VOLUME 12

February 2010
Bright Green News
The Campus Sustainability Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
 Zimride Comes to UC Berkeley Z i m r i d e C o m e s t o U C B e r ke l ey
 PlayGreen II Festival-this Friday Parking and Transporta- CO2 emissions. This partnership
tion is launching their new between the campus and Zimride
 7th Annual Sustainability Sum-
Zimride rideshare system marks a significant step in improving
mit-April 21st
this Friday, February 26th. campus transportation sustainability
 BERC Energy Symposium- The Zimride platform con- practices. Furthermore, ridesharing
March 4th nects Cal community mem- on your daily commute or on
bers to share rides through an longer one-time trips will substan-
 Not-to-Miss Awards, Grants,
Competitions & Speaker Op- easy to use private network tially reduce the costs of travel and
portunities—Deadlines in that will reduce campus traffic, campus parking. This transportation
March & April parking difficulties, and help to with someone who is affiliated with alternative is a fun, easy, and sus-
reduce the carbon footprint of the Berkeley.” tainable way for everyone to collec-
 Recap Feb Sustainability Forum
campus community. tively make a difference.
Zimride has developed a custom
 Staying Wired to Green “I might be dating myself, but I rideshare solution to serve Cal’s
Computing About Zimride
remember when you used to pin a campus population. Through Zim-
 Greening the Campus Fleet notice on a physical bulletin board if ride’s web-based interface, faculty, Zimride has created rideshare commu-
you were looking for a ride and staff, and students will be able to nities for over 35 of the nation’s lead-
 UC Berkeley Extension be- hope someone would see your find others with similar commuting ing colleges and universities. Through
comes a USGBC Education posting, with Zimride you can now patterns or one-time rides. As a its website, Zimride combines social
Provider
post your request for a ride and social network platform with op- networks and a proprietary route-
 Refrigerator Trade-In Pilot the software instantly finds any tional Facebook integration, Zim- matching algorithm to make it easy for
Program rides that match your criteria, very ride is fun to use and helps establish users to share seats or find a ride.
exciting!” said Seamus Wilmot, trust among users. Zimriders can view others’ profiles for
 ASUC Art Studio Starts New
Acting Director of UCB’s Parking common networks, interests, and
Reuse Program Starting this Friday, all University
and Transportation department. friends before deciding to share a ride.
students, faculty and staff can access
“Zimride’s solution is appealing to For more information on Zimride, visit
Cal Zimride system for free at
The Office our students, faculty, and staff; we
http://zimride.berkeley.edu.
www.zimride.com.
currently limit access to the site to
Update those who belong to the UC According to the Environmental
For more information, visit
http://zimride.berkeley.edu and
Berkeley community. You can feel Protection Agency, driving personal
http://pt.berkeley.edu.
safe knowing you are asking to ride vehicles contributes 20% of overall
 Please encourage
your friends and
colleagues to join our list serve. Hold the Date
PlayGreen Festival II– Friday, Feb 26! 7th Annual CACS
 Become a fan of our Facebook
Cal Recreational Sports is Sustainability
Page! PlayGreen Festival II
hosting PlayGreen Festival II, the Summit
Contact us: Learn how to learn, live, and play green!
Bay Area's premier eco-
experiential event, where atten- Feb 26, 2010 | 10am-4pm Wed. April 21,
sustainability@berkeley.edu
dees will be able to learn how to 2010
Learn more about us! play and live a greener lifestyle on
Pauley Ball Room in MLK
Friday, February 26, 2010 in 4pm to 6pm
Check out our websites:
Pauley Ball Room. Admission is
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu
free, so come find the Office be- Sutardja Dai Hall
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/os cause we’ll be tabling!

A n n u a l B E R C E n e r g y S y m p o s i u m – T h u r s , M a rc h 4 t h
The Berkeley Energy & Research Collabora-
tive (BERC) annual Energy Symposium will be
held on Thursday, March 4, 2010 in the MLK
Student Union Building.
The symposium is a student run conference and is
expected to unite people from business, scientific
research, public policy, and academia to discuss
the future of energy use. The event is geared
towards educating participants about new re-
search and technological innovation that is devel-
oping in the Bay Area.
You will hear from key note speakers including
co-founder of Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) John E. Bryson and Commis-
sioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis-
sion (FERC) Phillip D. Moeller. Engage in panel
discussions on renewable energy solutions in
developing countries, the question of whether
green jobs are a myth or a reality, issues of water
security, and much more.
N o t - t o - m i s s C a m p u s Aw a r d s , C o m p e t i t i o n s , & G r a n t s !
Logo Design
Competition
for Campus
Sustainability
Summit
Due Thurs, March 4th, 2010!
Attention student designers and artists!
The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on
Sustainability (CACS) is looking for a student-
designed logo for its 7th Annual Sustainability Sum-
mit. The logo will be used on all invitations, post-
ers, and official documents of the Summit.
The winner of the competition will:
-Have his or her design highly-publicized
-Be recognized at the Summit by campus leaders
-Receive a ticket to the premier of the movie
OCEANS.
Submissions are
due Thurs,
March 4th.
To enter click here.
Bright Green News VOLUME 12 February 2010
In addition to being a place to learn about the To learn more and register, visit http://
latest news and debates, the event will be green berc.berkeley.edu/symposium.
certified by the Office of Sustainability. To
About BERC
achieve the certification, BERC certified at least
10 percent of the food and beverages will be fair The Berkeley Energy & Resources Collabo-
trade, local, or organic and that composting will rative (BERC) is a student-led organization
be available but no bottled water will be offered. which brings together students and commu-
BERC received extra innovation points for giving nity members interested in all aspects of
online registrants an option to donate $5 to the energy and resources. BERC's mission is to
Climate Action Fund, a fund that contributes to connect, educate and engage students in
projects that will help UC Berkeley meet its goal order to foster innovation and action.
of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990
levels by 2014. As of early February, one-third of
the registrants had already opted to donate. Article by Vicky Ly
Chancellor’s Green Fund 2010 CACS Sustainability
Grant Awards
Applications due Friday, Nominations due Friday,
April 2, 2010! April 2, 2010!
The annual Chancellor's Green Fund Grant To formally recognize contributions of those
program enables members of the UC Berkeley helping the campus
campus community to undertake projects that will to meet its sustain-
create a greener, more environmentally sustain- ability goals, the
able campus -- while saving resources and money Chancellor’s Advi-
in the process. A department, official campus sory Committee
on Sustainability
organization, class, or group made up of a mix of
(CACS) annually
students, staff and
faculty of the Univer- provides awards to
sity of California, faculty, staff, and
Berkeley, may apply students that have
for grant funds of up done outstanding
to $2,000. Applica- work. The campus
tions (digital format community is indebted to the hard work of stu-
only) must be re- dents, staff, and faculty making Berkeley a more
ceived by 5:00pm sustainable place to work, live, and play.
on Friday, April 2,
All forms must be submitted electronically by
2010.
5:00pm on Friday, April 2, 2010.
For more information and a copy of the
For more information, click here.
grant application, click here.
Page 2

2010 California Higher
Education Sustainability
Best Practice Awards
Due Fri, March 5th, 2010!
Applications are now being accepted for the
Best Practices in New Construction
and Sustainable Operations competi-
tion for 2010. Made possible by the Higher
Education Energy Efficiency Partnership, this
competition is meant to highlight the
achievements that the University of Califor-
nia, California State University, and Califor-
nia Community College campuses have
made through innovative and effective en-
ergy efficiency projects and sustainable
operations.
Award recipients will be recognized at a
banquet during the 9th Annual Higher
Education Sustainability Conference,
June 20th through June 23rd, at Los Angeles
Trade-Technical College. Awards may also
include funding for the conference.
Proposals due March 5th, 2010.
To apply, and for more information
click here.
S t ay i n g W i re d t o G re e n C o m p u t i n g
Have you ever thought about all the computers
that are on campus? Now consider how much
energy each computer is using and you’ll be on
your way to getting into the world of green com-
puting. "Green Computing" on the UC Berke-
ley campus is an effort to raise awareness on the
subject of energy usage associated with informa-
tion technology and the possibilities of reducing
of energy usage.
According to the 2009 Climate Action Plan,
electricity is one of the two largest sources of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the campus.
UC Berkeley has invested in maintaining informa-
tion technology (IT) as a vital resource for the
campus and reducing GHG emissions to 1990
levels by the year 2014.
Berkeley’s green computing initiative is overseen
by the Office of the Chief Information Officer
(CIO). The Office of CIO is the central player in
Bright Green News VOLUME 12 February 2010
Call for Speakers - 2010 Feb 2010 Sustainability
CA Higher Education Forum Recap
Sustainability
On Wednesday, Feb 3, 2010, the Office of Sustainability,
Conference through funding from The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF),
Due Wed, hosted its Sustainability Forum for students to learn more about
March 10th, various environmental student groups on campus. Over 18 cam-
pus organizations presented their mission statements and initia-
2010! tives to a crowded room of 80 attendees. The forum started off
The CA Higher with a representative from Strategies for Ecology Education,
Education Sustain- Diversity, and Sustainability (SEEDS), an educational program of
ability Conference the Ecological Society of America that aims to diversify and ad-
encourages you to vance the profession of ecology, and ended with a speaker from
submit a proposal to Greening Berkeley, a branch of Cal Corps Public Service Center
present at the upcoming conference in June that deals with hands-on volunteer opportunities in the local
in Los Angeles. This year's conference seeks environment. Each student group was allocated two minutes
to highlight innovative examples and best offering time for mingling and munching during the second half of
practices in energy, food systems, green the forum.
building, climate action, student leadership,
Click here for photos from the forum.
waste reduction, water and much more.
Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to To learn more about the forum or past forums, click here. Special
submit creative, relevant and exciting pres- thanks to the club representatives and all those who attended. We
entation proposals. Some conference dis- hope the forum was helpful and would love to see you again at our
counts will be available to speakers. Propos- next Sustainability Forum on Wednesday, April 14, 2010!
als due March 10th, 2010.
Missed the forum but need an information sheet and
Conference: June 20th-23rd, 2010 at Los notes with all the student groups? Download them here.
Angeles Trade Technical College
Did you attend the forum? Help
us improve by taking our one ques-
To submit your speaking pro- tion survey!
posal and learn more click here.
Article by Joanna Young
the Campus IT Strategic Plan, which outlines ment will save the campus some $30 and 104 kg
current and emerging trends in IT needs. The of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
office also plays a big role in developing campus
PC Power
technology investments.
Management
There are many green com-
puting efforts taking place on Running since Septem-
the Berkeley Campus that ber 2008, this program
you may already have noticed: cannot switch to a
sleep mode. The PC
Turn Off Lights Stickers
Power Management
This project is aimed to reduce energy waste in provides software to units with University-
offices, conference rooms, and other areas. The owned PCs to better manage PC energy use.
Office of the CIO offers free stickers that read The software allows IT administrators to cus-
“turn off lights when not in use” as a friendly tomize energy settings for each user and thereby
reminder to building occupants. reduce unnecessary electricity use. They plan to
provide this software to 8000 desktops by 2011.
CRT Replacement Project
To learn more, click here.
This collaborative effort led by the Office of the
CIO seeks to replace current CRT monitors
Article by Vickie Ly
with energy-saving LCD monitors. Each replace-
Page 3

G re e n i n g t h e C a m p u s F l e e t
Fleet Services, re-
sponsible for process-
ing all new vehicle
purchases, is playing a
significant role in
greening UC Berke-
ley’s campus vehicle
fleet. As the campus
aims to have 25% of Zero Emissions Campus Electric Vehicle
the fleet green 2014,
Fleet Services has bolstered ways to get us there.
Eric Robinson, Fleet Services Manager, reports
that we are right on track in meeting the goal.
Green vehicles include alternative fuel vehicles
that run on fuel other than gasoline or diesel,
zero-emission vehicles such as electronic and fuel
cell vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and PZEVs (partial
zero-emission vehicles) that have zero evapora-
tive emissions and clean tailpipe emissions.
The end of 2009 marked the best year for green
light-duty vehicle acquisitions, according to Rob-
inson. UC Berkeley acquired 19 light-duty vehi-
cles all of which are green vehicles including: four
electric low speed vehicles, five conventional
hybrid vehicles, one plug-in hybrid vehicle, one
hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and eight E85 (15%
gasoline and 85% ethanol) flex fuel vehicles.
The percentage of green vehicles in the fleet
nearly tripled since 2007 when the Office of Fleet
Services enacted a rigorous review of department other, thereby leading to significant cost savings
vehicle purchases.
How did they ac-
complish this?
Fleet Services as-
sists the campus in
acquiring and main-
taining vehicles at
the lowest costs and safeguards vehicle assets.
The purchasing equation is complex, and several
factors must be taken into account including
guidelines for sustainable purchases. For instance,
Bob Mistretta of Central Distribution Services
addressed how purchasing a 30% larger box on
trucks would translate to less trips to campus to
transport the same amount of goods, an overall
greener approach. Ken Schmitz, in charge of the
Physical Plant (PPCS) fleet, recently retired a
number of vehicles. PPCS currently has 176 vehi-
cles compared to over 200 a couple years ago.
Focusing on sustainability also helps balance the
budget: “At every level of our organization, in-
creased consciousness of both budget and sus-
Bright Green News VOLUME 12 February 2010
tainability issues While campus
has led to fewer works to make
vehicles owned, the operations
fewer trips made, fleet cleaner, The
fewer miles driven, Institute for
and less fuel con- Transportation
sumed,” noted Studies at UC
Robinson. Berkeley contin-
ues to research,
For the past two
acquire, and test
years Fleet Ser-
advanced technology vehicles such as fuel cell
vices has operated a strategic outreach program
vehicles and plug-in hybrids. According to Pro-
targeting departments that they believe are
fessor Dan Kammen and Derek Lemoine electri-
suited to help achieve goals of acquiring green
fied transportation is crucial to a low-carbon
vehicles and reducing overall fleet size.
future.
Communication has been key. “By anticipating
Robinson predicts more advancements will ar-
when a department may need a new vehicle, we
rive: “In the next year we can expect to see
are able to start a conversation with them before
freeway-capable electric vehicles hit the market,
they have made any firm plans.” Robinson and his
and if they do it will be a big game-changer for
team have successfully built green vehicle aware-
several of our vehicle applications.”
ness. The conversations contributed to the re-
duction of the fleet size and an increase in more
fuel efficient vehicles. Departments on board
include the Energy Biosciences Institute; Environ-
mental Science, Policy and Management; Recrea-
tional Sports, UC Police Department, and several Article by Nicole Campbell
others. Photos by Lisa Bauer &
Kira Stoll
Fleet Services also endorses vehicle co-
ownership - encouraging departments with un-
derutilized vehicles to sell one and share the
in insurance and parking ex-
penses.
Newsletter Sign-up
Fleet Services has advised the
campus rental car supplier that Basket Winner!
an upcoming new agreement
Congratulations to Katherine Mullins, win-
will call for the selected com-
pany to supply a certain num- ner of our 2nd newsletter sign-up raffle!
ber of hybrid, electric, and alternative fuel vehi-
cles for UCB users.
Low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) are also an
important component of the strategy. Around 37
campus vehicles up for replacement may be quali-
fied candidates for LSV replacements, and around
three quarters are expected to materialize as
such.
Green fuel suppliers intend on adding an ethanol
station in Berkeley within a year. Several alterna-
tive fuel stations have been installed in the area, She is a 1st year Mathematics major who is in-
including a bio-diesel station in Berkeley on Sac- volved with the Residential Sustainability Program.
ramento Street. Robinson is hopeful that ethanol Photo credit: Joanna Young
stations will become easier to find.
Page 4
 Bright Green News VOLUME 12 February 2010

U.S. Green Building Council Approves UCB Extension Sustainability Courses

Earlier this month UC Berkeley Extension
announced its new designation as a U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider.
USGBC sets the standards for the green build-
ing industry in the United States and abroad
through its Leadership in Energy and Environ-
mental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System certification program. UC Berkeley Exten-
sion is the first continuing education program at
the University of California, and one of the few
public continuing education programs in the
country, to offer
USGBC-approved
course credits.
With the Obama ad-
ministration's recent
budget proposal for
$2.4 billion in energy
efficiency and renew-
able energy pro-
grams—and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'
prediction of a 30 percent growth over the next
decade in top green jobs such as mechanical engi-
neer, environmental engineer, environmental
educator, and landscape architect—the demand
is growing among professionals for more green
industry education.
The UC Berkeley Extension sustainability courses
approved by USGBC are designed to meet that
growing demand. They include advanced courses
in solar, sustainable construction, renewable
energy, transportation, clean technology, and
sustainability leadership and management. All
USGBC-approved courses are rigorously peer-
ing with USGBC to provide green building pro-
reviewed and approved for credit toward LEED
fessionals with the diverse continuing education
Professional Credentialing Maintenance.
they need to grow their knowledge and their
"We are delighted to work with the USGBC as careers," said Rebecca Flora, USGBC's senior
an Education Provider," said Diana Wu, dean of vice president for education and research.
UC Berkeley Extension. "These approved "Anyone interested in broadening and deepening
courses will directly benefit professionals who their understanding of green building theory,
need to 'green' their skills and knowledge to stay techniques and trends will benefit from the di-
competitive in this emerging green economy. verse and quality course offerings from USGBC
Our goal is to earn USGBC approval of the ma- and its Education Providers."
jority of courses in our sustainability program to
UC Berkeley Extension's Sustainability Studies
meet the education needs of this growing work-
program includes more than 60 courses for
force."
professionals in emerging green industries.
"Education Providers play a pivotal role by work-

R e f r i ge r a t o r Tr a d e - I n P i l o t P ro g r a m
Last semester from
October to Novem-
ber 2009, the campus
implemented a pilot
program where 100
refrigerators were
offered on a first-
come, first-served
basis at a steep dis-
count (almost 50%
discount) as a campus-wide effort to reduce
energy usage and costs. Departments were able to
apply for a new, clean Energy Star rated refrigera-
tor to replace an inefficient one. At the end of the
program, which was run through UCB Business
Services and Capital Projects, 65 applications for
new refrigerators had been accepted with several
refrigerators having already been delivered and
installed. The pilot intends to save the campus
$9,500 annually in energy costs and was a project
of the Cal Climate Action Partnership, a
collaboration of faculty, administration, staff, and
students working to reduce campus greenhouse gas
emissions to 1990 levels by 2014. The program was
also funded in part by the 2009-11 Energy Efficiency
Partnership, a partnership including the University
of California, California State University, and Inves-
tor Owned Utilities.
For information about the pilot program,
email brightgreenenergy@lists.berkeley.edu.
Article by Joanna Young

A S U C A r t S t u d i o S t a r t s N ew R e u s e P ro g r a m
The ASUC Art Studio, with funding from The
Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), has installed two
new closed-system sinks that will collect the clay
and glaze waste that previously was washed
down the drain. These materials are recycled
into new pots and other items for sale. The
reuse of clay and glaze is not the only benefit to
the campus - the reduction of sediment in the
waste water alleviates the wear and tear on
campus infrastructure.
“Our students are so excited to use recycled
materials in their art practice,” says Art Studio
Director Kate
Wees. “It is awe
inspiring to think
about the amount of
usable waste we
were washing down
the drains before in the 'sinks' and now to apply
it to other areas of our lives. I think everyone
who is involved in recycling the clay and glazes
can't help but to rethink what waste they pro-
duce and its effect on the environment.”
The Art Studio reclaims 15 gallons of glaze and
300lbs of clay every six week session through this
new system – enough material to make 100 small
flowerpots. The sale of recycled material items
will fund other environmental projects within the
Art Studio.
For more information about the classes and services
offered by the Art Studio, click here.
For more information about TGIF, click here.
Article by Nicole Leung

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