Photos By Steve McConnell

UC Berkeley already has certified organic salad bars in its residence hall cafeterias and solar panels on its student union building rooftop, and Chancellor Robert Birgeneau wants to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2014, six years ahead of the state’s schedule.

But to better focus many decentralized efforts at reducing its long-term environmental impact, the campus has created an Office of Sustainability and hired Lisa McNeilly to direct it. McNeilly’s credentials include stints with the Nature Conservancy and the White House Climate Change Task Force. Her first day on the job coincided with “Focus the Nation,” a daylong teach-in held simultaneously at Berkeley and 1,500 universities and other institutions nationwide to raise awareness of climate change and stimulate action on solutions. 

The UC system was recently recognized as a leader in sustainability, ranked number four of “10 That Get It” eco-friendly universities by the Sierra Club and given an overall grade of B for its green policies by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Go to www.berkeley.edu/news/berkleyan/2008/01/30_mcneilly.shtml for more.