Sustainability

Campus Sustainability Committee

About the campus sustainability committee

The CSUMB Campus Sustainability Committee was formed in 2007 to reflect the campus commitment to environmentally sustainable practices and in response toExecutive Order 987 (EO987), by the CSU Board of Trustees. The Committee is charged with coordinating the development of campus sustainability efforts and monitoring their progress. EO987 sets forth annual reporting requirements on our participation in CSU-wide and campus-specific academic and environmental principles, guidelines, and measurable goals as outlined in a Climate Action Plan. Progress toward meeting these goals is also reported via the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS®).

Toward this end, the Campus Sustainability Committee is currently developing our Climate Action Plan, due to be completed in January 2013.

The Campus Sustainability Committee members are organized into five (5) working groups:

  1. The TRANSCEND (T) work group is planning the measurable impact of our use of vehicles and land.
  2. The Supply Chain and Recycling Functions (SCARF) work group is planning our purchasing, use and disposal patterns.
  3. The Community Vibrancy, Social Equity, Engagement, Diversity & Sustainability (CV - SEEDS) work group is planning the metrics to be used to measure impact on the people who live, work and visit at CSUMB.
  4. The Communications, Outreach, Analysis, and Liaison (COAL) work group is planning methods of communication, including this web site, and partnerships with campus and outside groups.
  5. The Energy and Utilities (E&U) work group is planning the measurable energy use and relationships with utility partners as well as the impact of energy use on our carbon footprint.

See CSU Monterey Bay's STARS® report.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS® was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education™ (AASHE) with broad participation from the higher education community.

STARS has 4 categories of credits:

  1. Education and Research (ER) including curriculum
  2. Operations (OP) including buildings, grounds and environment
  3. Planning, Administration and Engagement (PAE) including diversity, human resources and public engagement and
  4. Innovation (of existing and new credits)

On June 12, 2007, CSUMB President Dianne Harrison signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, making CSUMB a charter signatory and leader among college campuses dedicated to reducing their carbon impact and eventually becoming completely climate neutral.

Under a charge from President Harrison, the Campus Sustainability Committee is leading the effort to eliminate CSUMB's greenhouse gas emissions over time. Their work involves:

  • Completing an emissions inventory within two years, setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral.
  • Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-term actions.
  • Integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience.
  • Making the action plan, inventory and progress reports publicly available.

Read about the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitmentand see CSU Monterey Bay's ACUPCC Report. Use the navigation menu on the right in order to explore what CSUMB is doing, right now, to reduce our environmental impact.