Anteaters lead race to first place in the Cool Campus Challenge

On December 15, the University of California announced that UCI placed first among UC schools participating in a 10-week contest aimed at making UC campuses Carbon Neutral by 2025. Despite some nail-biting moments at the finish, UCI held onto its the lead with participation of some 4,000 staff, faculty and students completing tasks to amass points. The Cool Campus Challenge is part of UC President Janet Napolitano’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative.
“UC Irvine students are the next generation of global leaders in sustainability, giving a new definition to the word ‘cool’” noted Abigail Reyes, UCI Sustainability Initiative director.
“We are thrilled to have met this challenge with such enthusiasm and participation,” added Wendell Brase, vice chancellor for business and administrative services and chair of UC’s Climate Solutions Steering Group. “We continue to focus our long-term campus-wide energy policy on systems and management to improve efficiency and cut waste throughout our campus. It’s essential that every member of our community play a role in this commitment.”
Anteaters led the pack early on, and during the final evening of the Challenge had to defend the top spot as other campuses advanced. UCI participants continued to pledge right up until midnight and secured first place.
The UC commitment to carbon neutrality is a daunting goal, and one that can only be achieved by working together. The Challenge marks the beginning of cross-campus engagement among faculty, students and staff toward reaching this goal.
You can read more about the final results here.