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5.16.13 — Student Community Center earns LEED Platinum, UC Davis’ fifth
Large skylights send a flood of natural light into the lobby of the new Student Community Center at UC Davis, where students hold meetings, study on lounge chairs, or chat over compostable cups of coffee from CoHo South café. Upstairs in the media lab, they use computers powered in part by solar energy. Outside, students sit at patio tables shaded by umbrellas, next to a lawn-less landscape of drought-tolerant plants and permeable paving.
8.14.12 — UC Davis is nation’s ‘Coolest School’
Sierra magazine has named the UC Davis the nation’s “Coolest School” for its efforts to address climate change and operate sustainably.
6.15.12 — EXHIBITIONS: 'Igniting' the art of sustainability
Figuratively speaking, 13 California artists will “ignite” the sustainability conference that is taking place here next week. Among the artists are two from the UC Davis faculty: Professor Ann Savageau of the Department of Design, and Professor Emerita Gyöngy Laky of the Textiles and Clothing Program — each of whom works with reused and repurposed materials.
6.6.12 — Oil spill hit beach microbes
Oiled seabirds and turtles may have been the dominant images of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but new research shows that there was also massive harm to the microscopic creatures in coastal sands, lasting months after beaches were clean to human eyes.
6.6.12 — Humans may be forcing an irreversible tipping point for Earth
Humans may be forcing an irreversible, planetary-scale tipping point that could severely impact fisheries, agriculture, clean water and much of what Earth needs to sustain its inhabitants. Such a change has not been seen since the shift from the Ice Age to an interglacial age 11,700 years ago—a time of mass extinctions and extreme climate shifts, according to the authors, who estimate that Earth may experience the next major tipping point within a few generations.
6.1.12 — ‘Visionary’: Professor Boulton and our sustainable winery
The “Visionary” series in building design returns to UC Davis in June with a program featuring Professor Roger Boulton and his vision: the most environmentally sophisticated winery in the world. The campus’s 2-year-old Teaching and Research Winery is the first such facility in the world with LEED-platinum status, the highest level in the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
5.31.12 — Russell Ranch Field Day
The Russell Ranch Field Day brings together farmers, students, NGOs, research, and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors and specialists to discuss sustainable agriculture.
5.30.12 — Planning for uncertainty in power generation
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power help to diversify the nation's energy mix, but they also bring new uncertainty to the power supply. Two UC Davis researchers are working with a national team of experts, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, to help power utilities make sound plans in the face of that uncertainty.
5.29.12 — Farmers Market offers healthy eating options
Healthy eating is important for college students who study hard, and that’s why the UC Davis Farmers Market came to fruition.
5.25.12 — Green power sources win at Big Bang! business competition
The biggest bang in this year's UC Davis business plan competition came from the S2E Energy founder who touted a thin, clear windowlike material said to conduct the sun's power more cheaply and efficiently than existing solar technology.
5.14.12 — UC Davis West Village a global model for sustainable urban planning
UC Davis West Village overcame funding constraints, delays, regulatory changes, a housing market collapse and other challenges to become the nation’s largest planned zero-net energy community, according to a new report on sustainable, low-carbon developments.
5.14.12 — When, where and how wood is used impact carbon emissions from deforestation
A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change, reports that the volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be used and in which part of the world the trees are grown.
4.26.12 — Expert sources on Calif. governor’s new green-building order
The following UC Davis experts are available to talk about the bold targets outlined in the governor’s green building order issued April 25. The executive order (B-18-12) aims to ensure that state facilities waste less energy on lighting, water, air-conditioning and heating.
4.23.12 — $25 million grant aims to boost food security in developing world
A UC Davis agricultural economist will direct a $25 million federal program aimed at creating financial systems that can boost agricultural productivity and food security in developing countries.
4.20.12 — Deepwater Horizon exposed serious gaps in deepwater oil spill research
On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a national team of scientists, including two researchers from the University of California, Davis, warns that inadequate knowledge about the effects of deepwater oil well blowouts threatens scientists’ ability to help manage comparable future events.
4.17.12 — McKibben on climate change: 'We can't let it go on'
Environmental activist and best-selling author Bill McKibben spoke highly of UC Davis and the Davis community in an April 13 talk: “This place has done more than almost anywhere else in the country to rise to the challenges we face.”
3.28.12 — Farmers market — now at the Silo — opens next week
You’ve got a barn on one side and a silo on another: What better place for the UC Davis Farmers Market? It’s the old East Quad Farmers Market, with a new name and a new venue, the Silo courtyard.
3.13.12 — Nitrate in drinking water raises health concerns for rural Californians
One in 10 people living in California’s most productive agricultural areas is at risk of exposure to harmful levels of nitrate contamination in their drinking water, according to a report released today by the University of California, Davis. The report was commissioned by the California State Water Resources Control Board.
1.31.12 — Stock values rise when companies disclose “green” information, UC Davis study finds
A UC Davis study finds that it pays to be green, as companies that are open about their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon reduction strategies see stock values rise. Graduate School of Management Professor Paul Griffin and his co-author, Yuan Sun of UC Berkeley, tracked stock prices of firms around the time these companies voluntarily issued press releases disclosing carbon emission information.
12.13.11 — Wine grapevines and native plants make a fine blend, study shows
Grapevines and native plants are a fine blend for the environment, suggests a team of researchers led by a plant ecologist at the University of California, Davis. According to their research, reported in the online journal Carbon Balance and Management, vineyard landscapes that include both vines and native vegetation provide more environmental benefits than vineyards planted solidly in grapevines.
11.18.11 — UC Davis West Village a zero net energy model for city
A new agreement between the UC Davis Energy Institute and the nonprofit Valley Climate Action Center illustrates how UC Davis West Village--the nation’s largest zero net energy community--is serving not only as a model for the nation, but also for its own backyard.
11.17.11 — Wind experts advise on revolutionary wind-powered skyscraper
The infamous winds that gust through downtown San Francisco streets, overturning kiosks and sometimes toppling pedestrians, will help to power a revolutionary skyscraper set to open next fall -- and could pave the way for a new world market for energy-generating wind turbines in new buildings.
11.14.11 — New project will study 'deep carbon'
Studying the behavior of carbon — the essential element in oil and natural gas — deep within the Earth is the aim of a new initiative co-directed by a UC Davis chemistry professor and funded by a two-year, $1.5 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
11.14.11 — San Joaquin Valley residents face high environmental and social hazards, UC Davis study says
While California’s San Joaquin Valley is home to some of the nation’s richest agricultural resources, half of the people who live and work there face elevated levels of air and water pollution coupled with poverty, limited education, language barriers, and racial and ethnic segregation, according to a three-year UC Davis study.
11.9.11 — FOOD, ETC.: Dried tomatoes join campus products line
The “made at UC Davis” label has been attached to a new product: dried tomatoes. They come from the university’s Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility, run by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis.
11.4.11 — Network of rice genes to speed development of biofuel crops
The first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed by an international team of researchers that includes a UC Davis rice geneticist.
11.3.11 — Sustainable winery building to be hub of environmental technology
Ground was ceremonially broken today at the University of California, Davis, for the 8,000-square-foot Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building, which will enable the adjacent winery, brewery and food-processing complex to become the first self-sustainable, zero-carbon teaching and research facility in the world.
10.31.11 — UC Davis offers innovative new majors, minors
Responding to increased student interest in sustainability, UC Davis this fall introduced a new major, sustainable agriculture, and a new minor, sustainability in the built environment.
10.27.11 — UC Davis achieves third platinum award for green building
The University of California, Davis, has earned a third “platinum” certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for creating buildings that lead the way to a sustainable future, more than any other University of California campus.
10.27.11 — TAPS sets up bike repair stations around the campus
They are like Swiss Army knives. Only bigger. And blue. And for bikes. They are Dero Fixit stations — with tools and air pumps. Transportation and Parking Services (which includes the Bicycle Program) recently put in six of the stations around the Davis campus. They are free for anyone to use.
10.25.11 — A TREE GROWS IN OAKLAND: UC Davis urban forester engages youth in greening inner city
Tarver, who comes from what he calls “a very traditional forestry background of fighting fires and taking people on backpacking trips,” now focuses his attention on urban forestry — the role that trees play in city and suburban communities.
10.13.11 — Nation's largest planned zero net energy community opens
Setting a national precedent in sustainable design, UC Davis West Village will open its doors Saturday as the largest planned zero net energy community in the country.
9.30.11 — Campus elaborates on 'U-Hub' plan for energy innovation
UC Davis plans to move several energy-related research units into offices at UC Davis West Village, the nation’s largest planned zero net energy community, campus officials have announced.
9.28.11 — UC Davis is partner in a major Pacific Northwest biofuels project
UC Davis will receive $3.1 million of a $40 million biofuels grant announced today (Sept. 28) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Led by researchers at the University of Washington, the five-year project is intended to expand what has been a Midwest-centric biofuels industry into Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and Northern California.
9.23.11 — New plant ecology study challenges conventional wisdom
An international team of 58 ecologists, including UC Davis researcher Louie Yang, has found that habitat productivity does not predict the quantity or diversity of plant species, as has been assumed for several decades.
9.13.11 — RANKINGS ROUNDUP: UC Davis among top 10 public universities, rates high in sustainability, public service
For the second consecutive year, UC Davis earned a ninth-place ranking among the top public national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” issue. UC Davis’ distinction for 2012, released today (Sept. 13), follows the campus’s top 10 honors for its commitment to sustainability (Sierra magazine).
9.12.11 — Plant scientists to receive USDA Secretary's Honor Awards
Two sustainable agricultural projects led by UC Davis plant scientists have received 2011 U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary's Honor Awards, the most prestigious awards given by the USDA secretary.
9.7.11 — $2.3 million for Tahoe center will fund 3-D public education on lake ecosystems
Members of the public will be able to visually immerse themselves in two of the best-known lakes in the United States, thanks to a $2.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center.
9.1.11 — Warming streams could be the end for salmon
Warming streams could spell the end of spring-run Chinook salmon in California by the end of the century, according to a study by scientists at UC Davis, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
8.31.11 — Bedrock nitrogen may help forests buffer climate change, study finds
For the first time, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have demonstrated that forest trees have the ability to tap into nitrogen found in rocks, boosting the trees’ growth and their ability to pull more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
8.23.11 — UC Davis launches agricultural sustainability degree
The University of California, Davis, this fall will launch an undergraduate major focused on agricultural sustainability.
8.17.11 — Sierra magazine says we're still cool (and greener)
UC Davis is greener and cooler this year, moving into the Top 10 of Sierra magazine’s annual ranking of the “greenest” colleges in the United States. UC Davis earned the eighth spot, up from 16 a year ago, on the magazine's “America’s Coolest Schools” list.
8.16.11 — Genomewide mapping reveals developmental and environmental impacts
Complex traits that help plants adapt to environmental challenges are likely influenced by variations in thousands of genes that are affected by both the plant’s growth and the external environment, reports a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.
8.12.11 — Climate change, algae make 2010 a tough year for Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe clarity dropped in 2010, but the rate of decline in clarity over the past decade remains slower compared with previous decades, according to UC Davis scientists who have monitored the lake for more than 40 years.
8.12.11 — Solar panels to replace trees in south entry parking lot
The Davis campus is preparing to “park” more than 1,200 solar-energy collector panels in Lot 1 immediately south of the south entry parking garage.
7.29.11 — California Ag Summit slated for January at UC Davis
Global food trends, energy and social media will be featured topics at the second annual California Ag Summit, to be held Jan. 27 at UC Davis.
1.19.11 — Plastic bags, no, reusable bags, yes — and they are designer bags!
A tornado of plastic bags has touched down in the Design Museum, as part of the installation titled BAG (Bags Across the Globe): Designing to Reduce Waste, scheduled to run through March 11.
11.3.10 — World leaders to gather at Governors’ Global Climate Summit 3 at UC Davis
The Governors’ Global Climate Summit 3: Building the Green Economy will be Nov. 15 and 16 at UC Davis.
7.29.10 — Sac mayor: UC Davis helps region become green leader
Johnson praises campus ‘intellectual capital’ as contributing to green tech leadership
7.16.10 — New Tahoe education center emphasizes green
And blue, too, as in efforts to preserve the lake’s renowned clarity
5.14.10 — UC Davis takes the lead on clean energy, with Schwarzenegger's backing
UC Davis is taking a leadership role in spurring the innovations, ideas and dialogue that are needed to help create a clean energy future for Northern California — and beyond.
5.3.10 — Gulf oil spill has UC Davis wildlife expert on the scene
3.22.10 — UC Davis helps Uruguay reduce ag water pollution
Scientists are helping rice farmers in stop polluting their waterways.
2.11.10 — Dramatic changes in agriculture needed as world warms and grows
2.9.10 — Climate: Researchers say ‘tipping points’ may arrive without warning
A new University of California, Davis, study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth’s natural systems will occur.
8.10.09 — Construction starts at UC Davis' West Village; Grant supports goal of 'zero net energy' community
6.23.09 — UC Davis study asks: How green is our valley?
4.8.09 — Foolproof, low-thirst plants for California gardens
4.6.09 — UC Davis 'Arboretum All-Stars' now available in north-state nurseries
12.18.08 — Test-driving hybrid vehicles
Davis is monitoring100 families in Northern California who are test-driving 10 Toyota Priuses that are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
7.16.08 — MBAs Design Urban Oasis for Sacramento Homeless
6.25.08 — Designing for a sustainable conscience
Design students at UC Davis are creating posters intended to raise awareness of the amount of waste generated in campus buildings that could have been recycled.
6.18.08 — UC Davis Strengthens Commitment to Sustainability
A new Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability office will coordinate universitywide efforts on sustainability, seed money will support new projects, and a new committee will advise the chancellor on sustainability.
4.28.08 — Study Finds More Fresh, Local Foods on Hospital Trays
11.19.07 — Energy for the future
UC Davis is engineering a sustainable future: Let us count the ways
10.27.07 — How green are we?
Sustainability Day 2007 celebrates many aspects of campus effort (with video).
9.21.07 — Museum plans year of eco-exhibitions
The UC Davis Design Museum announced a year of eco-exhibitions.
9.1.07 — A conversation on campus sustainability
5.8.07 — Farmers Market Brings Fresh Fruit, Veggies to Campus
9.29.06 — Green gardening education project awarded $141,139
Arboretum receives grant for new education programs.
10.21.05 — Key themes reflected in new faculty hiring
A competition to identify the campus's highest priorities will add new faculty positions to programs that include those that focus on sustainability.
3.10.05 — No Problem Keeping These Students 'Down on the Farm'
UC Davis' Market Garden offers the best of sustainable agriculture to both students and members of the surrounding community.
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