UC SIGNS CLIMATE COMMITMENT: The UC Office of the President announced last week that the university had joined the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an effort by the nation's higher education institutions to address global warming by neutralizing their greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating research and educational efforts to equip society to restabilize the Earth's climate.

"As a public research university, we have an obligation to continue our leadership role in the area of environmental stewardship," UC President Robert Dynes said in signing the commitment on behalf of the 10-campus system.

The commitment calls for UC to take steps to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.

UC's recent policy on sustainable practices already exceeds the requirements laid out by the national group. The university is operating now with these targets: by 2014, a return to 2000 emission levels, and by 2020, a return to 1990 levels.

For more information: www.ucop.edu/facil/sustain

GRANT PROPOSALS DUE APRIL 27: Proposals are due by April 27 for the campus's second annual round of sustainability grants.

Faculty, staff and students are eligible, as individuals or in teams, and teams may include faculty, staff and students. They are asked to come up with projects aimed at making the campus more environmentally friendly.

The campus's Sustainability Advisory Committee, which awards the grants, is looking for projects that incorporate research, education and planning.

In the first round of grants, the committee awarded funding to the student-run Project Compost, to support its new worm composting project at dining commons, and to the arboretum for signs designed to teach visitors about sustainable gardening for the Central Valley.

The campus's sustainability Web site provides more information and a proposal form for the 2007 competition. The address is sustainability.ucdavis.edu (click on the dollar sign at the upper right-hand corner).