November 2012: News & Achievements

TAPS installs new bike maintenance stations on campus

A UCSC student demonstrates use of the newest TAPS "Fix-It" bike maintenance station. Read more about bike-related news below.

The Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) recently installed the first public self-service bike maintenance station at UCSC. The first of many to come, the new station is located at OPERS and includes a tire pump and eight tools necessary to perform basic repairs and maintenance. The Quick Read (QR) code on the front of the Fixit Station provides detailed instructions through your smart phone on how to make repairs. The stations are free to all and are available 24/7. For more information, contact Teresa Buika at tabuika@ucsc.edu. View photos of the stations on our Facebook page here.

UCSC awarded $4.5 million NSF grant for renewable energy research and education

Researchers at UCSC (in conjunction with researchers at UC Davis and two international universities) recently received a $4.5 million, 5-year grant to fund a sustainable energy study. The study will focus on the use of microgrids for energy production at the community level, and will fund opportunities for UCSC engineering students to work at the institutions that share the grant. Read about one of the researchers, Professor Isaacson, in this month's sustainability profile here.

UCSC PowerSave Green Campus Yearly Summary
UCSC's PowerSave Green Campus Program works on energy efficiency and water conservation projects throughout the campus. Check out some of their metrics showing the impact they've made in the last year:

Total kWh (kilowatt hours) savings: 1,609,339.50 kWh
Total Potential savings: 1,988,131.95 kWh

Total CO2 lbs savings: 843,293.9 lbs
Total potential savings: 1,121,097.3 lbs

Total $ savings: $209,214.14
Total potenital savings: $265,474.85
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       See the PowerSave Green Campus Facebook page or website for more information.

What are your thoughts about this month's news? What are you most proud of related to campus sustainability at UCSC? What do you want to see happen here? Post in the comments!