by PJ Chakrabarti

The Compost Alliance is a win-

ner of a 2011 TGIF Grant.

The Compost Alliance (CA)

is a student group founded

in Fall 2010 dedicated to

implementing a campus-

wide compost collection

system and diverting over

2000 tons of compostable

waste from landfill. Student

coordinators and volunteers

work directly with campus

stakeholders to progressive-

ly implement compost sys-

tems in each building across

campus as well as help edu-

cate the campus community

on waste reduction topics.

Housed under Campus Re-

cycling and Refuse Services

(CRRS), the CA is funded

primarily by grants from

The Green Initiative Fund

(TGIF), Alameda County

Waste Management Au-

thority grant, and the Chan-

cellor’s Advisory Commit-

tee on Sustainability

(CACS) Green Fund.

Currently composting ser-

vices cost the campus more

than sending compostable

materials (continued on page 5)

Composting Has Arrived at UC Berkeley!

In 2008, UCB used

214,000,000 kWh of elec-

tricity, which released 1.2

tons of CO2 per person

on campus. Have you ever

wondered how energy and

water are being used on

campus? Have you con-

templated what your por-

tion of the consumption

is? Could you use data to

better understand resource

consumption on campus

and/or document your

work to reduce it? These

are the type of questions

that have been motivating

the small group of stu-

dents developing the

Berkeley Campus Dash-

board. The TGIF funded

project uses a web-based

system to collect, aggre-

gate, and visualize data on

energy and water use

across campus. So far, the

system provides visibility

into monthly electricity

and water usage in campus

buildings dating all the

way back to the 1970’s

and, where available, has

high resolution data on

energy (and sometimes

steam and water) con-

sumption in about 30

wired buildings. In their

own words:

“Our central goal is to in-

crease “literacy” related to

consumption on campus

and to provide insights

that apply beyond UC

Berkeley. But we also

hope that this project

gives students, staff, facul-

ty, and administrators

some of the tools they

need to think about and

address waste on campus.

As the old engineering

rule of thumb states: “you

can’t (continued on pg. 3)

Berkeley’s Campus Dashboard Make’s Cal’s Consumption Visible, by Sam Borgeson

Fall Newsletter

Volume II, Issue I

Office of Sustainability

2

Lawns to Meadows 4

Campus Bicycle Initiative

6

Letter from ASUC

External Affairs

Office

6

TGIF Projects in

the News

7

TGIF 2008-2011 7

How to Apply for a TGIF Grant

8

New TGIF Website & Blog

9

Inside this issue:

Free Speech Movement Cafe

UC Berkeley’s Office of Sustainability

The 2011 Fall Semester has just begun and the Office of Sustainability has al-ready been working on initiatives to make the UC Berkeley’s campus more sus-tainable. Through publishing their Monthly Green Newsletter, writing the 2011

Sustainability Report, and gathering awareness through the TGIF-sponsored Talking Louder Campaign and hosting a Sustainable Forum once per semester, the office provides a consistently allows the growth of the campus’ sustainability culture and reduc-tion of green house gas emissions to reach climate neutrality.

The Office of Sustainability is concentrating on the following goals for 2011 along with campus implementations to meet these goals:

Energy and Climate- By 2014, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality as soon as possi-ble. Progress: Emissions are now 5% below 2008 levels. Water- Reduce portable water use to 10% below 2008 levels by 2020. Progress: Water usage has

dropped 2.4% last year. Built Environment- Design future projects to minimize energy and water consumption and wastewater production; incorporate sustainable design principles into capital investment decisions; base capital investment decisions on life cycle cost, including the cost of known future expenditures. Progress: The campus now has seven (7) LEED certified building projects. In additional, all major projects currently in the planning and design phase are expected to be LEED certified. Waste - Achieve a 75% diversion rate by June 2012 and zero waste by 2020. The diversion rate for the campus is 67% although the rate drops to 41% when construction waste is included. Green Purchasing-Develop a green purchasing policy by 2011. The campus purchased at least 6.3 million of environmentally preferable products last year, and has increased the percentage of copy paper purchases that contain post-consumer waste to 81%. Transportation- By 2014, reduce fuel by use by commuter and campus fleet to 25% below 1990 levels. Progress: This year, fuel use is over 30% below 1990 levels. Food and Housing- Increase sustainable food purchases by campus foodservice providers to at least 20% by 2020. Pro-gress: Purchase of sustainable food has gone up by almost 3 percentage points.

For more information, check the Sustainability Report 2011.

The department is composed of staff and students who work together as well as have individual goals to enhance the productivi-ty and improvement of UC Berkeley’s sustainability awareness. Here is a summary of what the team has already accomplished and future projects.

Talking Louder 2nd Generation (winner of a 2011 TGIF Grant)- collaborating with other student groups and departments, such as RSP and The Campus Bike Initiative. Hosted the 2011 Fall Semester Sustainability Forum with over 100 attendees.

Improving the Office of Sustainability website to create an informative space. Sustainability Walking Tours on Cal Day: Introducing Berkeley as a Green Campus to incom-

ing students, further fueling their excitement to be part of the Cal green community. The Office will be releasing new reports this year and there will be updated financials for cur-

rent and potential energy projects WORKbright green– UC Berkeley’s new Staff Sustainability Training offered by the Office of Sustainability. It is the first staff sustainability training of its kind at UC Berkeley to gain the tools and knowledge needed to green the workplace. Click here to learn more and apply.

-written by Zara Fernandez

The Office of Sustainability has been the winner of four TGIF grants since 2008, including Talking Louder About Sustainability and Teaching, Learning, & Change.

TEAM

Students Joanna Young Zara Fernandez Nik Crain Rachel Balmy Nicole Campbell Michelle Lowe Taylor Zhou Kevin Liang James Won Kaya Sugarman Staff Lisa Mcneilly Director of Sustainability Kira Stoll Sustainability Specialist

Want to learn more about the Office of Sustainability? Visit the Office of Sustainability Website Sign up for the Green Newsletter-Stay up to date with current Green events, projects, and internships on campus Like our Facebook Page-Spread the word to make Berkeley a greener campus

Page 2 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

manage what you don’t

measure.” We have proba-

bly spent as much time

looking at and working

with the data as anyone

outside of facilities and we

are still finding patterns in

the data that drive our curi-

osity further. With just the

electricity data we’re getting

from some of the more

wired buildings, we can see

daytime and night time,

weekdays and weekends,

spring break, hot days, ret-

rofits, fire drills, and finals

crunch time and the associ-

ated all-nighters. But we

also see energy wasted 24

hours a day. We can see the

signature of lights on out-

doors during the day or on

all night in empty rooms.

We see heating and cooling

systems working hard when

no one is around. Where

we have water data, we can

see occasional plumbing

problems, the impact of

high or low flow toilets,

and as a bonus, we get a

beautiful proxy for building

occupancy. Based on such

observations, we have little

doubt that substantial sav-

ings of energy, water, and

other resources can be

achieved while actually im-

proving the level of the

amenities that buildings

provide. Our fondest wish

is to be able to provide

high quality data for more

campus buildings and to

help direct the attention of

educators, researchers, staff

and student advocates to

these issues.”

This wish is being partially

fulfilled by the campus com-

mitment to building com-

missioning, which is a data

driven process that perma-

nently installs meters to help

guide efficiency improve-

ments. Nearly 1/4 of cam-

pus buildings are expected

to have been commissioned

within the next 5 years, but

dashboard project team

members believe these ef-

forts could go even further

under the guidance of an

engaged and creative cam-

pus community.

To see the different mani-

festations of the Berkeley

Campus Dashboard, you

can:

Visit the Free Speech

Movement Café to learn

how much electricity is be-

ing used in that space on

your behalf. It features a

colorful string of LEDs run-

ning up the side of a pillar

that show the café’s energy

use in real time, broken out

by categories like lighting,

coffee, and electrical outlets.

Visit the lobby of Wurster

Hall, which has a set of

three informational panels

and a touch screen kiosk.

The panels use Campus

( c o n t i n u e d o n p g . 5 )

Campus Dashboard (continued)

Page 3 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

About the Lawns to Meadows Grant

The Lawns to Meadows Plan and Implementation project proposes a sustainable redesign of selected on campus lawn areas. The project is

funded by The Green Initiative Fund and managed by UC Berkeley’s Capital Projects. The goal is to convert specific grass lawns to regionally

appropriate plants to promote a more efficient use of water resources and fossil fuel consumption. Simultaneously, the sites will maintain their

natural features of open space and of a communal and peaceful setting for academic students to use. The grant will be utilized in order to pro-

mote the efficient use of potable water resources as it also improves energy efficiency through the reduction of fossil fuel consumption. The

renown neoclassical features of the core landscape will be retained as transformation and modernizing improvements are made.

Qualities of the Campus’s Site Conversions

The already converted sites feature drip irrigation (a low precipitation system), porous concrete and decomposed granite paths, pavement and

stone pavers set in sand, native grassland sods, native grass blends (which only need to be mowed 1-2 times per year), organic tanbark ground-

covers, seasonal flowering plants, and drought tolerant perennial plants. Such conversions have already greatly reduced water use, and mainte-

nance costs, while the composting in place system has also completely eliminating the need for fertilizers. The changes implemented have already

begun to promote the efficient use of potable water resources, and have improved energy and fossil fuel efficiency, demonstrating a better use of

scarce resources, labor, and plant wildlife diversity. The worn turf has been replaced with new plant life in order to provide new organic environ-

ments for animals while still providing open space and courtyards in ideal locations for student congregation and usage.

Proposed Site Conversions

The proposed locations for the additional Lawns to Meadows sites are the current lawn in front of Anthony Hall and the lawn behind the Alum-

ni Annex building running alongside Strawberry Creek. The Anthony Hall site is exposed to south facing sun and thus requires a large amount

of water for maintenance of the lawn, currently requiring 661 gallons per week, which translates to approximately 26,460 gallons per year. The

site proposes the conversion of the current lawn to drought tolerant ground covers and low shrub plantings to be used as lawn substitutes. Do-

ing so drastically reduces the need for maintenance and repair, while simultaneously lowering water costs. This project is scheduled to be com-

pleted in the fall of 2011. The second proposed location behind the Alumni Annex building is an open north facing lawn. The proposed chang-

es seek to save water (current water usage: 3,600 gallons per week and 144,000 gallons per year) and reduce maintenance while still retaining open

space and creek side sitting space qualities. The current lawn will be replaced with habitat riparian plants. In the future, a raised boardwalk path-

way may be added along the edge of the creek to improve visibility and provide better accessibility to the creek.

Page 4 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

-written by Kathy Tong

Campus Dashboard (continued)

Dashboard data to detail the relationship between

Wurster’s electricity usage, and consumption at indi-

vidual whole campus scales. The touch screen display

lets users watch the building’s electricity and water use

in real time and explore its past consumption.

Visit the evolving (and still in progress) website be-

hind the project that allows users to search for all the

data available on specific buildings and provides tools

for visualization and comparison: http://

dashboard.berkeley.edu/

Get involved and contribute your creative talents to

the challenges of understanding and reducing our

campus resource usage.

The project team is grateful to the TGIF Committee

the Compost Alliance has

created campus-wide

compost, paper recycling,

bottle & can recycling,

and landfill signage which

will be implemented

across campus in the

coming months. With

minor but conscious ef-

fort on everyone’s part,

we can eliminate unneces-

sary waste and bring UC

Berkeley closer to our

Zero Waste by 2020 goal.

for their funding and support, to the Berkeley Institute

of the Environment for sponsoring us, to the Berkeley

Institute of Design for hosting the project and facilitat-

ing many brainstorming and design sessions, to Eli Per-

szyk of Wurster Hall and Daryl Ross of the Free

Speech Movement Cafe, Sukjit Johal and Elizabeth

Dupuis of Moffitt Library and to all the students on

campus whose fees make the work possible.

Student team members include:

Sam Borgeson (ERG), Omar Khan (CS), Eric Kaltman

(CS), Nathan Brown (Architecture), Elizabeth Good-

man (I-School), Elliot Nahman (Building Science),

Deidre Fogg (Architecture), Josiah Johnston (ERG)

Compost Has Arrived (continued) to the landfill. As such,

the first phase of Com-

post Alliance’s system

rollout is, “Achieving

Critical Mass.” The aim

of this phase is to estab-

lish compost systems in

enough buildings to

prove its efficacy at re-

ducing waste and to cre-

ate enough demand that

more cost-effective col-

lection will be possible,

such as collection of com-

postable waste by in-

house services. By reduc-

ing the cost, other build-

ings will also more easily

be able to participate.

The Compost Alliance

has already implemented

compost collection in

University Hall and will

soon bring composting to

other targeted buildings on

campus including Eshleman

Hall. The next buildings to

come online include A&E,

Barrows, Sproul, and Stanley.

The Compost Alliance sets

up bins in the bathrooms

and kitchenettes to collect

paper towels and food waste.

The compost bins are also

emptied daily along with the

trash to maintain a clean,

healthy, and sustainable work

environment. Additionally,

Page 5 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

Page 6 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

Campus Bicycle Initiative, a

2011 TGIF Grant Winner, held

the 1st Campus Bike Day at UC

Berkeley on Friday, September 9,

2011. Watch the video footage

from the day’s events.

YOUTUBE VIDEO

2010 TGIF Grant Winner BERC Energy Symposium

October 20-21, 2011

Overview

The 2011 BERC Energy Symposium will take place on October 20-21

to showcase cutting-edge energy research from UC Berkeley and debate

the most pressing issues and crucial strategies for addressing our shared

global energy challenges. Come join us!

2011 Berkeley Innovation Expo

Date: Oct 20th, 2011 - Thursday

Time: 6-9pm

Location: Berkeley Art Museum

2011 BERC Energy Symposium

Date: Oct 21st, 2011 - Friday

Time: 8am-6pm

Location: MLK Student Union

ASUC External Affairs Office Contributes to Sustainability at Cal Letter from Nolan Pack, Sustainability Co-Director, Office of the External Affairs Vice President, ASUC

Programs like The Green Initiative Fund and the many projects supported by it offer an inspiring demonstration of UC

Berkeley’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. If our elected officials approached environmental policy with half that

amount of care and enthusiasm, the world would be a much greener place. In an effort to channel some of Cal’s spirit into

the local, state, and national discussions on sustainability, Joey Freeman, ASUC External Affairs Vice President, added two

Sustainability Co-Directors to his staff. Chris Ackman and I, appointed this summer, have taken on a number of exciting

projects that address a diverse range of environmental issues.

Some of our goals deal directly with current legislative issues. To that end, we will be campaigning with CALPIRG for initia-

tives to cut subsidies to industrial agribusiness, end the use of methyl iodide in California, and ban disposable plastic bags

in the City of Berkeley.

In addition to working on legislation, we hope to strengthen our connections with state and nationwide environmental

groups. Sustainability-themed conferences like Power Shift West and the California Student Sustainability Coalition’s Con-

vergence offer valuable networking and enrichment opportunities for eco-conscious Cal students. Beyond sending repre-

sentatives to these events, we hope to be able to host these and other conferences in the future. In fact, we are currently

investigating the possibility of hosting the International Student Energy Summit at UC Berkeley in 2013.

In terms of our more campus-specific projects, we hope to work with TGIF on at least two important initiatives. In partner-

ship with the ASUC Sustainability Team and Fair Trade Towns USA, we’ve started working toward Fair Trade University cer-

tification for Cal. We’re also working with ECO (Environmental Clubs and Organizations) to create an interactive social me-

dia tool that will unite sustainability efforts on campus and encourage collective action. Since we know that TGIF funding

would go a long way in taking these plans to the next level, Chris and I will be sure to apply for 2012 grants this spring.

Please contact me if you are interested in any of our projects, have any suggestions, or would like more information:

nolanpack@gmail.com

Page 7 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

2011 TGIF Grant Winners

TGIF Projects In The News

Campus Bicycle Initiative

Fight the Flow

Greeks Energy Competition

Hydration Stations

Low Water Irrigation

Talking Louder, Next Generation

In Only 4 grant cycles, 2008-2011...

$956539 awarded

185 projects proposed

48 projects funded

24 staff-led projects

24 student-led projects

22 projects completed

23 projects in progress

3 projects discontinued

95 paid student internships funded

2009 2010 2011

Building Sustainability at Cal 2010 Bike to Work Day Regional Spon-sorship

Berkeley Student Food Collective Store-front

Earth Week 2009 CLAS Carbon Smart and LEED-EB Certification Project

BicyCAL

Healthy You for a Healthy Universe Earth Week 2010 Custodial Staff Outreach

Lower Sproul Plaza Redevelopment Eco-Charrette

No More Down the Drain Earth Week 2011

Student Internships for Jump-Starting the Office of Sustainability

Talking Louder about Sustainability Hydration Station Installation and De-sign Guidelines for Existing Buildings

Anthony Hall Window Replacement and LEED-EB Certification Discontinued

I Heart Tap Water

Wurster Hall Composting Project Discontinued

Mobilizing Sustainability at Berkeley- The Greening Operations (GO!) Team

Reduction in Chemical Use at UC Bo-tanical Garden

Talking Louder About Cam-pus Sustainability

Water Metering and Conservation

Water Metering and Sub-Metering of UC Campus Buildings

Wurster Hall Sub-metering

Better Bin Discontinued

Page 8 Vo lume 2, I ssue 1

COMPLETED PROJECTS AS OF JUNE 30, 2011

CATEGORIZED BY YEAR OF COMPLETION

How to Apply for a 2012 TGIF Grant You MUST submit an abstract proposal before you are eligible to apply for a TGIF Grant. You

can submit an abstract by the “early” deadline OR “final” deadline.

–Early Abstract Submissions due: Monday, January 23, 2012 by 5pm.

–Final Abstract Submissions due: Monday, February 13, 2012 by 5pm.

Selected abstracts are invited by the TGIF Committee to submit grant applications in April.

–TGIF Grant Applications due: Monday, April 2, 2012 by 5pm.

Be sure to check out the TGIF Apply page on our website for application materials. Email TGIF

Coordinator Katherine Walsh at tgif_info@berkeley.edu with questions or to set-up an appoint-

ment. Katherine is available to assist all applicants with their project proposals.

Back Page Story Headline

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is a grant-making

fund for sustainability projects on UC Berkeley's cam-

pus. About $280,000 per year are available for grants;

students, faculty, and staff are eligible to submit pro-

ject proposals. Projects are be selected for funding by

an annually appointed Grant-Making Committee con-

sisting of students, faculty, and staff, in which stu-

dents have the majority vote.

TGIF is funded by a $5 per semester student fee, be-

ginning in fall 2007 and persisting for 10 years. The

fee referendum was approved by the student body

during the April 2007 ASUC elections. It received final

approval by the Chancellor and Regents during the

summer. In Fall 2010, the fee was raised to $5.50 as

required by the referendum.

Katherine Walsh University of California, Berkeley

Grants Coordinator 400 Eshleman Hall #4500

kwalsh@berkeley.edu Berkeley, CA 94720-4500

510-643-2992 tgif_info@berkeley.edu

We’re on the web!

http://tgif.berkeley.edu

Twitter @TGIF_UCB

Facebook Page “The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)”

2011-2012 TGIF Committee VOTING MEMBERS NON-VOTING MEMBERS

Administration: Kira Stoll Committee on Student Fees: Deanna Alwafai

ASUC: Kailin Lu Office of Sustainability: Lisa McNeilly

CACS: Rachel Chang Ex-Officio: Judy Chess

Facilities Services: Lin King TGIF: Katherine Walsh

Faculty: David Jenkins

Graduate Assembly: Autumn Petros-Good

Student-at-Large Rep: Mauricio Castillo

TGIF Launches New Website

funded by TGIF.

The website is supplemented by the TGIF

Changents blog, providing real-time updates on

TGIF-funded projects, and campus sustainability

events and campaigns. Through the blog, TGIF is

able to share its efforts of social and environmental

change with the global community. Students, faculty,

and staff can also follow TGIF on Facebook and

Twitter and receive reminders about this year’s grant

deadlines and awards. We hope you will visit the

TGIF website and blog and learn more about getting

involved with UC Berkeley’s campus sustainability

projects!

TGIF launched a new website and blog in May in

order to provide the UC Berkeley community with

better resources for their campus sustainability pro-

jects. The TGIF website serves as an educational

tool for those who need funding for their sustainabil-

ity projects, are looking to join the TGIF committee

or project teams, or need a green internship. The

website also provides TGIF campaign history and

information for other universities on how to start

their own green funds.

The most important section of the website falls un-

der “Grants”; here visitors can find out how to apply

for a grant and download application materials. Visi-

tors can also browse the pages of every project ever