California Institute of Technology
Beckman Mall and Beckman Auditorium Campus Category
Four year and graduate institutions under 5,000 student FTE
Contact Information
John Onderdonk
Manager for Sustainability Programs
Facilities
Education and Research
Since its inception, Caltech has been investigating the most challenging, fundamental, scientific, and technological problems of the natural world. From the 1930s discovery by Linus Pauling of the nature of the chemical bond to Clair Patterson’s work in the 1950s on lead pollution (that spurred the federal government to impose pollution controls on the auto industry) to current investigations of atmospheric chemistry and past climates conducted at the Linde Center for Global Environmental Science, Caltech has continuously explored the science of sustainability.
Caltech’s commitment to the science of sustainability was recently furthered with the creation of the Resnick Sustainability Institute. This $90 million initiative will integrate biologists, chemists, materials scientists, geologists, and engineers to focus on innovative science and engineering developments required for groundbreaking energy technologies to address global energy and climate challenges. Research will be focused on the production, storage, and utilization of energy, particularly the challenges and enormous potential of solar energy.
At Caltech, students are also encouraged to investigate sustainability in the classroom. The most recent example is a mechanical engineering term project where students worked with a Caltech alumni’s start-up company to monitor energy use in dorm rooms at the appliance level to stimulate awareness and conservation. This project is being expanded to additional dorms and laboratories to promote energy conservation campus wide.
Over the past two academic years, seven undergraduate students have worked, in paid internships, with the Office of Sustainability Programs in the areas of energy and water efficiency and carbon emissions. Caltech’s carbon inventory and several energy efficiency projects involving laboratory fume hoods and high performance computing centers are a result of this partnership.
Another example of the unique partnership between the administration and the student body is the Caltech Student Solar Initiative. During this project students designed, engineered, funded, and installed a 14 kW solar photovoltaic array on the roof of a laboratory building. The Office of Sustainability Programs and the Facilities Department provided matching funds and guidance.
Many other significant sustainability milestones in the area of education and research have been achieved in the last year including:
- Professor Harry Gray receiving the 2009 Welch Award in Chemistry for his lifetime achievement in the advancement of solar fuels
- A DOE Energy Frontier Research Center being established at Caltech to focus on fundamental scientific research into solar energy
- Professor Francis Arnold creating new enzymes capable of converting lignocellulosic biomass into liquid fuels
- Professor Steve Koonin being appointed by President Obama as the Under Secretary for Science in the Department of Energy
Campus Operations
Caltech is working hard to integrate sustainability into its campus operations. Early on, new students and new hires are exposed to sustainability during orientations and trainings where all aspects of campus sustainability are covered from developing a conservation ethic to the campus green cleaning practices.
Caltech has a comprehensive recycling program that handles paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, e-waste, batteries, and chemical hazardous waste. In 2008, Caltech diverted 40% of its waste from landfills earning the Institute recognition as the 2008 City of Pasadena Recycler of the Year for the third time.
Over the past year, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Committee has worked diligently to inventory the Institute’s greenhouse gas emissions and identify tens of millions of dollars in projects to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020 and improve the energy efficiency of the campus. Funded projects include retro-commissioning existing buildings, re-lamping parking garages with high-efficiency LED lights, replacing campus boilers and chillers with more efficient models and efficiency upgrades to high performance computing centers.
Improving building efficiency doesn’t stop there. All new buildings on campus will be LEED Gold certified at a minimum with particular emphasis placed on energy and water efficiency. Three buildings are currently pending Gold certification. Caltech has embarked on a project to renovate an existing laboratory building that will exceed LEED Platinum guidelines for energy efficiency by 30% and water efficiency by 20%.
Caltech is committed to installing clean and renewable energy technologies on campus. In 2004, a DOE/EPA award-winning, high efficiency co-generation plant was installed without which campus emissions would have been 30% higher. Caltech is currently home to a 200 kW photovoltaic array, the largest solar array in the city of Pasadena, and is installing another 1.2 MW of photovoltaic capacity, which when completed, will offset 7% of the Institute’s purchased power. A 3 MW installation of fuel cells is also in the planning stages.
Sustainability is being integrated into Dining Services through the use of local, organic and fair trade produce and products. In 2007, 60% of the produce used in campus dining was locally grown. In addition to on-campus student gardens, local agriculture is celebrated during the annual Olive Harvest where the campus’ olive trees are harvested to produce olive oil. The event culminates with a free dinner featuring local foods for the campus and surrounding community.
Other significant sustainability achievements in the area of campus operations include:
- Use of compostable and reusable dinning ware in all campus dining halls
- The campus chauffeur fleet includes a hybrid and a hydrogen powered car
- Extensive alternative transportation incentives are offered including discounts for carpooling, public transportation, biking and fuel efficient vehicles.
Administration and Finance
Caltech has adopted a sustainability vision of enhancing its core mission of education and research by reducing its environmental impact and promoting stewardship within the community. That vision is evident in the Institute’s strategic planning which incorporated sustainability into the Master Plan prepared in 2006 and the Building and Landscape Design Guidelines currently being prepared. The goal is to make the progression towards sustainability business as usual.
Caltech exhibits strong civic and public leadership. Caltech participates in the development of the city of Pasadena’s energy and water Integrated Resource Plans. Many Caltech faculty and staff members are actively engaged in promoting sustainability within the city government including individuals who hold seats on the Environmental Advisory Committee and the Pasadena Sustainable Transportation Action Committee. Caltech also hosts regular meetings with the mayor’s office, Pasadena Water and Power and other large businesses and organizations to explore ways to improve the business environment in the city while reducing environmental impacts.
Caltech is not only committed to researching and developing the next generation of clean technologies, but also deploying those technologies and stimulating the local Clean Tech industry to create jobs and bolster the local economy. Last year, Caltech partnered with the City of Los Angeles, UCLA, and USC to create Clean Tech Los Angeles, an organization dedicated to establishing Los Angeles as the global leader in clean technologies.
The Caltech endowment pool is invested in renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles in many different asset classes, including but not limited to venture capital, buyouts, and energy. While Caltech does not have any specific investment policy provisions, the Institute does use investment managers that have renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles and/or targeted investments in renewable energy within their funds. Caltech also offers donors the option of making gifts to the endowment that can be separately invested with investment restrictions (which could include investing in a fund that considers environmental/sustainability factors) or invested in our endowment pool which has investments in renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles. This information including asset allocation and investment performance is publicly available through the annual financial report published by the investment office.
