More About Campus Sustainability

• Campus Sustainability Committee:

  Cal State LA's Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) was created in 2016 in order to promote 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.

• CSU Sustainability Policy:

  The California State University system has been a long-time proponent of energy conservation and other sustainability initiatives. In 2014, the CSU Sustainability Policy was approved and incorporates nine goals to track the system’s progress in achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability. The CSU Sustainability Policy aims not only to reduce the university’s impact on the environment and educate our students, faculty and staff on sustainable practices, but also to incorporate sustainability principles and climate science in the university's educational offerings. To learn more about the CSU Sustainability Policy and current efforts throughout the CSU system, visit CSU's Commitment to Sustainability website.

• Green Revolving Fund:

  Established in 2016, 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.

• Second Nature Climate Commitment:

  On April 4, 2016, Cal State LA became a signatory member of Second Nature’s Climate Commitment. The Climate Commitment includes: 1) the publication of annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inventories, 2) a campus-community resilience assessment, 3) active support of a joint campus-community task force, 4) development of a comprehensive Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and 5) the annual evaluation of progress toward carbon neutrality with climate resilience goals. Cal State LA is committed to achieving operational carbon neutrality by 2040, full carbon neutrality by 2045, and to remain carbon neutral in perpetuity thereafter. Cal State LA is also committed to achieving climate resilience, by actively adapting to Los Angeles’s changing climate, with the completion of its strategic adaptation priorities by 2040. To learn more about the university's commitment to addressing climate change, see Cal State LA's 2019 Climate Action Plan and visit our Second Nature Reporting Profile.

• Second Nature Climate Commitment:

  Cal State LA reports its sustainability efforts with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) with their Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. Performance indicators and credit criteria is organized into four categories that span the breadth of higher education sustainability: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. On June 6, 2016, Cal State LA received a STARS Silver rating and the university's Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility was highlighted in AASHE’s 2016 Sustainable Campus Index. To learn more about the university's sustainability achievements, see Cal State LA's STARS Report.