Cal State LA is pushing boundaries to create a more sustainable and resilient future. Committed to our local community, Cal State LA is taking the following necessary steps to meet the needs of our students without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Campus Sustainability Committee
Cal State LA's Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) promotes collaboration among faculty, students, and staff in the adoption of best practices, policies, projects and technologies to improve the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the campus community. The CSC serves in an advisory capacity to the President, and is charged with 1) educating and engaging campus stakeholders and external partners on sustainability issues, 2) integrating sustainability into campus policies and procedures, and 3) facilitating communication of initiatives, strategic plans, assessments, and updates on campus sustainability efforts, both internally and externally. To learn more about Cal State LA's Campus Sustainability Committee, see Administrative Procedure 428.
Climate Action Plan
In 2016, Cal State LA became a signatory member of Second Nature’s Climate Commitment, pledging to achieve carbon neutrality, create a climate resilience assessment, and develop strategies to integrate carbon neutrality and resilience into academic programs. As a result, Cal State LA's Climate Action Plan takes an integrated approach to climate change by addressing both carbon mitigation and climate adaptation planning. The Climate Action Plan outlines strategies to achieve operational carbon neutrality by of 2040, full carbon neutrality by 2045, and the completion of resilience strategies by 2040. In order to achieve these goals, the Cal State LA publishes an annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inventory and continually evaluates progress toward its climate resilience goals. To learn more about the University's climate commitment, visit Cal State LA's Second Nature Reporting Platform.
CSU Sustainability Policy
Cal State LA is committed to achieving the goals of the CSU Sustainability Policy, which includes eleven sustainability categories and specific goals to track the system’s sustainability progress. The CSU Sustainability Policy encompasses the tenets of human and ecological health, social justice, economic vitality, and promotes the environmental sustainability of CSU's operations for our built environment. It aims not only to reduce Cal State LA’s impact on the environment, but to also educate our students, faculty and staff on sustainability principles and climate literacy through the University's educational offerings. To learn more about the CSU Sustainability Policy and current efforts throughout the CSU system, visit the CSU's Sustainability website and see the CSU's First Assessment of the 2014 Sustainability Policy.
Green Revolving Fund
Cal State LA's Green Revolving Fund (GRF) is intended to empower all members of the Cal State LA community to help create a more sustainable world. The mission of Cal State LA's GRF is to financially support projects that promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste reduction and other sustainability initiatives with a demonstrated return on investment. The GRF looks to the University's students, faculty and staff to contribute ideas on the best ways to invest in energy and sustainability projects that reduce utilities consumption and generate cost savings. To learn more about the program, see the Cal State LA Green Revolving Fund Charter. If you have an idea you'd like to submit for consideration, please use the GRF Application and Close-Out Form.
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 credit criteria spans the breadth of higher education sustainability and is organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) currently recognizes Cal State LA as a STARS Gold Institution based on the University's reported accomplishments in campus sustainability. To learn more about the University's sustainability achievements, see Cal State LA's STARS Report and AASHE’s 2016 Sustainable Campus Index, highlighting Cal State LA's Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility.
Zero Waste
Cal State LA is committed to achieving the zero waste goals of the California State University Sustainability Policy, which are 1) to reduce landfill bound waste to 50% by 2030, 2) divert at least 80% from landfill by 2040, and 3) move toward zero waste. In 2016, Cal State LA surpassed the first goal with a 63% diversion rate and created the Cal State LA Zero Waste Plan to achieve the more ambitious zero waste goals of 90% waste diversion by 2026 and to move towards zero waste by 2036. Zero waste maximizes recycling, minimizes waste, reduces consumption, and ensures that products are made to be reused or recycled back into nature or the marketplace. To learn more about the University's zero waste program, visit the Zero Waste website.
Questions? Contact Brad Haydel, Energy & Sustainability Manager, Cal State LA.