UC Davis won in four categories and UC campuses picked up 11 honors in this year's California Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards, announced today (May 3).

The awards highlight innovative projects that enhance energy efficiency and sustainability at University of California, California State University and California Community College campuses. Winners will be honored at a ceremony during the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference at CSU Long Beach July 10-13.

UC Davis's four wins were the most of any campus. It won for monitoring-based commissioning, which tracks energy use, at Dutton Hall; water efficiency at its brewery, winery and food sciences complex; sustainable foodservice for renovations to Cuarto Dining Commons and sustainable menu development; and for innovative waste reduction at Aggie Stadium during the 2010 football season.

Other UC winners are:

• UC Riverside in sustainable design for its Medical Research Building and in campus-community partnerships for its Cultivate-R-Space program.
• UC Irvine in HVAC design and retrofit at Rowland Hall.
• UCLA in best student sustainability program for its Team Green on the Hill.
• UC Santa Barbara in best site water quality for the San Nicolas Wetland and Library Mall storm drain projects.
• UC Santa Cruz in lighting design and retrofit for upgrades at its Science Library.
• UC San Francisco in best student energy efficiency program for its Green Campus program.

In most categories, a winner from each college system was chosen. More than 100 nominations in 10 categories were received.

Harry Mok is a principal editor in the UC Office of the President's Integrated Communications group. For more news, visit the UC Newsroom or follow us on Twitter.