To comply with SB 375, cities and counties may need to think more strategically about how to site affordable housing, overcoming obstacles of high land prices and NIMBY-ism in transit-rich areas. Complicating the situation further, the timetable for housing planning processes (e.g., Regional Housing Needs Assessments) will be difficult to integrate with the regional transportation planning process. Further, today’s economic downturn and mortgage foreclosure crisis raise serious questions about the resources that will be available for affordable housing in the near future. This is the second session in IURD's new speaker series - “Growing Sustainably in a Low-Carbon World.”

Energy and Resources Group Spring 2009 Colloquium Series (ER295)

Presentation by Professor Tyrone Hayes Followed by Environmental Justice mini workshop lead by Cal students and Air Resource Board- Climate Champions, Marvin Salazar and Rachel Spiegel on how to get involved locally Also, Letters and Petition Signing to Congress

Lunch will be served. RSVP by Tues. March 17 to ensure sufficient food. About the Seminar: The speaker will talk about her work on the implementation plan for AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. When the California Air Resources Board in December 2008 unanimously adopted the state's plan to implement AB 32, it gave California the most comprehensive plan of its kind-- a plan which promises to help to recharge California's economy and make the state the hub of clean energy technology development, as well as provide a model for larger scale efforts. About the Speaker: Audrey Chang is the Director of the California Climate Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. She coordinates NRDC’s advocacy efforts for successful implementation of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) and also works on energy policy and utility regulation to promote the increased development of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other global warming solutions. About CEPP: The Center for Environmental Public Policy (CEPP) at the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) aims to bridge the gap between environmental theory and policy implementation through seminars, workshops and conferences. CEPP's programs are intended to educate, direct and motivate those working in the field of environmental public policy. In particular, CEPP activities are geared to help fill the local and global need for competent environmental managers who are adept at policy-making within the context of limited and varying resources.

The day long event will bring together the early adopters, entrepreneurs, technologists, and minds shaping the CleanTech industry. First in a series of many, this is "CleanTech 101" intended to provide a high level map of the CleanTech landscape. Industry experts will lead interactive sessions on different aspects of CleanTech in a day long conference.

Make it snow as part of this new exhibit, a hands-on exploration of “H2O from A to Z.” Visitors can create snow, rainbows, and clouds, as well as operate a model municipal water system and use hydraulics to lift 500 pounds. State-of-the-art multimedia presentations in the Water Theater highlight Earth’s water sources, the life cycle of water, and conservation. Image caption: Does your water footprint make a splash? These cylinders fill with the matching volume of water as you answer fifteen questions on your water usage in WaterWorks: Soak Up the Science. Also at LHS is Animal Grossology.

Adapted from the best-selling children’s series Grossology written by LHS alumna Sylvia Branzei, Animal Grossology brings to life all the gritty and gross facts on some of nature’s most "disgusting" critters.

In 2009 the campus celebrates the American Cultures Center’s 20 years of curricular innovation and commitment to undergraduate education. As the only campus-wide undergraduate breadth requirement, the American Cultures curriculum is unique in touching every single Berkeley student, assuming the position of a signature Berkeley experience. This exhibit, “American Cultures: From Concept to Classroom,” highlights four courses that explore the intersection of race and ethnicity with biology, engineering, poetry and education, as well as the American Cultures Center’s current initiatives in the areas of service learning, pedagogical innovation, and groundbreaking scholarship. Some of the pioneering faculty and instructors featured in the exhibit will speak, along with Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, at the April 16 special event at the Free Speech Movement Café.

The genus Grimmia is the most diverse and abundant group of moss to inhabit the higher and dryer parts of western North America. Given California's diversity of such habitats, it is not surprising that the state has the highest species richness and the most endemic species of Grimmia anywhere in the world! Grimmia form an important component of the saxicolous bryoflora and their prevalence makes them difficult to ignore. However, Grimmia species have the reputation of being notoriously difficult to recognize. This is due, in part, to the use of microscopic features to identify species, and also because most species are distinguished by a suite of intergrading, relative characters. This makes dichotomous keys inappropriate tools for identifying species. This workshop will introduce a series of tables that can be used to identify species. When the genus is broken into four easily recognized subgenera, identification can be rapidly and reliably accomplished by comparing a diversity of characters with the tables. Through lectures and hands-on experience participants will learn the key characters of Grimmia that are critical to using the tables and dissecting techniques that will maximize the probability of correct identification.

All faculty, staff and students are encouraged to support UC Berkeley Blood Drives by donating, volunteering, encouraging others to donate, spreading the word or sponsoring a drive. UC Berkeley Blood Drives are sponsored by the American Red Cross (ARC) and UC San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center together and held on the first Monday of most months of the year. These drives provide much needed blood to hospitals throughout the Bay Area. Appointments to donate are encouraged and walk-ins are always welcome. To schedule an appointment, please register and sign-up at beadonor.com, the American Red Cross website. (http://www.beadonor.com/index.cfm?Group=Registration). You will need to specify the sponsor code "UCB".

TBA

Overview of activities and events organized by TRANSOC. All students with an interest interest in transportation are welcome. 1) The event is being sponsored by the Graduate Assembly 2) The event is open to all Berkeley students 3) The event is handicapped accessible.

Teach local K-12 students about energy.

Climate Change: The View from the California Attorney General's Office. Clifford Rechtschaffen is a Special Assistant Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office. In that role he helps coordinate the work of the office’s attorneys on global warming, including special projects and liaison with outside groups. He currently is on a two-year leave from Golden Gate University School of Law, where he taught environmental law and directed the environmental law program from 1993 to 2007. He has published numerous articles about environmental law and is the author or co-author of four books on environmental law, including most recently Creative Common Law Strategies to Protect the Environment and a casebook on environmental enforcement. Prior to teaching at Golden Gate, he worked in the Environment Section of the California Attorney General’s Office from 1986 to 1993. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.

Clifford Rechtschaffen is a Special Assistant Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office. In that role he helps coordinate the work of the office’s attorneys on global warming, including special projects and liaison with outside groups. He currently is on a two-year leave from Golden Gate University School of Law, where he taught environmental law and directed the environmental law program from 1993 to 2007. He has published numerous articles about environmental law and is the author or co-author of four books on environmental law, including most recently Creative Common Law Strategies to Protect the Environment and a casebook on environmental enforcement. Prior to teaching at Golden Gate, he worked in the Environment Section of the California Attorney General’s Office from 1986 to 1993. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.

Teach local K-12 students about energy.

Lopez Dam, constructed in 1968, includes a central clay core, a gravel upstream shell, a random downstream shell and filter zones between the core and shells. The design included excavation through 120 feet of alluvial materials to bedrock under the core of the dam, and placement of the shells on alluvium. The original design of the dam included an earthquake analysis with a peak ground acceleration of 0.15g. Since 1968, the level of ground shaking has been found to be significantly greater, leading to the conclusion that the foundation alluvium under the shells of the dam would liquefy as a result of the Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE). The MCE is a magnitude 7 event within about one mile from the dam, resulting in a peak ground acceleration at the site of 0.8g. The reservoir had to be operated at a restricted level as required by the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). The seismic remediation of Lopez Dam consisted of maintaining the existing traffic, recreation and municipal water supply through construction, meeting environmental standards, construction at the lowest cost, and obtaining regulatory approval. The recommended seismic strengthening method includes construction of a widened crest and downstream buttress. The buttress is founded on the alluvium that was strengthened using 2500 stone columns up to 90 feet deep. This innovative approach resulted in a $10 million cost savings over a conventional buttress method and did not require reservoir lowering or draining. It is the first use of stone columns for dam remediation approved by the DSOD.

Allen Goldstein, Professor, ESPM. Known and unexplored organic constituents in the Earth's atmosphere. Introduced Maggi Kelly.

The Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning Colloquium (LD ARCH 253) brings together professionals, academics, practitioners, and graduate students to present projects relevant to the landscape architecture and environmental planning professions. All are invited to attend. See website for details.

Energy and Resources Group Spring 2009 Colloquium Series (ER295)