As many of us already know, UC Berkeley has taken many steps as a campus toward being sustainable. Besides the obvious methods like providing composite bins and the implementation of the Chews to Reuse program, there are some methods UC Berkeley has taken to help promote sustainability and work toward lowering our campus’s carbon footprint that have gone under the radar.
Hiring squirrels
A lot of people actually aren’t aware of this phenomenon, but UC Berkeley hires squirrels from neighboring locations to aid in the cycle of comp0sting. UC Berkeley offers these squirrels a wage in exchange for their services of eating left over food from popular locations such as Golden Bear Cafe and Sproul Plaza.
Small dishes in the dining commons
Have you ever noticed that the plates at Crossroads and other dining commons are tiny? We at the Clog have hypothesized that this is a response to the ongoing struggle of both reducing food waste, and reducing the amount of water used to clean dishes.
No air conditioning
Have you ever noticed that barely any buildings at UC Berkeley have air conditioning units? The dorms conveniently don’t have them either. So while you’re burning up in class and peeling off every extra layer of clothing you have on, remember that UC Berkeley is doing its share in reducing energy waste.
Ripping you off on laundry in the dorms
In what world should doing a load of laundry cost upwards of four dollars? It seems like UC Berkeley is trying to convince their students to wash less often to help conserve water in this California drought.
Making textbooks out of reach
UC Berkeley makes getting textbooks and readers super hard not to piss us off, but to try to deter us from buying the book. It has become apparent that this is a result of the campus’s initiative to save trees and wildlife. If it were so easy to get the books we need for our classes we’d kill way too many trees. Notice how they always recommend the digital online version? That’s no coincidence.
All jokes aside, UC Berkeley has taken measures to help reduce the university’s carbon footprint.
