History;
Energy demand in the pre - industrial world was provided mostly by man and animal power
and to a limited extent from the burning of wood for heating, cooking and smelting of metals.
The discovery of abundant coal, and the concurrent technological advances in its use, propelled
the industrial revolution. Steam engines, mechanized production and improved transportation,
all fuelled directly by coal, rapidly followed. The inter - war years saw the rise of
oil exploration and use. Access to this critical fuel became a key issue during the Second
World War. Post - war industrial expansion and prosperity was increasingly driven by oil, as
was the massive growth in private car use. More recently a new phase of economic growth
has been underpinned to a great extent by natural gas.
A substantial proportion of coal and gas production is used to generate electricity, which
has been widely available now for over a century. Electricity is a premium form of energy
due to its fl exibility and ease of distribution. Demand worldwide is growing, driven by the
explosion in consumer electronics, the associated industrial activity and the widening of
access to consumers in the developing world.
In a surprising shift, three of the four candidates in the CalSERVE executive slate won the student vote in the ASUC elections, according to the preliminary results. CalSERVE Senator Van Nguyen was elected president, Senator Taylor Allbright was elected executive vice president and party member Daniel Montes was elected external affairs vice president. Student Action Senator Curtis Lee was elected academic affairs vice president, and the current Student Advocate’s chief of staff Ajay Krishnamurthy was elected student advocate.
According to Nguyen, the last year that CalSERVE controlled the executive positions was in 2003-2004, when CalSERVE swept all executive positions with the exception of the student advocate position,
Minutes after seeing the results, Nguyen said he was “speechless.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Nguyen said. “I thought we were behind for sure. It’s absolutely amazing.”
Nguyen said the three executive wins for CalSERVE was a necessary change for the campus.
“Students were ready for a change,” Nguyen said.
Student Action Senator Ilana Nankin, the second highest vote-winner for presidency, said she had no comment on the outcome, and she was in tears as the results were released.
The preliminary results, which were announced at 6:30 last night, must be verified by the Judicial Council before they are finalized, said Elections Council Chair Jessica Wren.
Allbright said she is very excited about her win and commended her fellow candidates in the race.
“Everyone who ran for executives did an amazing job,” she said. “It was a close race. I’m happy to be a part of it. I’m excited—it’s going to be a fun year.”
Although she lost her campaign for academic affairs vice president, CalSERVE Senator Carolina Jauregui said she was pleased with her party members’ wins.
“Even though it makes me sad that I lost, my happiness for Van, Taylor, and Danny is much stronger than any disappointment I might feel,” she said.
Next year’s preliminary senate winners were also released, with independent candidate Nadir Shams, APPLE Engineering candidate Winnie Kuo, and CalSERVE candidate Danielle Duong as the three highest-ranked candidates to win seats.
Next year’s senate is composed of 10 Student Action and affiliated party members, six CalSERVE members, two independents, one SQUELCH! party member and one Berkeley College Republicans party member, according to preliminary results.
In addition to candidates’ results, the results for the four referenda and three constitutional amendments on the ballot were announced, with two out of the seven propositions passing.
The Green Initiative Fund, a $5 student fee increase to fund sustainability projects on campus, passed, winning 69.25 percent of non-abstention votes cast. A constitutional amendment to create a 13-member line of succession for the presidency also passed with 83.08 percent of the vote.
In response to the three CalSERVE candidates’ executive wins, Student Action Senator Jeff Manassero said the candidates chosen are right for their position, regardless of their party.
“I think as far as parties are concerned, I’ve never been one to think or vote on party lines,” he said. “I think everyone the student body chose is qualified. I agree with the decision.”
Tamara Bartlett
The Daily Californian
Winning 69% of non-abstention votes cast, TGIF scored a solid victory, while the three other student fee referenda failed.
Every year, funded projects must submit either an update report or a final report. These reports must must detail the spending of all funds and also include measured outcomes such as energy and water savings or greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. The Grant Coordinator will review these project reports and use them to compile the annual report of TGIF, which will be given to the ASUC Senate, Graduate Assembly, Director of the ASUC-Auxiliary, and Grant Making Committee member appointing bodies.
The 7 voting members of Grant Making Committee — 4 of which are students — are appointed each year. There is a 2 consecutive term limit for voting members, but after 1 year off, a former member can serve again.
To provide oversight, 3 non-voting members also serve on the Committee.
The Committee will hire a Grant Coordinator to handle bookkeeping and reporting and also to serve as the liaison between the Committee and the UC Berkeley campus community.
Administrative structure of TGIF:
The Grant Making Committee may require projects that generate revenue to repay a portion of this to TGIF. Since many of the projects identified in the above documents will save Cal large amounts of money, there is a good chance that TGIF will grow over the years as projects give back to the Fund.
Most of these money-making projects are not currently being pursued due to high capital investment costs — a perfect opportunity for TGIF!
TGIF is intentionally not being restricted to a specific set of projects. This is done so that as sustainability innovations become standard practices, the Fund will be able to stay on the cutting edge.
At present, a large number of projects have already been identified by other campus organizations that could potentially be funded by TGIF. The top sources for these projects include the:
2005 Campus Sustainability Assessment
2005 Sustainable Water Plan for UC Berkeley
Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP)
– Greenhouse gas inventory and project descriptions
Some potential projects that have been identified from the above documents include:
1. Enabling energy saving settings in campus computer labs
2. Expanding Cal’s electrical vehicle fleet
3. Repairing the CoGen (steam and electricity) plant
4. Upgrading bathroom fixtures and water conservation
5. Switching to 100% biodiesel for the campus refuse trucks
For more in depth descriptions of these projects, see this Project Examples document.
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) will be housed within the ASUC-Auxiliary and provide money for sustainability projects Cal would not otherwise be able to fund. TGIF money will not fund environmental programs already mandated by laws or policies, such as the UC Presidential Policy on Green Building Design, Clean Energy Standards, and Sustainable Transportation Practices and California AB 32: The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (press release). It is the duty of the campus administration to find the necessary funding to abide by laws and policies.
Students, faculty, and staff at UC Berkeley will be eligible to apply to TGIF for grants and/or loans to fund sustainability projects on campus. The criteria used to evaluate projects will ensure that funded projects:
* Measurably reduce UC Berkeley’s impact on the environment
* Have publicity, education and outreach components
* Received all necessary written approval by appropriate campus officials
* Are not already mandated by law or UC policy
(TGIF projects go above and beyond current legal or policy requirements)
* Demonstrate the greatest environmental impact reduction for the least cost
* May repay the Fund
* Encourage student participation
In addition, 20% of dispersed funds must go to projects involving students each year. For the complete lists of selection criteria see ASUC Bill 61a and The Green Initiative Fund Bylaws.
