Four people use paint rollers to apply bright green, yellow, and red swaths of color to a large outdoor mural on a utility structure. Sheep graze on the lawn in the foreground, and a student walks by holding a drink. The scene is set on the UC Davis campus, with trees and buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.
Design the "Sheep Shift" Mural!

UC Davis students — got a bold vision for climate art? Submit your mural concept combining Big Shift and our campus Sheepmowers by August 1 for a chance to win $400!

Learn More and Submit Your Design

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

News

Four people use paint rollers to apply bright green, yellow, and red swaths of color to a large outdoor mural on a utility structure. Sheep graze on the lawn in the foreground, and a student walks by holding a drink. The scene is set on the UC Davis campus, with trees and buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.

Design a Mural (and Get Paid for It!)

  • by Katie Hetrick
UC Davis students — have a bold vision for climate art? Submit your concept for The Sheep Shift mural by August 1 for a chance to win $400 and see your design transformed into a large-scale mural right across from California Hall.
Image of a group of people watching the UC Sheepmowers graze a lawn from the other side of a temporary fence.

Sheep Shift Climate Poetry

  • by Katie Hetrick
What words come to mind when you think about climate change? Urgency? Innovation? Carbon-free? Now, imagine those very words adorning the fluffy coats of sheep, transforming them into living symbols of our sustainability goals. Only at UC Davis could such a whimsical, yet meaningful event take place.
Joshua Moorejohn showing a boiler on a facilities tour

Dive Into Decarbonization at UC Davis

As each University of California campus prepares to publish its long-term plan for eliminating carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy, a new UC feature story shares how sustainability experts on three campuses — Davis, Berkeley and Santa Cruz —are phasing out fossil fuels ahead of schedule.