Carbon Fund Awards Announced

The Carbon Fund Committee is pleased to announce it has awarded over $30,000 to six projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus and in the surrounding Santa Cruz area. The following projects received funding:

1.     The Santa Cruz Green Wharf Lighting Retrofit team, led by graduate student Tiffany Wise-West, will install LED lighting on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, continuing to make Santa Cruz a model in green technology use.

2.     Three undergraduates from UCSC’s IDEASS class will work with at-risk youth from Natural Bridges High School to build two bike generators. Students will learn aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering as well as the energy usage of everyday appliances and electronics. They will use this information to makes changes in their personal lives and to hold events to teach others to do the same.

3.     A team of chemists and economists will work together to improve the BLEST machine, which is used to convert waste plastic into bio-diesel. The ultimate aim is to use the innovative technology to reduce UCSC’s non-recyclable plastic waste stream while providing biofuel for use in the campus fleet.

4.     In collaboration with the Student Environmental Center, Drop Your Own Drip works with students who live on-campus to reduce water consumption by sending them monthly mock water bills. The building with the lowest water bill receives prizes and a celebratory party.

5.     TAPS and the City of Santa Cruz have teamed up with students from IDEASS to conduct a bike route quality and safety index in order to determine and prioritize areas needing improvement.

6.     A group of programmers is developing a new smart phone application that will show on-campus residents how much energy their building is consuming and inspire them to make changes in their behavior.

If you are interested in receiving funding for your innovative project, visit the website to learn more!