Taking on yet another academic leadership role, Berkeley Law professor and prominent environmental law expert Daniel Farber was recently named chair of the Energy and Resources Group (ERG). An interdisciplinary unit of UC Berkeley, ERG has dedicated its combined brainpower to helping enable a future in which material needs and a healthy environment are mutually and sustainably satisfied.
“Sustainability” is the big buzzword in green circles these days, but Farber—the director of Berkeley Law’s prestigious environmental law program—says ERG has been focused for decades on ways to generate sustainable energy. As ERG’s chair, Farber will help the group foster service, research, and education to bolster that effort.
“Many appealing things about this opportunity jumped out,” he says. “First, ERG has a proven track record of working with a broad cross-section of experts to achieve the best possible results. And they do a terrific job integrating their programs with the needs of the community.”
Such programs include the UV-Tube Project, which focuses on developing areas where suitable water treatment methods are not consistently used because of their cost, inconvenience, complexity, or energy requirements. The UV-Tube is a simple and affordable household water disinfection device that uses ultraviolet light to inactivate pathogens.
“The law school has made a commitment to be out front in marshalling all of the tremendous resources we have on campus,” Farber says. “By bringing together people from a wide range of academic fields, we can better confront the serious energy challenges now facing the world.”
– By Andrew Cohen 8-18-08