Sustainability

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Background

In March 2007, the University of California signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), pledging that all ten UC campuses will maintain greenhouse gas emission inventories and achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible. The Presidents Climate Commitment is intended to catalyze climate protection research, education and action by universities and colleges, which are uniquely positioned to develop solutions that slow and reverse global warming. All 50 states are represented in the ACUPCC signatory list, which totals 623 institutions of higher education as of April 2009.

In conjunction with joining the ACUPCC, the University of California adopted systemwide interim climate protection targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2014, and 1990 levels by 2020. These targets mirror the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32). This law requires the California Air Resources Board to establish a greenhouse gas emissions cap for the state of California and develop regulations and market mechanisms to achieve the mandated reductions.

Each UC campus utilizes the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR or Registry) to measure, third party certify, and publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions. Over 300 corporations, universities, municipalities, government agencies and environmental organizations currently participate in the Registry. UCR first reported and certified its emissions in 2006. At this time, the campus certified carbon dioxide emissions from mobile combustion (campus fleet), stationary combustion (natural gas) and purchased electricity. UCR will begin certifying all six Kyoto greenhouse gases in its fourth reporting year per Registry protocol. The campus is currently developing tools and protocol for tracking emissions from university-sponsored air travel and student and employee commuting, which it will begin reporting to the ACUPCC as soon as possible.

Best Practices

1. UCR has undertaken a variety of energy-efficiency projects in the last five years, including Implementing retro-commissioning on the Science Library and Rivera Library; Installing fume hood occupancy sensors in five laboratory buildings to reduce the air flow velocity at unused hoods; Adding heat recovery at Chemical Sciences by re-circulating the office exhaust air that was originally once-through air; Installing run-around-loop heat recovery at Boyce Hall; Installing an economizer on the central plant’s largest boiler, resulting in an efficiency gain of roughly 35 percent.
2. In 2007, UCR completed a photovoltaic installation at the James Reserve, a small field research site located 50 miles east of the campus in the San Bernardino National Forest. The installation allows the facility to be taken completely off the grid. The polycrystalline silicon panels produce roughly 74 kWh per day over a yearly average.
3. EH&S and Physical Plant partnered to implement a Shut the Sash campaign.

Short Term Goals

1. Hire an Energy and Utilities Manager
2. Require all new construction projects to surpass California Energy Code Title 24 by 30 percent or better
3. Assemble a Climate Neutrality team responsible for managing implementation of the Climate Action Plan
4. Perform monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) on ten state-funded buildings
5. Implement heat recovery projects in six state-funded buildings
6. Launch fume hood sash management campaign
7. Procure 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 per UC policy
8. Increase campus participation with the UC Systemwide Sustainability Working
   Group for Climate Change
9. Participate in the UC Energy Manager’s monthly conference call
10. Involve UCR alumni in renewable energy installations
11. Develop a reference resource for energy efficiency incentives

Intermediate Goals

1. Perform monitoring-based commissioning on the six remaining state-funded buildings identified in the SEP
2. Increase on-site renewable energy capacity to one megawatt (MW) by 2014
3. Purchase renewable geothermal power
4. Investigate energy-saving information technology (IT) projects
5. Require that eligible projects utilize the Savings by Design and Labs 21 programs
6. Develop behavioral/education programs that promote energy conservation
7. Develop and implement a campus standard retro-commissioning (RCx) protocol
8. Pursue funding from the University of California/California State University/Investor-Owned Utility (UC/CSU/IOU) Energy Efficiency Partnership Program
9. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2014
10. Revise the Climate Action Plan

Long Term Goals

1. Complete monitoring-based commissioning on all buildings that are not statefunded
2. Develop student residence hall energy competitions
3. Develop energy intensity standards for the campus’s major space usage types
4. Adopt a consistent integrative approach to project delivery
5. Investigate emerging technologies
6. Establish a climate-friendly investing policy
7. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020