Campus & community, Campus news

Chou Hall is the nation's greenest academic building

By Kim Girard

woman sitting outside Chou Hall
Chou Hall, Berkeley Haas's newest building. (UC Berkeley photo by Jim Block)
woman sitting outside Chou Hall

Chou Hall, Berkeley Haas's newest building. (UC Berkeley photo by Jim Block)

Chou Hall at the Haas School of Business is officially the country’s greenest academic building, having earned TRUE Zero Waste certification at the highest possible level along with a LEED Platinum certification for its energy-efficient design and operation.

The TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certification came after more than a year of dedicated waste sorting, composting and other efforts to divert over 90 percent of Chou’s landfill waste. The official notice came from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBSI) following an on-site audit by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The whole team is beyond excited to lead the way with the country’s greenest academic building,” said Danner Doud-Martin, the staff lead of the Haas Zero Waste Initiative and associate director of the International Business Development (IBD) Program at Haas. “It’s been such a journey — more than two years of trying to get all of our stakeholders on board with behavioral changes. It’s been a significant challenge, but we are so proud of all that we’ve accomplished.”

The Chou Hall Zero Waste Initiative is a joint effort led by a multidisciplinary team of graduate and undergraduate students working closely with Cal Zero Waste, Haas faculty and staff, facilities management, and building vendors to ensure that building operations are designed for successful waste diversion.

Read the full story on the Berkeley Haas website