Victory! Across the UC system CALPIRG interns and volunteers built a movement of student support for stronger limits on plastic use on our campuses. Statewide we collected over 10,000 signatures from supportive students, met with key stakeholders at the UC and help public events on local beaches to highlight the problem of plastic pollution – and through all those efforts we WON! “The enthusiasm and commitment of UCLA students to environmental causes help buoy the university’s progress” - Michael Beck, UCLA Administrative Vice Chancellor First, in December of 2019 UCLA became the first in the UC system to announce a new commitment to reducing unnecessary single use plastics. Through a collaborative effort between dining, CALPIRG volunteers and the sustainability office they released this new commitment in January. In March UC Berkeley went one step further, and thanks to the efforts of the UCB CALPIRG chapter Chancellor Christ signed a commitment to banning all non-essential single use plastics. This commitment goes beyond just plasticware in the dining halls – but nonessential plastics everywhere. From labs to stadiums to the dorms UC Berkeley leads the way with one of the most comprehensive plans to reduce plastic pollution in the country. Now there’s more to do – CALPIRG is working to help launch the next wave of Zero Waste commitments across the UC, and we look forward to not only having UC lead the way, but taking action in the state of California, and at the city and county level in the future.
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