Projects Funded in 2010-2011
Coastal Energy Research Facility (CERF)
Allocated Funds: $15,000.00
Purpose: Tiffany Wise-West, a graduate student in the environmental studies Ph.D. program, is supervising a team that will help make the historic Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf energy self-sufficient. Wise-West’s team will study the possibilities of wind and solar power on the half-mile-long wharf. A solar panel and wind turbine will be installed on a platform on the Wharf Headquarters roof, along with sensors that monitor wind and solar power.
Drought Tolerant Plants
Allocated Funds: $10,000.00
Purpose: The Arboretum will work with students and water conservation groups to help the public save water. In addition to saving water they will be saving the energy used to pump and purify water, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions also. The Arboretum will provide educational programs and materials which will help people plant appropriate plants in places where they won't need a great deal of later chainsaw work. For example, by not planting redwood trees right next to a house or right under power lines, homeowners will reduce the amount of chainsaw pruning they will have to do later. This will reduce carbon outputs into the atmosphere.
East Field House Lighting Retrofit (EFH)
Allocated Funds: $18,757.00
Purpose: The East Field House (EFH) Lighting Project aims to retrofit the lighting at the basketball gym at UC Santa Cruz's East Field House. The 30 metal halide fixtures currently in place in the gym will be replaced with 12 induction fluorescent fixtures, reducing energy consumption by 43%, and saving the school close to $90,000 over the course of the fixtures' lifetime. This collaborative effort from the Alliance to Save Energy's Green Campus Program, UCSC's Physical Plant, and the Carbon Fund aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the campus as well as help in reducing waste and mercury.
Natural Bridges High School: Water Conservation and Environmental Education
Allocated Funds: $8,000.00
Purpose: Undergraduates Winfield Atherton and Lucy Ferneyhough, both part of the Impact Designs: Engineering and Sustainability Through Student Service internship (IDEASS) program, are installing a water-conservation system at Natural Bridges High School/Career Training Center on Swift Street in Santa Cruz. Their project includes a cistern and pipes to capture and channel rainfall to the school’s garden.
Green Office Certification Program (formerly PROPS)
Allocated Funds: $2,415.00
Purpose: The UCSC Sustainability Office's Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability works to assess the sustainable behaviors of campus offices. PROPS supports offices by providing education, tools, and resources to foster behavioral change amongst faculty, staff, and our larger community. By instilling these practices, PROPS aids the Carbon Fund in its mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Porter Greenovation
Allocated Funds: $15,953.00
Purpose: The Porter Greenovation Project (PGP) is a multidimensional initiative on behalf of student leaders to recreate a space that embodies the concept of sustainability. Student leaders work closely with the student body, faculty, and staff to renovate the Porter Study Center. The mission is to empower students by fostering a commitment to engage the community in education and action throughout the retrofitting process. Aside from developing strong leaders, the end goal is to establish a resource center that offers internships, programs, and other various opportunities for the emerging communities.
Solar Powered Wetland
Funds Allocated: $1,000.00
Purpose: The Student Environmental Center's Green Building Campaign is currently working on the development of a solar powered constructed wetland that will replicate the native ecology of the Moore Creek Watershed on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The wetland that is to be constructed in the greenhouse on top of Thiemann Labs will serve as one of few solar displays on campus as well as visually highlighting the importance of native plants in our local ecosystem.
Take Back the Tap
Allocated Funds: $12,000.00
Purpose: Undergraduates Grant Hartwell, Gabi Kirk, and Lindsey Roark are launching a “Take Back The Tap” pilot program to turn some of UCSC’s drinking fountains into reusable bottle refill stations with push-back spigots similar to the ones used in fast-food restaurant soda fountains. The grant will fund the installation of refill stations at the UCSC Office of Physical Education, Recreation and Sports (OPERS) and several other places on campus, along with a community based-social marketing campaign.
West Remote Parking Lot Retrofit
Allocated Funds: $10,373
Purpose: This project will retrofit the High Pressure Sodium lights in the West Remote parking lot and replace them with LED lights that consume 66% less electricity. This will increase energy efficiency and reduce the university’s carbon footprint by 1.2 metric tons of CO2e per year. This retrofit will also improve the light quality of the parking structure and reduce the amount of waste and mercury generated by the campus since LED lights need replacement every 20 years.
