Search: Environmental News, Sustainable Living

A group of UC Berkeley students will be competing in a national inventor's competition this fall with their ultra-affordable solar water heater - even if they lose, they may have already won. Their invention may end up improving the lives of millions of people all over developing countries.

Twenty-three projects aimed at helping people live more sustainably have been granted a total of $2 million through a new program at the University of California, Berkeley, that is funded by the Dow Chemical Co. Foundation.

Officials will gather today (Tuesday, April 29) to celebrate the University of California, Berkeley's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-silver certified building - the Haste Street Child Development Center - which also is the state's first freestanding LEED-silver certified child care center.

Reflecting the growing importance of sustainability on campus, Berkeley’s fifth annual summit on the issue is expanding to a half-day, with workshops on everything from greening your own life to the energy frontier far beyond fossil fuels.

At the second annual UC Berkeley Sustainability Summit, held last Thursday, the campus honored the green-minded among us and awarded grants to six campus units through the Chancellor’s Green Campus Fund. It also unveiled hot-off-the-press copies of the “UC Berkeley Campus Sustainability Assessment,” a 122-page environmental report card on diverse campus systems, ranging from water use in toilets to the fuel efficiency of campus vehicles.

With an initial $2 million gift announced today (Tuesday, Oct. 30), the University of California, Berkeley, will move forward to establish a new program aimed at providing students educational and research opportunities in the area of sustainable products and solutions.

To recognize commercial buildings that do much more than provide the space and tools for workers to toil away, UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment has issued its first-ever "Livable Buildings Awards."The center's kudos for building resource efficiency, architectural design and occupant satisfaction are unique in the building industry because they consider the building users' feelings about features such as lighting, acoustics and thermal comfort, said Edward Arens, the center's director and a UC Berkeley professor of architecture.

The Green Initiative Fund, a $5 student fee increase to fund sustainability projects on campus, passed, winning 69.25 percent of non-abstention votes cast.

The campus's first comprehensive sustainability assessment reflects a growing 'green' consciousness — and provides Berkeley with a roadmap for future progress.

In preparation for the campus's third annual Sustainability Summit, the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) will fund new projects, honor best practices, and adopt a new logo.