Sustainable Operations

Alice Waters Institute Challenges Student Chefs to Get Creative

October 28, 2024

Student employees in UC Merced’s dining centers got an up-close look at the sustainable techniques at a family almond farm and were challenged to create locally sourced dishes as part of a workshop inspired by an internationally famous chef. The workshop was presented by the Alice Waters...

Two goats eating tall grasses are depicted.

Goats Visit UC Merced to Reduce Fire Fuels, Abate Weeds — and Look Super Cute

Cattle are a fairly regular sight around the UC Merced campus. They graze along the 6,500-acre Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve and the 40-acre Experimental Smart Farm, and an annual student...

UC Merced students participate in a waste sorting line that recycles and composts landfill waste.

UC Merced Makes Princeton Review Green Honor Roll

UC Merced's reputation for environmental stewardship remains strong following the campus's most recent recognition by The Princeton Review 2024 Green Honor Roll. UC Merced was one of...

Okoli to UC Merced Students: ‘This is Your Place. This is Your Home’

University students deserve to feel welcome and safe in their home away from home. It’s a responsibility Daniel Okoli assumes without hesitation. He has designed countless physical spaces for...

UC Merced Shines In Annual Sustainability Report

In the 2022 Sustainable Campus Index, UC Merced placed Top 10 in several categories including a tie for the No.1 spot in research. The annual report published by the Association for the Advancement...

UC Merced Earns Highest Rating for its Sustainability Efforts

For the first time, UC Merced has been awarded a Platinum rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements under the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (...

Campus Awarded Edible Food Recovery Grant

UC Merced’s Office of Sustainability’s Bobcat Eats Food Waste Awareness and Prevention Program, in partnership with United Way of Merced, Community Initiatives 4 Collective...

Cows are Udderly Useful for Healthy Vegetation Management on Nature Reserve

Today is National Cow Appreciation Day, a “holiday” invented by a fast-food chain that sells a lot of "chikn." But it’s still a good opportunity to celebrate our neighbors...

Covering California's canals in solar panels could save 63 billion gallons of water annually, which is comparable to the amount needed to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland.

Solar Panels Over Canals Can Save Money, Energy and Water, Study Shows

Covering the 4,000 miles of California’s water canals could save billions of gallons of water and generate renewable power for the state every year, according to a new study. The study...

Merced 2020 Project Buildings Earn LEED Certification

Eleven buildings in the Merced 2020 Project, UC Merced’s ambitious public-private partnership that nearly doubled the campus footprint, have been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental...