Fall Newsletter Volume I, Issue I
BicyCal “Rides” into Sproul Plaza
Inside this issue:
by Justin Wiley
Leader Spotlight: Joanna Young
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GO! Team
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2010-2011 TGIF Goals
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TGIF Invited to Conference
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Eshleman Hall Goes Green!
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Berkeley Student Food
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2010-2011 TGIF Committee
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TGIF Hires New Coordinator
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The Student Bicycle Cooperative at UC Berkeley, a student-based bicycle education, resource, and advocacy organization, has found a new home on Sproul Plaza! The new bicycle education and maintenance facility will provide fellow members with peer-to-peer maintenance and safety education, bicycle licensing, locks, lights, helmets, bicycle rentals and other resources. The organization is open to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Joining is simple; just visit http://bicycal.com/ for more information. Our new shop on Sproul Plaza is going to compliment our existing services, which include our mobile repair days and bicycle advocacy. Every Thursday (Memorial Glade) and Friday (upper Sproul in front of MLK) between 12-2pm, we setup our mobile repair shop to help teach others about bicycle maintenance. Bring your bike over to get a quick tune-up and help spread some bicycle knowledge. If you don’t have a bicycle, come over and we can help you find one! We are always looking for volunteer mechanics, administrators, and advocacy/outreach campaigners. If you are interested in getting involved in anyway, please contact us through http://bicycal.com/ – keep on riding!!!
The UC Botanical Garden Implements Compost Tea System In 2010, the UCBG applied to TGIF and won a $5,000 grant towards implementing a compost tea system for the Garden. TGIF Coordinator Katherine Walsh interviewed Anthony Garza, UCBG’s Supervisor of Horticulture & Grounds, about the new compost tea system.
(K) Where did you get the idea for a compost tea system?
(A) We have known about compost tea for several years and were interested, but certainly the biggest factors in pushing us along would
be the working example at Lotusland Estate Garden in Montecito, CA, along with the funding provided by the TGIF Grant Program. We have slowly but gradually been moving to an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) System for quite awhile now, but more recently with disease problems and nutrient deficiencies in the garden, we have become more aware of our need for a more focused and intentional IPM System that incorporates organic principles, one being the compost tea system.
(K) Could you give a common
New TGIF Website!
description of how the compost tea system works?
http://asuc.berkeley.edu/ tgif
(A) There are two primary functions of compost tea, but first a brief description of what this is: compost tea is essentially the aerated bag-brewing of a high quality thermal compost and/or vermicompost material. Additions to this mix may include humic acid, fish hydrolysate, and coldprocesses sea kelp. A commercial brewer uses a suspended bag of this material that is (PAGE 2)
What is the mission of TGIF? How did TGIF begin? Who serves on the TGIF Committee? How can I become a member? How do I apply for a TGIF grant? What projects have been funded by TGIF? How can I support TGIF?
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TGIF Project Leader Spotlight: Joanna Young Joanna Young is the project manager and grant writer of “Greening Kroeber Art Studios and Bathrooms”, a 2010 TGIF Grant Awardee. Joanna is a third year undergraduate in the Haass School of Business whose passion for protecting the environment stems from elementary school and continued throughout high school. During her first year at UC Berkeley in 2008, she joined BEACN, the Bay-area Environmentally Aware Consulting Network,
drawn by BEACN’s practice of combining sustainability with local businesses. Simultaneously joining RSP, the Residential Sustainability Program, Joanna led a pilot program to bring paper towel composting to Unit 1 Cheney Building. Thanks to the follow-up and continued advocacy of other RSP members, paper towel composting now occurs in four of the four of the six Un it 1 buildin gs. At the beginning of her second semester, Joanna was hired by the UC
Berkeley Office of Sustainability as a Campus Forum Associate where her main task was to serve as a liaison between the Office of Sustainability and students. Joanna now serves as a lead Sustainability Com- Joanna presenting at the munications Associate for the Office. 2010 CACS Summit Through the use of social media and her skills in graphics and web design, she ensures that students, especially environment student groups, are connected to news, events, and opportunities related to sustainability. Collaborating with two other Office of Sustainability Associates, Nicole Campbell and Vickie Ly, Joanna helps the Office plans its Sustainability Forum once per semester and conducts community outreach through tabling at large events. Joanna enjoys being (PAGE 4)
UC Botanical Garden (continued) aerated with a pump for 24 hours, and in our case, in a 100 gallon polyethylene tank. At the end of the “brewing”, the resulting liquid is decanted into some type of spray system to be applied to plant foliage and/or to the soil. This “tea” is sprayed on foliage primarily as protections against foliar pathogens- in most cases, fungi. The additional ingredients mentioned (besides compost) are taken up somewhat by foliage, but can also be used as a soil drench to act as a more deliberate fertilizer and soil biology activator.
(K) Where will you use the system?
(A) We have some target collections that seem to have more disease incidence, and interestingly, more fertilizer requirements. At the moment, the
two collections in this cate- nated. Most importantly, by gory that will receive tea ap- using compost tea and other plications are the Asian Col- organic materials, the soil lection and the Garden of health and biology can be Old Roses. However, we restored and enhanced. hope to use it in several With this comes a plethora other areas that need disease suppression, fertilization, or “These systems are available biological rejuvenation of in smaller sizes so that homethe soil.
(K) What are some of the envi- owners and others can actually ronmental benefits? (A) One of the most apparent and immediate environmental benefits is the reduction or elimination of the use of synthetic materials such as fungicides and fertilizers onsite. Both of these materials can have adverse environmental impacts and also have the potentials to find their way into the watershed. Over time, with this system in place, the importation of heavy-input materials (ie. synthetic chemicals and fuel uses to deliver them) can be reduced or elimi-
take advantage of this type of bio-technology.” of benefits including, but not limited to: the utilization by plants of organic nutrients, perhaps always present in the soil but not available without the correct soil biology in place; chemical balance and structural cohesion in the soils themselves thus allowing all types of beneficial soil organisms to flourish; improved soil, plant, and micro and macro animal health; and the improve-
ment of water quality due to healthy soil’s high quality nature as a biological filter.
(K) When can visitors see the compost tea system?
(A) Once the system is up and running (which TGIF will announce) 9am-5pm, seven days a week, except major holidays.
(K) Is there anything else our readers might find interesting?
(A) These systems are available in smaller sizes so that homeowners and others can actually take advantage of this type of biotechnology. With the smaller systems, depending on where they are used, one may have to buy the commercial compost instead of composting onsite. The quality of compost is of utmost importance to ensure a safe liquid endproduct.
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TGIF Project Spotlight: The Greening Operations (GO!) Team
GO! Team Trash Talking
As a result of the 2010 TGIF Grants Cycle, the Greening Operations (GO!) Team, a subset of Building Sustainability @ Cal, was awarded a
grant of $8,800. GO! Team is composed of seventeen students and two student coordinators, Anna Szendrenyi and Elizabeth Vissers. The mission of GO! Team is to reach out to campus buildings, groups, and events and offer an array of sustainability services. These services include energy, water, and waste audits for buildings and “trash-talking” at campus events. GO! Team is embarking on a new project with Facilities Services to conduct office energy audits and provide consultation on improving energy efficiency and reducing energy use. “Trashtalking” involves GO! Team members attending campus events, standing by waste, recycling, and compost bins, and educating the
event attendees on “how things work”. “Trash-talking” fits in with GO! Team’s educational outreach plan. Another major action of GO! Team is to offer campus building residents building occupancy surveys that ask questions such as “How many hours a day do you leave the lights on?” or “How
2010-2011 TGIF Goals
Increase the average total award amount to $300,000
Actively seek out or shape projects for TGIF funding
Hold a sustainable art show
Present at two conferences
Diversify the project applicants and project applications
Have five TGIF projects completed by June 1st
Put out two newsletters per semester
Establish a more rigorous and detailed budget reporting system
Collaborate on campus sustainability events with other campus groups
Design a new website and new publicity materials
Create one tradition involving TGIF and the city of Berkeley
Important TGIF Dates! November 19, 2010, 11am: Strawberry Creek Ivy Pull January 24, 2011 at 9am: Deadline for Early Abstract Submission February 14, 2011 at 9am: Deadline for All Abstract Submissions April 1, 2011 at 5pm: Deadline for Grant Submissions May: Announcement of Grantees and New Grantee Training
TGIF Invited to Sustainability Conference TGIF Coordinator Katherine Walsh has been invited to the sixth annual CSU, Chico and Butte College “This Way to Sustainability VI” Conference from November 4-6th. Katherine will be a co-presenter and panelist at two Friday sessions called “Green Funds on Campus: How to Start One on Your Campus” and “Green Funds on Campus: Best Practices and Lessons Learned.” She will be joined by Robyn
long do you leave your laptop on?” to gauge residents’ living habits and levels of sustainable behavior. GO! Team also offers a “Sustainability Plan of Action” to student groups who are looking to become more sustainable. GO! Team meets with an interested student group and provides consultation and a plan on how the group can “green” its practices. (PAGE 5)
DiFalco of CSU, Chico and James Robinson of Humboldt State. Throughout the conference, TGIF project posters will be on display and have the chance to win awards for best design and best projects idea. These posters include Talking Louder About Sustainability, BicyCal, Center for Latin American Studies, I Heart Tap Water, Building Sustainability @ Cal, and Lower Sproul Eco Charette.
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Eshleman Hall Goes Green! The pie graphs show 1/5 of one night’s worth of trash from Eshleman Hall, a sample taken on April 22, 2010.
61% could have been diverted from the trash through current recycling programs 78.4% could have been diverted with the introduction of composting Total weight trashed: ~277.5 lbs Potential weight diverted: ~255 lbs
summer. Joanna learned a great deal about how Todai’s Campus Sustainability Project conducted carbon inventories and was able to provide some sustainability consultation based on her own experiences from UC Berkeley. Joanna and fellow awardee Irene Seliverstov kept a joint detailed blog of their fellowships at the University of Tokyo and Cambridge University, respectively.
Joanna Young (continued) the connection between the Office and the students because the position allows her to learn about the new environmental student groups that are created each semester and help plug them into campus sustainability. “I think the Office hiring students for marketing is an effective way to reach the vast student population as it can be harder for faculty and staff to do so,” Joanna shared. Through her work, she assists in building collaborative relationships amongst campus sustainability leaders. One of Joanna’s greatest accomplishments since beginning her education at UC Berkeley was being accepted for a 2010 Sustainability Fellowship through the International Alliance of Research Universities. The Fellowship took her to the University of Tokyo (Todai) for a six-week long internship during this past
Joanna’s personal goal for the 2010-2011 academic year is to balance her academic work and the fulfillment of the Greening Kroeber TGIF Grant. Joanna and the Greening Kroeber Team try to make educational impacts in Kroeber surrounding the themes of “Campus Sustainability”, “Purchasing Art Supplies”, and “Water”. Joanna would also like to implement “guerilla” marketing tactics, such as tying candy and “thank you’s” to bicycles during March 2011 for the theme “Transportation”, for incentives and education around sustainable behavior. TGIF is proud to be funding Greening Kroeber and to have Joanna Young as a project lead. If you would like to learn more about Joanna and Greening Kroeber, please visit the project website.
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GO! Team (continued) GO! Team is currently assisting the Berkeley Project in cutting back on Styrofoam at BP events and will also be assisting with composting and recycling during breakfast at the 2010 Berkeley Project Day on November 6th. More recently, GO! Team assisted with a kick-off event at the International House. The team helped IH acquire composting and GO! Team members were attending all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for two weeks in October to provide hands-on composting education for diners. GO! Team has also been working behind the scenes in the kitchen, training dining staff on items than can and cannot be composted.
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Thus far, GO! Team’s “biggest triumph” of this semester occurred during the UCLA Game weekend at the Fan Zone. Seven GO! Team members were stationed strategically through the Fan Zone and at the Memorial Stadium gates for four hours. The team collected fans’ recyclables and educated fans about diverting their waste. Thanks to the efforts of the GO! Team, 45% of waste was recycled and diverted from the landfill. GO! Team is striving towards a goal of composting and zero waste at all UC Berkeley football games by 2012.
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men, GO! Team hopes this film can be used to educate incoming Berkeley students about sustainable lifestyles and campus projects. The film would provide a foundation for students interested in getting involved with campus sustainability. If you are interested in learning more about GO! Team or in contacting them for their services, please visit the website.
A possible future project for GO! Team includes collaborating with Building Sustainability @ Cal and STeam on a “Sustainability Education” film project. Like the mandatory Alcohol EDU film for fresh-
Berkeley Student Food Collective by Bree O’Keane
The Berkeley Student Food Collective’s grand opening is November 15th! We have been working very hard over the summer and fall to prepare for the grand opening of our cooperatively-run grocery store.
Our space is located at 2440 Bancroft Way in a UC-owned building. Our student-drawn plans and city permits have been approved and in the next two weeks we will finish setting up all of our equipment, stocking and labeling our first inventory order, and posting educational information on the walls. When we open November 15th, we will provide the campus and local community delicious, sustainable foods, self-serve fair trade organic coffee and tea, and locallyproduced baked goods, sandwiches and salads. On October 22nd, mem-
bers from the Food Collective spoke at an event, "Navigating Food Choices in Today's Economy," with Narsai David and Marion Nestle. Our Education Committee has hosted a Community Action Workshop on sustainable foods and a film screening of "Fresh" on Upper Sproul. Our Second Annual Harvest Fundraising Gala will be held November 20th at the David Brower Cent e r ( t ic ke t s c an b e p ur c h ase d at http://berkeleystudentfoodcollective.org/gala) The funds from TGIF have been pivotal in the progress of the Berkeley Student Food Collective. This grant has allowed us to secure a storefront for the next year, complete our build-out process, and purchase our inventory and equipment. Visit us at 2440 Bancroft Way later this month to celebrate this successful project of TGIF!
Visit BSFC’s website for more info.
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is a grant-making fund for sustainability projects on UC Berkeley's campus. About $250,000 per year are available for grants; students, faculty, and staff are eligible to submit project proposals. Projects will be selected for funding by an annually appointed Grant-Making Committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff, in which students have the majority vote. TGIF is funded by a $5 per semester student fee, beginning in fall 2007 and persisting for 10 years. The fee referendum was approved by the student body during the April 2007 ASUC elections. It received final approval by the Chancellor and Regents during the summer. In Fall 2010, the fee was raised to $5.50 as required by the referendum.
Katherine Walsh Grants Coordinator kwalsh@berkeley.edu 510-643-2992
University of California, Berkeley 400 Eshleman Hall #4500 Berkeley, CA 94720-4500 tgif-info@berkeley.edu
We’re on the web! http://asuc.berkeley.edu/tgif Twitter @TGIF_UCB Facebook Page “The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)”
2010-2011 TGIF Committee VOTING MEMBERS
NON-VOTING MEMBERS
Administration: Greg Haet ASUC: Elizabeth Heredia Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability: Courtney McDonald Facilities Services: Sara Shirazi Faculty: TBD Graduate Assembly: Damian Bickett Student-at-Large Rep: Varun Pande
Committee on Student Fees: Neel Iyer Ex-Officio: Judy Chess Office of Sustainability: Lisa McNeilly TGIF: Katherine Walsh
TGIF Hires New Coordinator In June 2010, Nicole Leung stepped down as TGIF Coordinator to pursue a master’s degree in public policy at prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. Nicole is credited as being the driving force behind the growth and success of TGIF since its inception in 2007. The UC Berkeley Campus will greatly miss Nicole and her unwavering dedication, but wishes her the best of luck with her graduate education. Nicole Leung
On September 7, 2010, the ASUC Auxiliary hired Katherine Walsh as the new TGIF Coordinator. Katherine moved to Berkeley from Bos-
ton for the position and has immensely enjoyed her first month as Coordinator. Highlights have included meeting with TGIF grant recipients and attending the MCC Open House. Katherine brings campus sustainability experience from Boston College and youth education experience from her time with the Appalachia Volunteers and as a high school Special Education Instructional Assistant. Katherine is looking forward to the 2011 TGIF grants cycle and helping the UC Berkeley community increase campus sustainability.
Katherine Walsh