measures—by making simple changes you heat is on and avoid
can reduce electricity use, the campus utility bill, and using space heaters.
greenhouse gas emissions (electricity use accounts for Wear layered clothing so
30% the campus carbon inventory) you can cool down or warm up as needed
Turn off the lights when you don’t need them—try Plug all non-essential items like chargers and calcula-
natural light and a desk lamp with a compact fluo- tors into one power strip that you can turn off to
rescent blub instead of overheads reduce phantom power use

Lisa McNeilly:
lmcneilly@berkeley.edu
Kira Stoll: stoll@berkeley.edu
Check out our websites:
sustainability.berkeley.edu/OS or
calcap.berkeley.edu
Set your computer to sleep mode when not in use
and avoid screensavers. Check with your com-
puter support team about ways to save energy by
logging off or shutting the computer down at night
In labs, if applicable, close fume hoods when your
done
Cut down on elevator use—take the stairs
If you are buying new computers, monitors, printers,
refrigerators and other equipment, purchase an energy
efficient model-look for an Energy Star product
In partnership with PG&E, the campus is implementing
hundreds of energy efficiency projects anticipated to
bring 23K tons of emissions reductions and savings in
the millions on utility bills.
More Energy and Water Savings Info
Coming Soon from Facilities Services
 Bright Green News VOLUME 2 November 2008

C a l ’s C l i m a t e A c t i o n Pa r t n e r s h i p ( C a l C A P )
The Cal Climate Action Partner-
ship (CalCAP) is a collaboration of
faculty, administration, staff, and
students working to reduce green-
house gas (GHG) emissions at UC
Berkeley.
In 2007, the initial work of Cal-
CAP led Chancellor Birgeneau to
commit the campus to reduce
GHG emissions to reach 1990
levels by the year 2014–a goal that
is six years earlier than State of
California and the UC Policy on
Sustainability requires. The even-
tual target is to achieve carbon
neutrality.
Facilitation of CalCAP activities is
now part of the responsibilities of
the campus Office of Sustainabil-
ity—CalCAP’s work program in-
cludes:
UC Berkeley GHG Emissions
Inventory: includes ten emissions
sources: electricity consumption;
steam use; natural gas use; the
university fleet; student commut-
ing; faculty and staff commuting;
business air travel; fugitive emis-
sions from coolants; solid waste;
and water use. Electricity and
steam usage account for over 70%
of the GHG emissions of the cam-
pus. The campus reports and has
its emissions inventory independ-
ently verified annually.
Climate Action Planning: In 2007
the first Climate Action Feasibility
Study was completed. It examined
the GHG emissions sources of the
campus and identified 14 initial
GHG reduction projects.
Over the last year, the campus has
committed to additional energy
efficiency GHG reduction projects
through a Strategic Energy Plan.
These new projects, along with
the original 14,
may reduce emissions by 30K tons,
getting the campus half-way to the
2014 reduction goal. The campus
will continue identifying additional
strategies to reduce its carbon
footprint through investments on
campus.
Stay Tuned: The Office of Sus-
tainability will be producing an
updated Climate Action Plan early
next year and annually thereafter.
Check out the CalCAP website for
more information.

B u s i n e s s A i r Tr ave l I m p a c t s & A l t e r n a t i ve s
Each year UCB faculty, staff, and
students log about 50 million air
travel miles on university business.
Business air travel accounts for at
least 11% of the total campus gen-
erated greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG). These business-related air
travel trips create more emissions
than vehicle commutes by campus
faculty, staff, and students.
Reducing the GHG emissions asso-
ciated with business travel is chal-
lenging, as interaction with people
around the world is an essential
part of the research and teaching
mission of the University. Also
challenging is fully understanding
the impacts of air travel—there
isn’t consensus in the international
community on the magnitude of
the effect of carbon and other
pollutants on the atmosphere.
• Travel by bus or train if possi-
Further, air travel worldwide con-
tinues to increase while airplane
fuel efficiency measures and alter-
native fuel options are just begin-
ning.
• If you do need to travel by
So, what can we do today at UC
Berkeley to lessen our air travel
impact?
• If you have a choice, avoid
the trip. Use video conferenc-
ing– the campus has several
sophisticated and customizable
facilities. Also try phone confer-
encing, web-based meetings and
even email
ble. Even car travel, especially if
you share a ride, has less impact
than air travel Estimate the carbon
footprint from your air
travel & consider making a
airplane book the most direct
charitable contribution to
route, travel in economy class,
UC Berkeley’s Climate
try combining trips to avoid mul-
Action Fund
tiple flights, and pack light . All
will reduce the amount of fuel
enviro.berkeley.edu/
needed to reach your destination.
aircalculator

G re e n A c t i v i t i e s & E ve n t s
Check out these green activi-
ties and events:
November 18 & 19: California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
brought leaders from around the
world together to find and imple-
ment new and creative solutions
to address climate change through
regional and global action. High-
lights of the Governors’ Global
Climate Summit are being webcast
and video archived.
November 20: The 2008 Berke-
ley Sustainability Summit and
Green Gathering is happening at
the Bancroft Hotel from 4:00pm to
8:30pm. Come for the awards,
dinner, and presentations Click
here for more info.
December 2: Van Jones, local
activist and author, comes to the
International House at 6pm to
discuss his new book-The Green
Collar Economy- that shifts the envi-
ronmental discussion from green
consumers to green workers and
creating economic renewal. Click
here for more info.
December 3: Informal student
meeting with the Office of Sus-
tainability to discuss issues and
share ideas. Join us from 3 to Campus Resource for Events
4:30pm in Dwinelle Rm. 211. For
enviro.berkeley.edu
more info contact Lisa McNeilly at
lmcneilly@berkeley.edu
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