Energy & Climate
The University has made great progress on climate action by completing an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and formalizing its commitment to reduce these emissions to 1990 levels by 2014. The campus will meet its 2014 target through a series of mitigation strategies including energy efficiency projects, installation of on-site renewables, reducing fuel usage by the campus fleet and commuters, and educational projects led by students aimed at changing behavior. So far, strategies are working. Campus greenhouse gas emissions were down by 4.5%- reaching its lowest level since 2005.
Water
Even without a campus-wide water conservation target campus consumption has dropped by almost 20% since 1990. More notably, usage per capita has dropped by over 36% since 1990. Most of this improvement can be attributed to the increased efficiency of irrigation, implementation of building codes related to low-flow fixtures, and improvements during building renovations. Tap water campaigns have reduced bottled water sales by at least 25%.
Green Buildings
The campus now has 5 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building projects. The campus has plans to certify eighteen more buildings under the New Construction (NC), Commercial Interiors (CI), or Existing Building Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) standards. The campus employs a variety of sustainable maintenance practices including green cleaning methods and non-toxic methods to control pests. Student-run Building Sustainability @ Cal has developed additional sustainability plans for at least 25 campus buildings.
Waste
UC Berkeley’s current solid waste diversion rate is 42% (excluding construction waste). Waste going to the landfill dropped by 12% in 2009 while per capita waste has dropped by almost 30% since 1990, while the amount being recycled and/or composted has more than tripled.
Purchasing
The campus spent $6.1 million spent on green purchasing from 2008-2009. Two-thirds went towards Energy Star and/or EPEAT certified electronics, and one-quarter went to recycled-content offices and supplies.
Transportation
Since 1990, the campus has reduced the amount of fuel used in fleet vehicles and during faculty, staff, and student commutes by at least 28.7%. This met and exceeded our goal of 25%. 100% of fleet vehicles purchased this past year were green, bringing the green fleet to almost 18% of the total.%. Campus Bicycle Plan has increased riders by 20% in four years (5,100 daily riders).
Food & Dining
The University of California system has recently adopted a new policy on sustainable foodservices practices. Cal Dining has increased its percentage of sustainable food purchases by almost 3 points in the past year (26.8%, exceeding the campus goal). Nearly all plastic trays have been eliminated, and Cal Dining offers 100% organic salad bars in all four dining commons and has also partnered with "Buy Fresh Buy Local”.
source
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/pages/energy/overview.shtml