A Sustainable Campus: What is being done? What more can we do? Fall 2009

Susan Macaulay is the administrative services analyst for the UC Davis Library. Macaulay outlines steps that the campus's main library is taking to qualify its building for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - Existing Building certification, and some of the practical challenges in doing so. She also mentions possibilities for improving the sustainability of the library courtyard and grounds, which was the subject of a Landscape Architecture studio class in winter 2010.

Bob Segar is assistant vice chancellor of planning for UC Davis. Segar outlines exciting new efforts to develop a new green neighborhood on campus called West Village, which will house students, staff and faculty with greatly lowered greenhouse gas emissions, energy need and motor vehicle use.

Cliff Contreras, Mary Maffly and David Takemoto-Weerts work in Transportation and Parking Services at UC Davis. Contreras describes the range of programs the campus has undertaken to get students and staff to bike, walk or take public transit instead of driving to campus. These programs have made UC Davis one of the national leaders in reducing motor vehicle dependency.

Bill Starr and Gary Dahl are senior project managers for UC Davis' Design and Construction Management (formerly known as Architects & Engineers). The two explain why green building design is so important and provide detail on a number of LEED-certified buildings on the UC Davis campus, including the particular design challenges of each.

Gina Rios is general manager of retail dining for the UC Davis campus. Rios discusses steps that campus dining services has taken to reduce waste and use local and organic produce for its events, and the particular challenges, for example, of finding the perfect compostable hot dog wrapper for concessions at the football stadium.

Ellen Zagory is the director of horticulture for the UC Davis Arboretum. Zagory focuses on environmental education activities of the arboretum, including development of the "Arboretum All-Stars" program that showcases 100 plants that researchers have found particularly appropriate for the climate of the Sacramento region.

Sid England, assistant vice chancellor for environmental stewardship at UC Davis, talks about possibilities and challenges related to clean energy, green buildings, transportation, operations, recycling and waste management. England particularly addresses the climate-change planning that the university is doing, including the development of an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions.