Big Shift trench
First phase complete!

After more than two years of digging trenches, laying pipes and converting mechanical rooms, the first and biggest district of the Big Shift is complete.

What is the Big Shift?

In spring of 2020, we launched a large-scale construction project that literally lays the groundwork for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, while immediately decreasing our energy and water use — we call it the Big Shift. The Big Shift is a cornerstone of our campus's Fossil Fuel-Free Pathway Plan, or FFFPP. When complete it will reduce the fossil fuel use on the Davis campus by 80%. 

It's going to get messy, but it's worth it.

Here's what's happening

Image of UC Davis watertower with solar panels in foreground.

The Big Shift supports UC Davis' Fossil Fuel-Free Pathway Plan

We are now studying how to eliminate most fossil fuel use from our operations with a Fossil Fuel-Free Pathway Plan. The UC Davis Fossil Fuel-Free Pathway Plan, or FFFPP, is the first of its kind undertaken by a University of California campus and one of the earliest comprehensive plans in the U.S. higher education sector. When complete, the Big Shift project will have the largest impact on reducing the Davis campus's carbon emissions.

Learn more and download the FFFPP