UC Berkeley Chou Hall: Can the TRUE Zero Waste Team Overcome Challenges to Achieve Top Certification?

by Frank Schultz and Jessica Heiges
01 Jan 2023

University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business’ Chou Hall sought TRUE Zero Waste certification on a short timeline with limited resources. Stakeholders including faculty, students, custodians, and visitors needed to change wasteful habits and divert waste from landfills. With LEED Platinum and WELL certifications, Chou wanted the third 'green' certification to become the first academic building in the country to achieve that honor. The 10-campus UC system’s goal was to be a climate change leader and achieve Zero Waste by 2020 and Carbon Neutrality by 2025. Chou Hall’s TRUE certification would support that goal and demonstrate change was possible.

Learning Objectives

---

1) Examine the subtleties of successful stakeholder management including the identification of stakeholder interest and power as well as the use of varied methods of stakeholder engagement. 2) Determine the role of leadership in change initiatives. To what extent can dedicated leadership prevail over lack of staff, money, and power? 3) Assess how much a shared mission and strong organizational culture can galvanize a team in working towards a shared goal. How can that shared mission be created and fostered? 4) Motivate students to view the potential of sustainability initiatives that can arise and thrive outside of normal organizational structures. Equip students with essential tools and motivation to lead sustainability efforts even in the face of resistance.

Details

Pub Date: January 1, 2023

Discipline: Sustainability

Subjects: Sustainability, Environmental sustainability, Stakeholders, Leadership, Change agents

Product #: B6023-PDF-ENG

Industry: Climate Change, Energy & Natural Resources

Geography: United States

Length: 10 page(s)