Leading on Climate
Jessica Heiges
Bonnie Reiss CNI Fellow Class of 2022
Graduate Student, Environmental Science, Policy and Management
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Project
Zero Waste Lab
Project Description
Single-use disposable (SUD) foodware items (e.g., cups, plates, utensils) have a large carbon footprint. Roughly 50% of SUDs foodware used in the US are made of plastic, of which fossil fuel is the base feedstock. The two projects Jessica plans to conduct as part of the CNI Fellowship are to (1) examine the economic, material, and social impacts of an unprecedented anti-SUDs policy, and (2) facilitate a group of undergraduate researchers in the Zero Waste Lab to research and implement sustainable and just transitions away from SUDs on UC Berkeley's campus.