SAN FRANCISCO – California was crowned as the overall winner of the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge for the 2022-23 basketball season, the conference announced on Tuesday morning.
 
A core pillar of Pac-12 Team Green, the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge is held annually during both football and basketball seasons. Each university selects one home football and one home men's or women's basketball game to compete and provide a platform for engaging on best practices in waste diversion. The Golden Bears have won five of the last six basketball challenges, posting a diversion rate of 92% or higher in each of the victories.
 
Cal earned a 95% diversion rate with 550 pounds in recycling and 97 pounds in compost for its Zero Waste game against Arizona State on Feb. 11. Cal Zero Waste, Cal Athletics, First Choice Custodial Services and Levy teamed up to ensure Haas Pavilion was zero-waste-friendly in the following ways:
 

• Ensured Haas Pavilion had the necessary bins and signage to help fans sort refuse
• Provided an educational table to let fans know about UC Berkeley's Zero Waste goals and to encourage fans to switch from disposable to reusable products; prizes were handed out to encourage engagement
• Ensured all concessions packaging was either compostable or recyclable, including compostable Pepsi cups
• Implemented "Trash Talking", in which Cal Zero Waste stood next to high-traffic receptacles throughout Haas Pavilion to help guide fans on how to sort their waste and be more mindful of ways they can support campus goals

 
Cal will be honored at the 2023 Pac-12 Sustainability Conference – alongside fellow Zero Waste Challenge winners Colorado (fan engagement), Washington (innovation) and UCLA (rising star) – which is set to take place on June 21-22 at Stanford University.
 
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