Labs courses offered by the MCDB, EEB and METX departments, serve more than three thousand students annually. We will replace our energy-inefficient and water-hungry industrial dish washer (this unit is over 20 years old), with a new, energy and water-efficient unit.

Our project addresses the following elements of the UCSC Campus Sustainability Plan:

Campus sustainability plan applicability—Climate and Energy
GOAL 1:
Support the UC Office of the President Sustainable Practices Policy goal of achieving carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025.

STRATEGY 1.1:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources of combustion [and] purchased electricity through energy efficiency and conservation.

By replacing our old dishwasher with a newer model, this project will result in lower electrical loads associated with providing clean glassware for laboratory courses taught in Thimann Laboratories and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from combustion-based energy sources.

GOAL 3:
Improve the energy efficiency of campus buildings by 10 percent below a 2010-2012 baseline.

STRATEGY 3.2:
Reduce energy use from plug loads.

Replacement of our old, inefficient dishwasher will reduce energy use from plug loads in Thimann Laboratories, with a projected annual savings of 5,460 kWh and a savings of 81,900 kWh over the first 15 years of operation (see calculations in the attached spreadsheet ‘2019_carbongrant_macro_GHG_cost_savings_calculator’).

Campus sustainability plan applicability—Natural Environment & Infrastructure
GOAL 2:
Meet the UC Office of the President Sustainable Practices Policy goal to reduce potable water usage by 36 percent by weighted campus user by 2025 from a 2005-08 baseline.

STRATEGY 2.2:
Reduce potable water use through technological innovations and physical improvements.

This project will reduce potable water use by bringing a more water-efficient dishwasher on-line. Our current dishwasher wastes water due to decades older, inefficient technology and because periodic malfunctions add unnecessary cycles or continue cycles longer than necessary. For example, cycle time can approach two hours for our current unit, while new units spend a maximum of 30 minutes per cycle. Total water savings projected based on equipment data sheets indicate that installation of a new unit would save up to 6,300 gallons of domestic water annually, and 94,500 gallons over the first 15 years of operation (see calculations in the attached spreadsheet, ‘2019_carbongrant_macro_GHG_cost_savings_calculator’).