Two Rausser College undergrads honored with 2024 Sustainability Awards

April 04, 2024
A group of people stand together in a room.

The 2024 CACS awardees. Photo by Kwabena Owusu Sarfo.

Congratulations to Rausser College of Natural Resources undergraduates Tatum Hurley and Brisa Alvarez on receiving UC Berkeley’s 2024 Sustainability Awards. 

Presented by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability, the awards recognize faculty, staff, and students whose work helps the campus meet its sustainability goals while making UC Berkeley a more sustainable place to work, live, and learn.

Hurley, a third-year majoring in Society & Environment and Ethnic Studies, was recognized for their efforts leading zero waste initiatives and facilitating student involvement in campus sustainability and waste reduction efforts. As the current chair of the campus Zero Waste Coalition, Hurley leads a cooperative group of student-run organizations focused on improving the efficacy of student activism around waste reduction, zero waste education, and environmental and waste justice. She is also a Zero Waste Fellow with the Office of Sustainability and has served as a student leader with the Cooperative Reuse for the past two years. During the most recent campus wide moveout, Hurley led a team of over 20 students that accepted nearly 200,000 pounds of reusable household items over 13 days. 

Alvarez, a fourth-year studying Society and Environment and minoring in Conservation and Resource Studies, is recognized for her leadership in UC Berkeley’s eco-community. She has held roles within SERC's Zero Waste Green Team, the Zero Waste Lab, the ASUC Eco-Office’s Environmental Justice Department, and the STeam Team's EJ and Education Project. During her time as the Housing Waste Reduction Coordinator, Alvarez trained 300 resident assistants on sustainability and collective impact. 

Learn more about Hurley and Alvarez, and other award winners at the Berkeley Sustainability and Carbon Solutions website.