Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

California State University Chico, Part of the Chico, California Community Photographer: Unknown

Contact

Jillian K Buckholz
Sustainability Coordinator
Institute for Sustainable Development
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA
(530) 898-4335
jbuckholz@csuchico.edu

Governance & Administration

CSU, Chico's institutional commitments to sustainability include the University's 6^th Strategic Priority, which outlines sustainability as a leading priority for the campus.  Sustainability is imbedded in the campus Master Plan, committing the campus to LEED Silver certification or equivalent on all new construction.  CSU, Chico is one of the first signatories of the American Colleges and Universities President's Climate Commitment and recently our University Print Services received Forest Stewardship Council Certification.  The Associated Students (AS) also includes sustainability in its Strategic Plan.  In 2006, students voted to tax themselves $5/semester to create an AS Sustainability Coordinator Position as well as a sustainability fund.  The AS student organizations have written and passed several resolutions that have become policy, including an EPEAT resolution and green computer purchasing guidelines. 

CSU, Chico has several professional sustainability positions including the Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development, an office focused solely on sustainability at the university.  Other key positions with specific tasks related to sustainability include the campus and AS Sustainability Coordinators, Director of Civic Engagement, Director of Diversity, Endowed Professor of Environmental Literacy, AS Recycling Operations Coordinator, and the Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE) Assistant Program Manager. 

Sustainability focused campus committees at CSU, Chico include the Campus Conservation Committee, which drives waste reduction efforts; the Sustainability Fund Allocation Committee, which oversees the AS Sustainability Fund allocation to students who apply; the Transportation Committee, which focuses on safety and the promotion of alternative modes of transportation on campus; the Arboretum Committee, which is responsible for working with campus planning to maximize use of the Arboretum as an educational tool; and the student led AS Environmental Affairs Council, which writes resolutions to enhance sustainability in the AS and make recommendations for the university.

CSU, Chico is a member of sustainability focused organizations including the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Campus Compact, Association of American Colleges & Universities, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the California Collegiate Recycling Council.

In addition, other examples of institutional commitments to sustainability include a campus greenhouse gas inventory completed as a graduate student project.  CSU, Chico has a memorandum of understanding with the local native tribe, the Mechoopda; ensuring further development of the university is done in harmony with the tribe since the university is located on their native land.  CSU, Chico hosts several sustainability events including an annual sustainability conference, This Way to Sustainability, each fall, as well as Campus Sustainability Day, and Focus the Nation.  The AS supports several sustainability programs including AS Sustainability, AS Recycling, the Environmental Action and Resource Center (the campus environmental library), the Community Legal Information Center which offers free legal information to the community, AS Adventure Outings which offers inexpensive bike repair and information, and the Take Back the Tap campaign focusing on establishing a water filtration system and bottled water education.  The AS also hosts around 50 sustainability interns each semester who create their own sustainability projects. 

Operations

Renewable energy at Chico State includes our 365 kW solar array.  The award winning Green Campus Program, a student organization supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, has completed several conservation projects and campaigns on campus including Sustainability House, a retrofitted resident hall, energy competitions between residence halls, the metering of campus buildings, installation of EZ GPO software on campus computers earning $50,000 from campus partnership incentive funds, "Greeks Going Green" campaign to increase energy awareness in Greek houses, and the collection of over 1,000 signatures for the "Change a Light, Change the World Pledge." 

The campus is committed to LEED certification or equivalent on all new construction.  The Student Services Center construction has finished and CSU, Chico is applying for LEED Gold certification.  Under construction are the Wildcat Activities Center, Sutter Hall, and the Northern California Natural History Museum which aim for LEED Silver certification.

AS Food Services offers an organic salad bar and several vegan options.  AS Food Services has also signed a memorandum of agreement with the College of Agriculture's Organic Vegetable Project (OVP).  The OVP works with AS Food Services to determine the types of vegetables that will be in demand each season and then grows these vegetables at the University Farm.  When AS Recycling takes campus compost to the farm, they pick up boxed vegetables and drop them off with AS Food Services, closing the loop regarding the delivery of some on-campus foods.  The University Farm houses an Organic Dairy which is used as a learning environment for agriculture students.

CSU, Chico has purchased three ecological reserves for land restoration, educational purposes, and community outreach.  The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) is 4,000 acres and home to many diverse species of flora and fauna.  College courses and many classes (K-college) utilized the BCCER for fieldtrips, class projects, and research.  The Butte Creek Preserve (BCP) outdoor classroom is an education resource for elementary students and hosts community restoration events.  The third reserve, Eagle Lake Field Station, is highly utilized by professors and graduate students for research in the natural sciences. 

Waste diversion efforts include Diversion Excursion, a move out program that diverts waste from the landfill.  This year 17,000 pounds of trash was diverted.  America Recycles Day, RecycleMania, and Recycle Week, are all recycling awareness campaigns in which the university participates.  The Zero Waste Task Force was recently created by students to eliminate campus waste streams and the Surplus Office has regular auctions to remove unwanted campus furniture instead of sending it to the landfill. 

The Campus Transportation Committee focuses on alternative transportation options for the campus.  CSU, Chico has a partnership with the Butte County Area of Governments (BCAG) to provide free bus passes to all students and campus staff.  Chico State offers carpool passes for group commuters outside of Chico and is currently undergoing a transportation demand management (TDM) study to determine how to improve transportation issues to, from, and on campus.  Hundreds of university employees participated in Bike Week this past May. 

Curriculum & Research

Chico State offers an Environmental Studies Minor, a Managing for Sustainability Minor, and a Professional Science Masters Degree.  Other academic programs include a set of linked courses in business where first year students study the realities of good business with sustainability. 

The Rawlins Endowed Professorship of Environmental Literacy is a position that focuses on creating environmentally literate students upon graduation.  The goal is to instill values in students so they will consider the environment when making choices outside of college.  This goal is achieved through courses on Environmental Literacy, the creation of the Rawlins Environmental Prize for student sustainability projects, and support for students to attend conferences on sustainability.

University academic centers include the Internship Center, the Career Center, the Office of Civic Engagement, the Office of First Year Experience, the Office of Diversity, and the Cross-cultural Leadership Center.

Research Institutes include the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs that supports several faculty projects that relate to sustainability.  Projects are faculty driven, but all include student involvement.  Some of these projects include, the Organic Vegetable Project which grows organic vegetables for sale to AS Food Services and also provides a hands-on learning environment for agriculture majors.  The Million Solar Roof Project teaches engineering students how to assess the need for and install solar panels.  Tracking and Managing Environmental Factors focuses on the tracking of carbon footprint information across the entire supply and delivery chain for businesses.  The Conversion of Rice Hulls and Beer Waste project was student run and researched using rice hulls and beer waste to create fuel.  The Investigation of Biodegradable Packaging project's main objective is to evaluate performance, degradation rates and environmental impacts of various commercially available degradable plastic packaging and disposable food service ware products in commercially operated compost facilities and in simulated air, surface water, soil, and marine environments. The Sustainable Feeding Practices Project's goal is to establish the economics and production efficiency of alternative feeds common to the western region as replacements for costly imported grains. 

In addition, Chico State students, through the English 130 courses, have created Town Hall meetings that focus on various aspects of sustainability from diversity to climate change.  Students are required to research a topic of interest and report their findings at the Town Hall meeting.  Then, students host round-table discussions with campus and community people regarding action plans to further develop their interests.  Each semester approximately 300-700 people participate in these discussions.

Campus Culture

Sustainability campaigns at Chico State are largely student driven.  The Zero Waste Task Force was created by students to eliminate all waste streams on campus.  Currently their focus is a composting facility at the University Farm to accommodate pre-and post consumer food wastes from the resident halls.  The Take Back the Tap campaign has successfully received funding and support to install a filtered water system in the student union.  The Recycling And Rubbish Exhibit (RARE) is a hands-on trash museum for elementary schools that teaches young students about trash, recycling, and compost.  Students learn hands-on at the RARE facility and learn how to make a worm compost bin for their classroom.  The Net Impact Chapter focuses on green business strategies for the campus and community.  Sustainable Consultation of Office Practices (SCOOP) is a student led group that is a collaboration of the Green Campus Program, AS Recycling, AS Sustainability, Net Impact, and the Institute for Sustainable Development.  SCOOP conducts sustainability assessments of office practices and offers a recommendation report of how offices can operate more sustainably.  The AS Recycling Education Coordinator conducts education campaigns for the campus community on the importance of the four R's;  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot.  The Compost Display Area and Garden (CDAG) is an educational tool for the campus and community to learn about various composting methods.  Slow Food Chico State teaches the campus the importance of local, healthy food options.  One project was "Chico on $10 a Day" which taught students how to shop locally at the Farmer's Market while still creating healthy meals on a budget.

Greeks Going Green is a campaign by the Green Campus Program to help sororities and fraternities learn about energy conservation.  One sorority house was given The Energy Detective so they could display their energy use in plain sight, CFL's to replace incandescent light bulbs, and workshops to learn about energy conservation.  Sustainability House, also a Green Campus Project, is a 16 person resident house that has been retrofitted for energy efficiency.  All appliances were replaced with Energy Starä appliances when possible, light fixtures and bulbs were replaced with energy efficient models, and health care and cleaning products were replaced with more environmentally friendly options.  Sustainability House also has a worm compost bin and participate in educational workshops each semester.  Sutter Hall is a new resident hall that will be LEED Silver certified.  Construction has recently begun on this new hall.

The Sustainability Graduation Pledge was offered to graduating seniors in 2006/2007 and will continue with support from a student coordinator. 

Other sustainability efforts include The Cause, an off-campus house where four Chico State students live and model a sustainable lifestyle.  From compost to chicken coups, bike repair to rain water collection, and greenhouses to compost piles, these students are models in the community and have completed all projects by donation and resource diversion.  GRUB is another off-campus organization led by Chico State students that borrows unutilized land to grow food for a community supported agriculture project. 

Community Service and Outreach

Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE) is an Associated Students program located on the California State University, Chico campus that has been serving the community since 1966.  The student run non-profit agency offers over 20 volunteer programs to choose from, including those that serve children, the elderly, special populations, adult non-readers, English as a Second Language learners, low-income residents in the Chico area, as well as state parks and institutions throughout Northern California.  

CSU, Chico is proud of its connection with the community.  This past year the Sustainable Business Partnership was created between the university and the Chico Chamber of Commerce creating a link for business students to make real world connections outside of the university.  Chico State and Butte Community College work closely on several efforts like Focus the Nation, This Way to Sustainability Conference, American Democracy Project, and cross-institution curriculum making the transition from Butte College to Chico State a smooth one for students.  The Conversations on Diversity series (COD) focuses on the complexities of group and individual identities and how they influence one another. The gatherings provide a safe space for members of the campus and community to consider the often sensitive issues surrounding identity.  Scour and Devour is a community and campus clean-up program in the beginning of the Fall Semester that coordinates the efforts of over 1,000 people to pick up trash throughout the city of Chico.  The Rawlins Advisory Board is a community advisory group for the Endowed Professor of Environmental Literacy.  The Board is composed of a broad range of personalities including business professionals, educators, agriculturalists, city planners, and campus administrators.  The Center for Applied and Professional Ethics (CAPE) promotes ethical reflection about various issues of concern within and outside the University; sustainability has been a topic of discussion at these forums. In this capacity CAPE sponsors public lectures and panel discussions on topics of ethical interest, facilitates teaching and research about ethics, serves as a link between the University and the professional communities of Northern California, and provides a context in which the University can engage in ethical reflection on its own work and mission.  The On The Creek Lecture Series is a open to the community and explores the sustainability issues that affect our world today by featuring reputable and knowledgeable speakers, authors, scientists and activists who focus on environmental issues, travel, conservation, global warming and preservation.  The City of Chico Sustainability Task Force is responsible for making the City of Chico a sustainable community.  One-third of the Sustainability Task Force is comprised of Chico State faculty and staff.  Over the past year SEED, a student entrepreneurial group, conducted a SCORE Audit for the City of Chico-a collaboration among students, faculty, and the local government.