Chou Hall is a closed-loop system that focuses on reduce, reuse, redesign, re-earth, and recycle. As the greenest academic building in the nation—and the first certified zero waste academic building in the world—Chou Hall is the first drop in an ecosystem-wide ripple, that will become a wave, and eventually a tide of change.
Our path to TRUE Zero Waste
In 2017, Haas unveiled its newest building, Connie & Kevin Chou Hall, which was designed to achieve both LEED and WELL certifications. Both certifications are part of the U.S. Green Building Council portfolio.
In 2018—after years of collaborative infrastructural work—Chou Hall became the first academic building in the world to receive the TRUE Zero Waste certification.
Today, Chou Hall serves as a model for environmental sustainability at UC Berkeley and represents a critical step toward the University of California’s Zero Waste by 2020 and beyond and Carbon Neutrality by 2025 goals.
To learn more about the zero waste efforts at Chou Hall and Haas, you can view our comprehensive Chou Hall Zero Waste Initiative Report.
Achieving zero waste in Chou Hall
No landfill generation
Everything generated in Chou Hall (including to-go ware at Cafe Think) is compostable or recyclable, and can be disposed of properly in the bins in the building.
Pack-in, Pack-out
Building users are asked to adopt a “Pack-In, Pack-Out” mentality. If they bring any landfill items into Chou Hall, they must bring them back out. These items may be disposed in large solar-powered waste compactors located near building entrances.
Zero waste events
Event caterers and hosts must adhere to a Zero Waste Guidelines and Events Checklist (Google Doc) to host events in Chou Hall’s cutting-edge Spieker Forum or the Wells Fargo Room in Cheit Hall, or in any classroom or event space in the building.
Eliminating Single Use Items
Haas Rechargeable Battery Program
As of August 2021, Haas has rechargeable batteries (AA, AAA, 9 volt and lithium) available to check out at no charge to be used in your on or off campus devices, saving you money and diverting waste from our landfills. Haas students, staff and faculty can check out batteries in the computer center.
