Calendar: Sustainability Tips by Month

The 2010-2011 UC Davis wall calendar, printed on recycled paper, features what UC Davis is doing to create a more sustainable campus and what you can do to help. The calendar is available for sale from the UC Davis bookstore. 

Below are monthly tips and highlights from the calendar. Explore the Sustainable 2nd Century website for more information about sustainability at UC Davis.

To find campus sustainability events throughout the year, visit the campuswide list of events and seminars, upcoming events from the John Muir Institute of the Environment and other campus event calendars.

September: Try sustainable transportation

• Join the goClub for bicyclists, walkers, bus and train riders, car — and vanpoolers, and enjoy benefits and incentives; goclub.ucdavis.edu.
• Find out exactly when the next Unitrans bus arrives near you; unitrans.ucdavis.edu.
• Share a ride with someone; goclub.ucdavis.edu/carpool/zimride.cfm. 
• Add air to your bike tires at the stations next to TAPS, Tercero Student Housing and Bike Barn.

October: Explore energy

• Investigate how much electricity campus buildings are using right now at facilities.ucdavis.edu/dashboard.
• Learn more about refrigerator/freezer replacement program at sustainability.ucdavis.edu/action/conserve_energy.

November: Enjoy campus food and good eating

• Harvest herbs and salad fixings from the UC Davis Good Life Garden or the Plant and Environmental Sciences Salad Bowl Garden. Check goodlifegarden.ucdavis.edu for harvest information.
• Buy campus-raised meat and eggs at the Meat Lab; animalscience.ucdavis.edu/facilities/meat.htm.
• Subscribe to the Student Farm Student Harvest weekly produce basket; studentfarm.ucdavis.edu/public/studentharvest.

December: Find a campus gift

• Purchase UC Davis Olive Oil from the bookstore; ucdavisbookstore.com.
• Give someone a class at the Craft Center, Outdoor Adventures or more, through Campus Recreation campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu.
• Make a memory with your loved ones — give tickets to a show at the Mondavi Performing Arts Center.

January: Learn about climate change

• Listen to UC Davis faculty lectures on climate change and its impacts on California at lawr.ucdavis.edu/seminars_cc101.htm.
• Read the UC Davis 2009-2010 Climate Action Plan to find out more; sustainability.ucdavis.edu/climate.

February: Avoid the landfill

• Learn about planning zero-waste events and meetings at the Plan Green conference this month.
• Spring cleaning time? Order office clean-out carts; sustainability.ucdavis.edu/cleanout.
• Close the loop and choose recycled content products using the UCDBuy tool at purchasing.ucdavis.edu/sustainability/index.cfm. 
• Buy used surplus for your office or home at the Bargain Barn; bargainbarn.ucdavis.edu.

March: Build your community and your health

• Start a Healthy Snack Club with your colleagues with good food from the East Quad Farmers Market; healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/hep/eqfm.html.
• Aggies on the Move encourages the campus community to walk for transportation as well as fitness. Visit campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu.
• Volunteer at the UC Davis Medical Center; www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/giving/time/.

April: Grow, with UC Davis’ help

• Rent a 200-square-foot garden plot in the Experimental College community gardens; ecollege.ucdavis.edu.
• Grow Arboretum All-Stars plants tested at UC Davis; http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum_all_stars.aspx.

May: Explore campus lands

• Take a hike and explore the Stebbins Cold Canyon, part of UC Davis Natural Reserve System; nrs.ucdavis.edu/stebbins.html.
• Take a guided tour of the UC Davis Arboretum. For details, visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu/calendar.aspx.

June: Visit green buildings

• Find green buildings at sustainability.ucdavis.edu/greenbuildings.

July: See wildlife on campus

• Go for a walk at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and learn how UC Davis has worked to restore this ecosystem; putahcreek.ucdavis.edu.
• Volunteer at the Raptor Center to help birds of prey; vetmed.ucdavis.edu/calraptor/volunteer.cfm.

August: Save water

• On the central campus, irrigation amounts and timing are based on climate and real-time weather data, an operational change that saves 60 million gallons a year.
• Report a leak. If you see a leak inside or out, call Facilities Management at (530) 752-1655.

More information

Drought-tolerant landscaping 

Groundskeepers at UC Davis use mulching mowers, plant selectively to reduce waste and chip landscape waste to recycle as mulch. You can plant drought-tolerant landscaping at home. Find the perfect plant at an Arboretum plant sale. For more information visit; arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant_sales_and_nursery.aspx.

Zero-waste events

When it opened in 2007, Aggie Stadium was the first college stadium in the country to set a goal of zero waste. Find out how to plan your own zero waste events at sustainability.ucdavis.edu/action/event

Energy-saving innovations

Using new lighting technologies on campus, such as these at the South Entry Parking Structure, allows UC Davis to save energy costs and to fulfill its research mission while demonstrating effective new technologies in a real-world setting. In another partnership between campus staff and California Lighting Technology Center faculty, the campus is developing a project to extend these kinds of energy savings campuswide.

Human-powered transportation

Get around by human power — ride a bike, walk or skateboard — when you can. The campus goClub and Bicycle Program provide services and incentives that make riding your bike or walking to campus and between classes or meetings easier. For more information, visit goclub.ucdavis.edu.

Zero net energy

UC Davis West Village has been designed to become a community that uses zero net energy. A zero net energy building or community is one that consumes no more energy than it produces in a year. This goal will be achieved by combining efficient de­sign with renewable, on-site energy production. For more information, visit westvillage.ucdavis.edu.

Saving water, mowing less 

UC Verde buffalograss, developed by scientists at UC Davis and UC Riverside, needs only one-fourth the amount of water used for other turf grasses, and doesn’t have to be mowed once it gets established. The grass was included in the landscap­ing of the new Maurice J. Gallagher Hall, which is registered for Gold-level certi­fication by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) program. For more information, visit sustainability.ucdavis.edu/progress/water.

For event information, visit ucdavis.edu/calendar.

For commencement information, visit commencement.ucdavis.edu.