The University of California (UC) is soliciting ideas from the UC community for projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon. Under UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI), the UC system has committed to reducing its net GHGs from its operations to zero by 2025. To help UC bring its emissions all the way down to zero, we are seeking two types of projects that can be located anywhere:
1) UC-initiated offset projects
2) projects already on the carbon offset market
Projects must meet UC values by resulting in emissions reductions or sequestration that are high quality, reasonable-cost, and fulfill our mission of research, education, and public service. We are particularly seeking projects that expand or apply UC research, offer educational opportunities to students, advance understanding of scalable climate solutions, provide health and social justice benefits, and directly benefit or have resonance with the UC community and communities surrounding the UC campuses. Please see this link for an expanded discussion of our review criteria.
Due by May 31, 2019
The goal of this RFI is to build a portfolio of potential offset projects that are initiated by UC faculty, students, and staff, and explore the viability of supporting those projects with payments from UC for GHG emission reductions or sequestration achieved. As an initial step, UC is offering awards of up to $70,000, depending on project size and co-benefits, to bring selected projects closer to implementation. Ultimately, UC hopes to support a portfolio of UC-initiated projects that result in greenhouse gas reductions that meaningfully contributes to UC's expected carbon offset needs of 250,000 to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2025 and declining from that year onward.
We welcome submissions from faculty, staff, researchers, and students for projects that measurably reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon, and would be initiated by UC. We hope to receive a wide range of submissions that vary in size, location, type, co-benefits, submitter (faculty, students, staff, other researchers), and readiness (from early testing of moonshot ideas to implementing well-established technologies). Please see this link for examples of possible UC-initiated offset projects.
Reviewed as they come in
The goal of this solicitation is to tap the knowledge pool of our University community to identify offset projects already available on the offset market that meet UC’s standards, mission and values. Please tell us if you know of a specific offset project or an offset project type that UC might consider for carbon offsets purchases. Thank you!