Sustainability

Professor and Environmental Champion Bales Retires, But Research and Advocacy Continue

November 10, 2025

Professors Roger Bales and Martha Conklin arrived in Merced in 2003, the first non-administrative faculty members at UC Merced. They came with a vision: to create a research university that would serve California’s future. Now, after more than 22 years of building institutions, mentoring...

Yara North America Supports UC Merced Students, Ag Research

A contribution from Yara North America will provide the University of California, Merced, with the potential to take agricultural research to a new level of innovation and improve crop yields,...

Grad Student’s Water-Mapping Work Leads to National Recognition

UC Merced graduate student Lorenzo Booth’s research into more efficient use of water for agriculture has earned him accolades from the American Water Resources Association for not only producing...

UC Merced Among the Country’s Most Sustainable Campuses

UC Merced is recognized as a top performer in the annual 2016 Sustainable Campus Index, tying for third with two other UC campuses for its sustainable investment practices. This is the second time UC...

Alumnus Stays Local, Launches Environmentally Friendly Career

Stephen Ho’s experience at UC Merced helped him land an internship with E. & J. Gallo Winery in Livingston shortly after his graduation in 2012. His engineering expertise, passion for the...

Annual Event Celebrates All Things Sustainable

The Student Sustainability Council is hosting the second annual EcoFest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, on Scholars Lane, hoping to encourage the campus’s culture of sustainability. “Our...

UC Merced Kicks Off Historic $1.3 Billion Expansion

The University of California, Merced, today broke ground on the largest expansion project in campus history. The four-year Merced 2020 Project will add approximately 1.2 million gross square feet of...

Researchers Eye Foggy Link Between Redwoods, Climate Change

Most Americans have probably seen gorgeous photos of fog winding its way through California’s coastal redwoods. The trees are one of the state’s most prominent icons, drawing more than 2 million...

UC Merced ‘Cool’ Again in Sierra Sustainability Rankings

A week after being lauded by Washington Monthly in its rankings for social mobility and value, UC Merced today was named one of the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” for its commitment to sustainability....

Campus Takes Steps to Stay Green Despite Drought

Don’t be surprised if, as the warmer weather kicks in, you continue to see green lawns at UC Merced. Maintenance crews are not using more water to keep the quad lush. In fact, they are using less....