University of California Sustainability Policies and Best Practices

Water

As the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology website puts it:
Water is our most precious resource, and making sure it remains clean and plentiful is a challenge for all conservationists. Aging dormitory showerheads, inefficient decorative fountains, leaks in the water main, and improper disposal of lab chemicals, all waste water or threaten the health of the local watershed. But some campuses are finding creative ways to meet this challenge… from cleaning up local wetlands, to treating wastewater organically, to installing waterless toilets!

UC campuses are meeting this challenge with projects in all of the categories below. If you are involved in one of these, please consider submitting to a case study so that we can recognize your efforts and share what you’ve learned with other campuses.

Case Studies:

UC Berkeley (pdf) - Economics and Environmental Science double major Ryan Buckley, carried out his senior thesis in cooperation with the East Bay Municipal Utility District to analyze indoor residential water use by UC Berkeley students. The Housing and Dining Facilities Department at UC Berkeley has already instituted many of the recommendations made in the study.

Campus Buildings
Low-Flow Fixtures
Faucets
Showerheads
Low-Flow Toilets
Waterless Urinals

Residence Halls

Dishwashing Machines
Clothes Washing Machines

Drip and Computerized Irrigation

Greywater
Landscape
Recycled Water

Outside Resources:

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program – Water
University Leaders for a Sustainable Future – a couple of eastern U.S. campus case studies

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