TGIF 2016-17 Funding Cycle: Another year of great projects
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Grant Making Committee is pleased to announce the selected projects for the 2016/17 funding cycle! The Committee awarded funds to 24 projects, totaling $184,114. Below is an overview of some of the projects that you can expect to see completed within the next academic year.
UCSB Energy Dashboard ($5,011)
Funding will be used toward the design and creation of a public facing Energy Dashboard hosted on http://energy.ucsb.edu. This would provide the UCSB community with real-time energy consumption information and would enable building energy use comparisons throughout campus.
Replacing Paper Towels with Electric Hand Dryers in High Use Restrooms ($20,170)
TGIF funding will be used to purchase 18 electric hand dryers to convert the highest use restrooms in Girvetz, Physical Sciences Building North, North Hall, and Harold Frank Hall. Electric Hand Dryers provide a quick, sanitary, and waste-free alternative to paper towels. By eliminating towel dispensers, this project eliminates the opportunity to mindlessly consume single-use products. In addition, an electric dryer uses less water, and exudes less carbon dioxide in its lifetime than does the process of creating and disposing of paper towels.
Campbell Hall Lighting Retrofit ($18,160)
TGIF Funding will be used to retrofit Campbell Hall, the most widely used lecture hall at UCSB, with energy efficient, dimmable LED lights. The retrofit would include replacing ninety-six 100 watt incandescent well lights with ninety six 31 watt LED, dimmable lights.
Optimizing solar energy at UCSB’s Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve ($12,720)
Funding will be used to purchase and install one active indirect solar hot water system for the dorms at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL), part of the Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve, located in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Scholarships for the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference ($9,212)
This grant will provide financial support for 50 UCSB students and 15 faculty or staff to attend the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference, June 24th – June 30th, here at our UC Santa Barbara campus. CHESC is an important gathering of key stakeholders from across the state of California who are working on UC system-wide and state-wide policies. Student fellows from the UC Global Climate Leadership Initiative and the UC Global Food Initiative will be attending, as well as members of the UC System wide working groups on water, climate, green building, operations, transportation, waste, food service, and more. This grant will allow students, faculty, and staff who are engaged in sustainability to attend this event.
Food Recovery Pilot Project ($8,003)
The current plan for the pilot is to team up with a local nonprofit to conduct food pickups from the University Center retail operations and deliver to our distribution partner SB Rescue Mission (a homeless shelter in downtown Santa Barbara). Funding will be used for one year to implement the pilot, including the hiring of a student intern, purchasing supplies, and reimbursing volunteer gas mileage.
For a complete list of projects funded through TGIF, Visit http://www.sustainability.ucsb.edu/tgif/