Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.39
Liaison Holli Fajack
Submission Date July 6, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Long Beach
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Holli Fajack
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability, Beach Building Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student Groups 

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
The Environmental Science & Policy Club Spreads awareness, education, and appreciation of the environment in conjunction with promoting sustainability on and off campus. This group is governed by student members. Students for Sustainable Health A student organization committed to fostering healthy lifestyles through the promotion of sustainable food systems. Their mission is to empower members through action and education while promoting healthy living and access to sustainable nutrition within the community. This group is governed by student members. Geography Student Association Finds events and programming that suits geography major/minor students including lectures, land restoration projects, networking events, cultural dinners and more. This group is governed by student members. The Cycling Club This group is determined to promote cycling as a fun, valued, and sustainable transportation choice on and off campus through community, advocacy, and education. This group is governed by student members. The Marine Biology Student Association A student run organization where people interested in marine life and science can come together and form a like-minded and passionate cohort. Members are not only encouraged to discuss current events in marine biology but also to make friends and socialize through off-campus events like beach clean-ups and local snorkeling trips. This group is governed by student members. Engineers for a Sustainable World A non-profit network comprised of students, faculty, and professionals who are dedicated to building a more sustainable world for current and future generations. Their mission is to bring innovative and lasting engineering solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. This group is governed by student members.

The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):

Gardens and Farms 

Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Grow Beach! is a campus-wide effort to provide a natural and convenient garden right on campus. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni use the campus garden to cultivate their own food while creating a positive academic, cultural, environmental, and sustainable impact on the CSULB University experience.

The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):

Student-Run Enterprises 

Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
The Student Swap Shop is a student-run initiative which provides students with the opportunity to swap unneeded or old school supplies, like books, notebooks and other items essential to education. The Student Swap Shop is housed within the ASI Beach Pantry, a campus food pantry that provides non-perishable food and personal care items to students in need.

The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):

Sustainable Investment and Finance 

Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
N/A

The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Events 

Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
Earth Week: This is a week long event in April. Each day brings opportunities to learn about environmentally friendly choices that can be made in everyday life. With vendor and campus group information tables, demonstrations, prizes, and giveaways, the events aim to be fun and educational. Sustainability Learning Community Speaker Series: The goal of this series is to foster the development of a sustainability learning community that will help provide a foundation to launch the next generation of leaders faced with the challenges of integrating sustainability into their decisions, whether as professionals or their everyday life choices. A learning community that is successful in meeting this objective requires creating an institutional structure that is inclusive and respectful of all disciplines and perspectives related to sustainability and sustainable development. Instead of developing a brand new speakers series, this event aims to highlight the ways in which sustainability can be considered through the lens of any discipline by "piggy-backing" on existing speakers series' put on by various different departments. Green Generation Mixer & Sustainability Project Showcase: CSULB's annual Green Generation Mixer brings together student, faculty, staff, and Long Beach community sustainability leaders for a fun evening and the opportunity to connect with sustainability-minded student clubs, local environmental organizations, and Long Beach-based green businesses. The mixer also features a Sustainability Project Showcase, a presentation of student and faculty research, creative and technical projects that explore a wide variety of sustainability topics and solutions. The projects are entered into a contest, judged and evaluated based on the quality of presentation, originality, and successful communication of sustainability issues and concepts.

The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):

Cultural Arts 

Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
Puvu Indigenous Cultural Sustainability Series: This event collaboratively brings together a series of professional speakers addressing the impacts of global warming and potential solutions for creating culturally and environmentally sustainable spaces for future generations. Speakers at this series have included local Native Americans (Tongva/Gabrielino), a Purepecha community member, City of Long Beach officials, and CSULB administrators. Attendees learn about the history of the land (Puvungna) and "The People", the original biodiversity of lands and oceans in Los Angeles and northern Orange Counties, the City of Long Beach, Native American Food Sustainability Practices, and local responses, conflict-resolutions and problem-solving methods for creating a sustainable future.

The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):

Wilderness and Outdoors Programs 

Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The ASI Student Recreation and Wellness Center offers Outdoor Adventure Trips, a fee-based program that features activities such as rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking, and kayaking. Trips include experienced leaders, transportation, equipment, and food. All trips follow Leave No Trace principles. Examples of two principles are: 1.) Dispose of waste; participants are informed of what to do about micro and macro trash along with how to dispose of human waste properly. 2.) Leave what you find; participants are encouraged to take pictures and nothing else.

The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):

Sustainability-Related Themes 

Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
N/A

The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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Sustainable Life Skills 

Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
N/A

The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Student Employment Opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
CSULB Office of Sustainability The Office of Sustainability in CSULB’s Physical Planning & Facilities Management Department offers a variety of internship and student assistant positions. Student interns and assistants help with campus sustainability efforts and specific projects. ASI/USU Sustainability Assistant Positions These paid student assistants develop and support ASI and USU campus sustainability programs and initiatives under the direction of the ASI/USU Facilities Director and Associate Director and the ASI Sustainability Coordinator. Check out the ASI Jobs website to see if applications are currently being accepted for this position. ASI Recycling Center Student Assistants These paid student assistants work at the ASI Recycling Center, the award-winning state-certified drop-off facility and redemption center that has been serving the campus and Long Beach community since 1976. Students assist with material collection on campus, sorting and consolidating or material, and providing service to community members who come to the center to drop off their recyclables. ASI Secretary for Sustainability Position The Secretary for Sustainability is a one-year, paid position within the AS President’s Cabinet. Responsibilities are to promote awareness of ASI sustainability efforts, develop sustainability strategies, and advise student government on campus sustainability efforts.

The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:

Graduation Pledge

Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledges:
N/A

The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Other Programs and Initiatives 

Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
Yes

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
Sustain U is an ad hoc committee that focuses on creating an awareness of sustainability throughout the Associated Students Inc. (ASI), the University Student Union (USU), and the University as a whole. Sustain U members include students, often elected student leaders, and full-time staff members representing the various functions of ASI/USU as well as staff from throughout the university. Student membership in Sustain U or even intermittent attendance at meetings is open to anyone interested. This group is governed in part by students. Working Groups under the campus Sustainability Task Force are made up of CSULB faculty, staff, and students who volunteer their time to research strategies, develop plans, implement programs, and complete projects that help achieve key campus sustainability goals. All interested members of the campus community are invited to participate. This group is governed in part by students.

The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):

Optional Fields 

Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available: www.csulb.edu/ais Additional URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available: http://asicsulb.org/corporate/work Additional URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available: http://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/task-force

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.