| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.50 |
| Liaison | Kira Stoll |
| Submission Date | Aug. 16, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Berkeley
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Jack
Chang STARS Assessment Fellow (ERG) Sustainability |
Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
The campus website hosted by the Office of Sustainability serves as the hub for UC Berkeley's comprehensive sustainability information. It offers pages of information about Green Event Certification, campus energy use, sustainability-themed curriculum and a host of other sustainable offerings.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The Office of Sustainability has distributed an electronic monthly (or bi-monthly) newsletter since 2008. About 5,000 faculty, staff, and students are signed up to receive the newsletter.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:
The Office of Sustainability uses its Facebook page to spread sustainable news with students on campus, amassing more than 1,300 likes. The office has also started an Instagram account to promote sustainability-related events.
The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat?:
A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's campus newspaper, covers a wide range of sustainability-related stories and staffs their own sustainability-focused reporter.
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The latest news in science, technology and university life fill the Berkeley Science Review with all content created by UC Berkeley graduate students.
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
Green building signage can be found at the Maximino Martinez Commons and the Lower Sproul Associated Student Union Building.
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Cal Dining offers significant signage and information on its many sustainable food offerings. Additionally, the Cal Dining Sustainability Team posts articles on the Student Environmental Resource Center website related to sustainability in the dining halls.
More information can be found here: http://serc.berkeley.edu/author/caldiningsustainability/
The Berkeley Food Institute offers comprehensive resources in numerous mediums: https://food.berkeley.edu/resources/
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
While landscaping accounts for less than 10% of campus water usage, it remains a visible and important component of campus conservation efforts. Part of the campus effort to combat the drought was installing "Low Water Landscape" signs throughout campus that read: "This lawn is scheduled for conversion to a lower-usage drought tolerant landscape." The signs provided information about the measures taken to combat the drought. The signs are deployed during drought years.
The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
The Office of Sustainability has produced an information sheet, map and legend based on original walking tours provided by the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability. The tours are led by student associates within the office or can be self-guided with a one-hour tour of campus sustainability features.
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
UC Berkeley offers a comprehensive package of alternative commute programs to encourage the use of green transportation, with the goal of reducing traffic and parking demands, and helping to lessen the impact on the environment. The campus offers an extensive website detailing transportation options.
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
UC Berkeley offers both biking and walking maps for the campus community. These maps include safe places to park bikes as well as dismount zones and bike racks that help the campus community more easily navigate the area by bike.
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Founded in 2007, the Residential Sustainability Program (RSP), a student-run program in the campus residence halls, is made up of a dedicated group of coordinators and volunteers who aim to promote sustainable living through peer education.
“Our mission is to educate and inform residents about the importance of a sustainable lifestyle and to make lasting proactive changes in the environments that we live in.”
They hold special events around saving energy and zero waste, and are focusing on training the resident assistants in sustainability.
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
A brief description of these materials or publications:
The Berkeley energy dashboards track the effects of electricity-saving efforts such as turning off the lights at night, using energy saving features on computers and other actions. People can use the dashboards to track the cumulative impact of their behavior and of others in nearly every building on campus.
The Student Environmental Resource Center blog - https://serc.berkeley.edu/blog/ - and the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative blog - http://berc.berkeley.edu/blog/ - highlight classes, conferences and other activities happening on campus that offer the community opportunities to learn more about energy and sustainability efforts.
The website URL for these materials or publications:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information in this field was provided by the UC Berkeley Student Environmental Resource Center, Parking and Transportation, Environmental Health and Safety and other departments.
Information in this field was provided by the UC Berkeley Student Environmental Resource Center, Parking and Transportation, Environmental Health and Safety and other departments.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.