2025 Energy and Water Challenge Winners!

The Energy & Water Challenge has reached its end. Congratulations to all the participants that put lots of efforts in reducing your energy and water consumption, we are proud of your work. Now, it is time to congratulate the winners!

First Place: Team Thompson
Second Place: Team Currant

Third Place: Team Tahoe

Congratulations to the MVPs for putting their hard work and taking their team to the top.

Let’s Reduce Food Waste

SHDS Sustainability hosted the winter quarter waste studies during week 5. After analyzing our data, we found the following:

• The average amount of edible food waste from all three DC waste studies is 2.18oz per person, which is 0.92% more than the Fall Quarter Waste Study. If you left 2.18oz of food on your plate per meal for a year (3 meals a day for 365 days), that equates to 149lbs of food that was grown, produced, transported, and prepared - just to be uneaten.
• We also found that the average amount of liquid waste is 1.29fl oz. per person! If you were to leave behind 1.29fl oz. for every meal over a year (3 meals a day for 365 days), that would equate to 176 cups of your favorite beverage that someone else could have enjoyed.
• 7.2 pounds of napkins waste or about 1.3 napkins per person.

When eating in the dining commons, you can help reduce food waste with simple steps like
choosing smaller portions or choosing a familiar plate. The following initiatives can help you in those moments:

Just Ask!

Would you like to get a burger, but the buns might be too much? Or you would like more chicken instead of rice? You can always ask the staff member to remove an item or garnish you do not want or get a customized plate, they will gladly help you with the request (and you can enjoy more of what you like!)

Try-a-Taste

This feature allows you to ask any chef or staff member for a sample of a dish before you commit to a full plate. This can help you figure out if you like that new menu item and potentially avoid the plate to go to waste.

Join us at the Resident Gardens! 

We are so excited to welcome our residents back in our gardens! Take a look at the volunteer hours below for the Winter Quarter schedule. In the meantime, Join the Resident Garden Discord to stay up on the latest happenings in the resident garden.  

Resident Garden @ Segundo – located between Bixby Hall and the Segundo Dining Commons

• Mondays: 10:00-12:00pm
• Wednesdays: 10:00-12:00pm

Resident Garden @ Tercero – located near the main entrance to Latitude.

• Mondays: 2:30-4:30pm
• Thursdays: 1:00-3:00pm

Adopt-A-Plot

Residents can also adopt a plot in the Segundo or Tercero garden for one quarter or longer to steward their own garden space. Adopt-a-plotters will have access to garden materials and mentorship.

If you are interested in adopting a plot, please fill out the Adopt-A-Plot application or visit us during open volunteer hours and speak to one of our Resident Garden Coordinators.

Visit housing.ucdavis.edu/sustainability/resident-garden for more information about the resident gardens.