California State University, Long Beach
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The CSULB Climate Action Plan includes several sustainability objectives that are related to academics and research, including:
• Inventory existing courses concerning sustainability and climate change
• Inventory faculty who teach courses
• Encourage development of new sustainability and climate related courses
• Inform students about the availability of these courses
• Explore approaches to structuring sustainability curriculum
• Identify faculty, departments, and programs engaged in climate change and sustainability related or focused research and creative activity.
• Develop a sustainability “learning community” involving faculty, students, administration, staff, facilities personnel, and practitioners from the university and the greater community
• Explore grant opportunities and other incentives to encourage faculty to initiate new sustainability-related research

The 2014 systemwide CSU Sustainability Policy also seeks to further integrate sustainability into the academic curriculum working within the normal campus consultative process.

Periodically, CSU campuses are required to report progress implementing the Sustainability Policy to the CSU Board of Trustees.

Sustainability Policy Reporting Metrics:
• Provide the number of sustainability- focused degree programs
• Provide the number of sustainability-focused courses offered
• Please list any courses or projects developed as part of the Campus as a Living Lab program
• List any sustainability-related academic institutes at this campus

The CSULB Climate Action Plan includes several sustainability objectives that are related to engagement, including:
• Provide opportunities for community engagement through the events, programs, services, and resources.
• Cultivate partnerships, and collaborations with local governments, businesses, non-profit organizations, community groups, and the residents of Long Beach and surrounding cities.
• Develop partnerships with communities in our vicinity

The CSU Sustainability Policy also includes several sustainability objectives that address student, employee, and community engagement for sustainability. Examples of such objectives include:
• The CSU will develop employee and student workforce skills in the green jobs industry, promote the development of sustainable products and services, and foster economic development.
• Each CSU is encouraged to designate a sustainability officer responsible for carrying out and/or coordinating campus sustainability program efforts.
• The CSU will inform students, faculty, staff and the general public of the need for and methods of energy conservation and utilities management.
• Campuses and food service organizations shall collaborate to provide information and/or training on sustainable food service operations to staff and patrons

Additionally, the Policy Statement on Energy Conservation, Sustainable Building Practices, and Physical Plant Management for the CSU (Executive Order 987) states that the “CSU shall incorporate appropriate training programs for CSU facilities personnel with the aim of promoting and maintaining the goals” outlined for energy conservation and sustainable building practices.

The policy also states that “the CSU will encourage continued energy conservation and lowest utilities operating costs on its campuses by instituting incentive plans designed to recognize and reward meritorious achievements by campus staff, faculty, and students beyond normal expectation.”

2014 CSU Sustainability Policy Draft Reporting Metrics
Required Metrics:
1. Does the campus offer sustainability-related student internship opportunities (either paid or for credit) (Y/N)? If so, please describe, and provide the number of participating students.
2. Does the campus offer continuing education courses that address sustainability and/or a sustainability-themed certificate program (Y/N)? If so, please describe.
3. Does the campus have an institute or research center in a relevant area that provides instruction or training to students, employee, and/or the community, or focus on the research, demonstration, or deployment of sustainable products or services (Y/N)? If so, please describe.
4. Does the campus offer sustainability-related training or professional development opportunities to staff (Y/N)? If so, please describe and provide the number of staff participating, if known.
Optional Metrics:
5. Does the campus hold Green Jobs networking events, a Career Fair featuring green companies, or similar events (Y/N)? If so, please describe.
6. Does the university offer an ongoing peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program for students?
7. Please describe any other relevant campus initiatives or programs related to this policy goal toward the goal of climate neutrality.

The CSULB Climate Action Plan includes several sustainability objectives that are related to campus operations:
• Reduce energy-related GHG emissions
• Eliminate energy waste
• Improve the efficiency of all energy consuming systems
• Incorporate net zero energy measures in all new construction
• Transition to alternative renewable sources of energy as we phase out the use of fossil fuel based energy source

The CSU includes measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations in several published policies, including the CSU Sustainability Policy and the Policy Statement on Energy Conservation, Sustainable Building Practices, and Physical Plant Management for the CSU (Executive Order 987).

Examples of operational sustainability objectives included in these policies are:
• Each CSU campus will designate an energy/utilities manager with the responsibility and the authority for carrying out energy conservation and utilities management programs. The Chancellor's Office will have the responsibility to coordinate the individual campus programs into a system wide program.
• The CSU will cooperate with federal, state, and local governments and other appropriate organizations in accomplishing energy conservation and utilities management objectives throughout the state
• The CSU will strive to reduce system wide facility greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels, or below, by 2020 consistent with AB 32, California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (HSC §38550)
• The CSU will strive to reduce facility GHG emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2040. Campus tracking and reporting of their GHG inventory will be grounded in the American College and University President's Climate Commitment guidelines or equivalent, with consideration to campus requested improvements. Metrics will include GHG emissions per FTE.
• The CSU will endeavor to exceed the State of California and California Public Utilities Commission Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) sooner than the established goal of procuring 33 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020.
• All CSU campuses will pursue water resource conservation to reduce water consumption by 10 percent by 2016, and 20 percent by 2020 including such steps to develop sustainable landscaping, install controls to optimize irrigation water use, reduce water usage in restrooms and showers, and promote the use of reclaimed/recycled water.
• Campuses shall seek to reduce the solid waste disposal rate by 50 percent (PRC § 42921) by 2016, by 80 percent by 2020, and move to zero waste.
• Campuses shall strive to increase their sustainable food purchases to 20 percent of total food budget by 2020.
• The CSU will monitor monthly energy and utility usage on all campuses and the Chancellor’s Office, and will prepare a system wide annual report on energy utilization and greenhouse gas emissions. The Chancellor’s Office will maintain a system wide energy database in which monthly campus data will be compiled to produce system wide energy reporting. Campuses will provide the Chancellor’s Office the necessary energy and utility data, such as electricity and natural gas consumption; water and sewer usage; fuel consumed by fleet vehicles, boats, and ships; waste disposal for the system wide database in a timely manner.
• Each CSU campus is encouraged to develop and maintain a campus wide integrated strategic energy resource plan, which will include tactical recommendations in the areas of new construction, deferred maintenance, facility renewal, energy projects, water conservation, solid waste management, and an energy management plan. This plan will guide the overall energy program at each campus.

CSU Wellbeing Policy on Student Mental Health (EO 1053):
Campuses shall provide psycho-educational workshops, programs and services that address critical student issues as well as prevention and wellness programs. Programs must be responsive to the diversity of the CSU student population and enhance the ability of students to develop healthy and effective styles of living and learning.

Equity and Action Report
Complete list of goals is available here: https://www.csulb.edu/onebeach/black-lives-matter/equity-and-action-report

From the CSU Sustainability Policy:

The policy “aims to not only 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 our educational offerings” (CA State University Sustainability Policy Proposal, page 1).

The policy summarizes goals and intent in the first four numbered points, subtitled “University Sustainability”:
1. The CSU will seek to further integrate sustainability into the academic curriculum working within the normal campus consultative process (14-new)
2. The CSU will develop employee and student workforce skills in the green jobs industry, promote the development of sustainable products and services, and foster economic development (14-new)
3. The CSU will pursue sustainable practices in all areas of the university, including:
a. Business operations such as procurement; information technology; student service; food services; facilities operations; design and construction; and
b. Self-funded entities such as student housing, student unions, parking, children’s centers, and auxiliary operations (14-new)
4. Each CSU is encouraged to designate a sustainability officer responsible for carrying out and/or coordinating campus sustainability program efforts. (14-new)

The policy goes on to call out objectives in the following subject areas: Climate Action Plan, Energy Independence and Procurement, Energy Conservation and Utility Management, Water Conservation, Waste Management, Sustainable Procurement, Sustainable Food Service, Sustainable Building Practices, and Physical Plant Management.

The CSU Sustainability policy may be downloaded here: http://www.calstate.edu/cpdc/sustainability/policies-reports/

Additional information about the CSU commitment to sustainability may be found here: https://www2.calstate.edu/sustainability

Additionally, in 2018 CSULB launched a campus and community wide visioning initiative called Beach 2030. The results of that effort produced a list of our campus' Vision and Priorities. Among the five strategic priorities identified was the following:

Cultivate Resilience: Implement innovative, entrepreneurial, and forward-looking actions to strengthen the institution and support the aspirations of community members.

- Prioritize our campus community's health and well-being.
- Build infrastructure and adopt practices to promote sustainability and withstand climate uncertainty.
- Increase financial capacity through mechanisms such as legislative advocacy, philanthropy and community and industry partnerships to withstand economic volatility and further contribute to the economic development of the City of Long Beach and our region.
- Be nimble and proactive in an ever-changing technological landscape to support transformations in access, engagement, resilience, teaching, learning and research.

From the Mission Statement of the President's Commission on Sustainability:

Sustainability is broadly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This requires an intentional and simultaneous focus on environmental, social, and economic health.

Definition published on the university's sustainability website:

Often the term sustainability is associated primarily with the environment. Although the environment is an important dimension of sustainability, a more complete definition includes additional aspects.

Sustainability consists of three elements:
• Our natural world, the environment and natural resources - The endowment of renewable and non-renewable resources is critical to sustaining life on the planet.
• The community and social structures - Respect for the cultures and social values that exist around the world is a fundamental dimension of sustainability.
• Economic systems - These systems produce the goods and services necessary for survival and must be included when considering the full dimension of sustainability and sustainable development.

Sustainable solutions must include all of these dimensions.

Consideration of the future is also a key element of sustainability. The basic idea behind sustainability is that the current generation can meet its needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Brundtland Report, 1987). There are other considerations depending on the perspective of the person defining the term. For example, economists will include an element that addresses the efficient allocation of scarce resources with inter-generational considerations while an ecologist would frame the discussion in terms of temporal ecosystem functions, biodiversity, or resiliency. Regardless of the discipline, all decisions made around the world today should consider how to implement sustainability in practice.

CSULB became a signatory to the Second Nature Carbon Commitment in 2011 and a Charter signatory to the Resilience Commitment in 2016.