daily californian logo

BERKELEY'S NEWS • MAY 25, 2023

Apply to The Daily Californian!

UC Berkeley named 'Coolest Campus' in systemwide carbon reduction competition

article image

MICHAEL DRUMMOND | FILE

SUPPORT OUR NONPROFIT NEWSROOM

We're an independent student-run newspaper, and need your support to maintain our coverage.

MAY 07, 2019

On Monday, UC Berkeley was announced the “Coolest Campus” in the Cool Campus Challenge, a four-week UC-wide event that began April 1 and engaged thousands of participants in taking carbon dioxide-saving measures.  

Across the system, individual participants completed and logged carbon-reducing actions, which contributed to individual, team and campuswide scores.  The challenge was open to students, faculty, staff and UC Office of the President, or UCOP, administration. Chancellor Carol Christ participated and was featured on the Cool Campus Challenge Facebook page logging her points.

The challenge incentivized participants to reflect on their carbon impact and to implement small changes to improve their footprints, according to ASUC Senator Anna Whitney. These everyday actions could be as easy as turning off the lights, taking public transportation or washing laundry on cold.

“It’s all about changing people’s behaviors and making people more conscious about the decisions they make,” Whitney said.

According to a Cool Campus Challenge presentation sent by campus Director of Sustainability and Cool Campus Challenge founder Kira Stoll, UC Berkeley swooped in with the highest score of nearly 9.5 million points after a close race with UCLA. Throughout the competition, UC Berkeley and UCLA, which ended in second place, were at times within 20 participants of each other, according to UCOP spokesperson Sarah McBride.

The UC Berkeley team Sustainable Squad took the prize for the highest number of points earned among UC Berkeley teams.

Engaging more than 4,000 participants, or 7.5 percent of the campus, UC Berkeley reportedly saved 2,026 metric tons of carbon dioxide from participants’ actions, which is equivalent to taking 500 cars off the road for an entire year, according to the presentation.  

The challenge wasn’t just a cross-campus competition, but also a “call to action,” according to Stoll. McBride said in an email that the challenge was designed to construct a culture of sustainability across the UC system and to raise awareness about the UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.

“The Cool Campus Challenge is one of many initiatives to help people understand and take personal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change,” McBride said in an email.

As the winner of the competition, UC Berkeley will receive a trophy and $2,000 to devote to a campus sustainability effort. Stoll is working with the student organizers of the UC Berkeley Cool Campus Challenge efforts, Dante Gonzales and Sage Lenier, to decide how funds will be implemented toward a long-term impact goal, according to Stoll.  

“Tackling climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. The Cool Campus Challenge is about engaging individuals and our community in action that leads to meaningful change,” Stoll said in an email.  

Contact Sasha Langholz at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @LangholzSasha‏.
LAST UPDATED

MAY 08, 2019


Related Articles

featured article
Our planet is deteriorating, and the U.S. government should better regulate products that test on animals for environmental and health reasons. Individuals should educate themselves on the major consequences that their animal-tested products cause and should choose not to support these companies. Higher regulations and refusal to support products that are not cruelty-free will greatly impact the overall quality of our health and environment.
Our planet is deteriorating, and the U.S. government should better regulate products that test on animals for environmental and health reasons. Individuals should educate themselves on the major consequences that their animal-tested products cause and should choose not to support these companies. Higher regulations and refusal to support products that are not cruelty-free will greatly impact the overall quality of our health and environment.
featured article
featured article
Happy Earth Day, Bears! Today's the day to celebrate Mother Earth, so let's do our part in taking care of this lovely planet we call home.
Happy Earth Day, Bears! Today's the day to celebrate Mother Earth, so let's do our part in taking care of this lovely planet we call home.
featured article
featured article
We will inherit a planet that is crumbling, has unsustainable infrastructure and is reliant on fossil fuels, yet we have driven and will continue to drive the climate conversation from a political standstill toward concrete change and environmental betterment.
We will inherit a planet that is crumbling, has unsustainable infrastructure and is reliant on fossil fuels, yet we have driven and will continue to drive the climate conversation from a political standstill toward concrete change and environmental betterment.
featured article