News

California Avenue closure starts Dec. 1

Beginning Dec. 1, 2025 and continuing into 2026, a portion of California Avenue near Cruess Hall will be closed to vehicular and bicycle through traffic. The closure extends from the intersection at North Quad to the intersection at Tennis Court Lane, near the campus gate. 

See closure details in the interactive map and find information on detours below.

Design a Mural (and Get Paid for It!)

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.

Sheep Shift Climate Poetry

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.

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.

Campus commits $55.5 million to the next phase of Big Shift

Earlier this month, the Chancellor and the Chancellor’s Committee on Campus Planning and Design, or CCCPD, endorsed moving forward with a $55.5 million investment of campus funds for the next phase of the Big Shift – a heating infrastructure overhaul that represents a crucial step in reducing the university’s fossil fuel usage. 

First and Largest Phase of Big Shift is Complete

After more than two years of digging trenches, laying pipes and converting mechanical rooms, the first district of the Big Shift is complete. In a landmark achievement, hot water is running through the Quad district and heating buildings at UC Davis.

Never Resting on Our Laurels

From researching how to more efficiently cool buildings to adding compost bins to classroom buildings, many units across campus perform invaluable work that allows UC Davis to continuously reach the highest levels of sustainability.

Regents Approve Design for Next Stage of Big Shift

The funding for the development of the preliminary plans for the next phase of the Big Shift was approved by the University of California Board of Regents on Jan. 19, 2022.

Shifting Toward Sustainability, Building by Building

In an important milestone for the Big Shift, hot water is now flowing through recently laid pipes into six buildings in the Quad District, providing them with heat from a more renewable source.

What About My Steam-Powered Appliance?

Thanks to the Big Shift project, our campus is moving away from using natural-gas-created steam to heat our buildings to green-energy-produced hot water. So, what happens to other stuff we use that runs on steam?