UC Davis is officially a Climate Action Leader, as declared by the California Climate Action Registry.

With the designation, UC Davis' carbon dioxide emissions tally for the year 2005 is now posted on the registry's Web site. The figure, 228,893 metric tons, serves as a baseline for the university's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Thank you for your dedication and support of our program and our mission to protect, encourage and promote early actions on climate change," Rachel Tornek, the registry's manager of outreach and members services, wrote in a letter to the UC Davis team that gathered the university's data for the registry.

"We look forward to many more years of working with you to take action on climate change."

In fact, the university already is at work collecting its emissions data for 2006.

UC Davis' data collection team includes Aimee Pfohl, an environmental protection specialist with the campus's Environmental Health and Safety unit; Victoria Evans, lassistant director of the UC Davis Air Quality Research Center; and Kristine Haunschild, a fifth-year civil engineering major with an environmental emphasis.

"Congratulations on completing the reporting and certification processes," Tornek wrote. "We commend you for your hard work in gathering and calculating the necessary information, and we commend your organization for your participation in the country's most rigorous voluntary GHG (greenhouse gas) reporting program.

UC Davis is one of nearly 250 public and private enterprises that have voluntarily joined the California Action Climate Registry. Two other UCs — Santa Barbara and San Diego — also have emissions data posted on the registry's Web site.

Look for UC Davis' data at www.climateregistry.org. In the Resources section, click on "Learn More" under Public Reports. Once there, click on "Enter the California Climate Action Registry Database Now." Search for "University of California, Davis" data for 2005.