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...

This Saturday, mechanical engineering major Vanessa Andrade will participate in the university’s second fall commencement ceremony.

Passion for Cars Steers Graduating Senior into Mechanical Engineering

Growing up in San Juan Bautista, Vanessa Andrade loved hanging out with her father and his collection of cars and tractors. She spent hours in the “barn” or shop, helping change the...

UC Merced Welcomes Renowned Sustainability and Health Advocate to Campus

UC Merced’s commitment to sustainability has been at the forefront of university decisions since the campus’s inception. This week, the university will welcome one of the nation’s...

Members of the Office of the Chancellor and interns from the Green Offices program with the platinum Green Offices certification

UC Merced Secures First Platinum Certifications in Labs, Offices

It’s the crown jewel of sustainability — a platinum certification signifying all the steps to making a space sustainable have been met. For UC Merced, platinum certification had eluded...

Students Take the Lead in LEED Certification of SE1 Building

As UC Merced continues to lead the way in sustainability on university campuses, a new wrinkle has been added to the process of certifying buildings. Recently, the Science and Engineering 1 (SE1)...

UC Climate-Change Research is One Focus of Global Summit, New Reports

California aims to lead the nation — and the globe — in climate change research, policy and action — in large part through climate-focused research conducted at University of...

Understanding Why Designs Work — or Don’t — is Important

Just because a design works once doesn’t mean that the research and development is done. That’s why, Professor Sarah Kurtz argues in a new commentary in the prestigious journal...

Students tend the UC Merced Campus Community Garden.

Campus Earns Kudos for Sustainability Best Practices

UC Merced demonstrated that it’s living up to its reputation for being “green from the ground up” by winning five awards — more than any other University of California campus...

News and Notes: UC Launches Million Light Bulb Challenge, Upcoming Ally Trainings Offered

Let There Be Energy-Efficient Light The University of California is spearheading a statewide effort to advance the purchase of 1 million high-quality, energy-efficient light bulbs for campus...

New Classroom Space Helps Teachers Learn New Curriculum, Lessons

Project Wet, a program run by the Water Education Foundation, will offer area educators hands-on lessons in teaching children about the value of a sustainable future. This is the first time such a...