This past October 10, the UC Berkeley Travel Office, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, held the 2nd Annual Sustainable Travel event at the Pauley Ballroom in the MLK Building.
UC Berkeley, along with UC System-wide ConnexUC travel partners, were represented at the event to inform staff, faculty, and students about their initiatives to make products and services more sustainable and carbon neutral. Their efforts include airlines investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), rental car agencies offering electric and hybrid options, and hotels utilizing renewable energy and implementing other energy-efficient strategies. Nearly all travel partners are taking steps to eliminate single-use plastics, and some are also funding carbon offset programs. We were also pleased to showcase local UC Berkeley departments that prioritize sustainability in achieving their respective campus initiatives.
We had participation from all of the major US Airlines: Alaska Air, Southwest, Delta Airlines, United, and American, as well as Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa. Additionally, all of our rental car partners were represented, as were major hotel chains like Marriott and Wyndham and local hotel partners like the Claremont, Residence Inn, and Hotel Shattuck. We even had one of the UC eBike partners onsite, Ride1UP, with eBikes available to staff and faculty at a discount.
Locally, we had participation from SCM, Cal Dining (which served delicious sustainable food), the Office of Sustainability, UC Berkeley Energy, and, of course, Accounts Payable/Travel.
Enjoy interviews from the event featuring travel partners and local UC Berkeley units discussing their sustainability efforts on the Sustainable Travel Event page. We look forward to hosting the Sustainable Travel Event again in 2025.
If you would like to learn more about sustainable travel options, please check out our Sustainable Travel Guide page or contact us at travel@berkeley.edu.