California State University, Long Beach
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

CSULB has been a standout winner of the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) Best Practice Award for numerous years, highlighting the campus’ ongoing commitment to sustainability. In its 16th year, CHESC is an annual event jointly organized by California State Universities, University of California, California Community Colleges, and private colleges as an opportunity for collaborative dialogue and networking among higher-education institutions across the state. Every year, CHESC recognizes the achievements of campuses by awarding the Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards in a number of categories, ranging from sustainable building design to community partnerships. These awards also highlight the winning projects as models for other higher education institutions to follow.

In 2018, CSULB was the recipient of two best practice awards in the “Energy Efficiency” category for our newly upgraded LED lighting in the campus’ athletics stadium, the Walter Pyramid, as well as for the 4.75 megawatt solar panel installation, the largest in the CSU system and in the City of Long Beach. At the 2019 CHESC, CSULB was awarded three best practice awards in three separate categories. The construction of the campus’ College of Professional & International Education building--the first net-zero-energy classroom building in the CSU--was the recipient of the best practice award in the category of “Overall Sustainable Design.” The campus’ Clean Energy Master Plan received the “Partnership, Communications, and Planning” best practice award for being a model planning and tracking tool to achieve carbon neutral operations by 2030. Lastly, a partnership between the campus’ Grow Beach campus garden and hospitality management undergraduate program was recognized as a prime example of campus collaboration to address food sustainability through food recovering and gardening programs.

In 2018, CSULB was recognized with an honorable mention in the Climate Leadership Award competition by the national climate action organization, Second Nature, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. In its ninth year, the national Climate Leadership Awards recognize innovative and exemplary leadership in climate change mitigation, resilience, and student preparedness among colleges and universities that are active in Second Nature’s climate commitments.

CSULB is a signatory to the Second Nature Climate Commitment, which encompasses both a commitment to reduce our campus carbon emissions and promote climate literacy (Carbon Commitment), while also building adaptive capacity to withstand the inevitable impacts of climate change (Resilience Commitment).

The Student Preparedness award category, in which CSULB received the honorable mention, recognizes university-wide efforts to create educational opportunities both within and outside of the classroom to prepare students for climate change action and leadership. Recognized efforts include a 24-hour “hackathon” style event called Climathon that is coordinated annually by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the student-organized State of the Environment Conference. The award also acknowledges campus-community partnerships that provide experiential learning opportunities that give students real-world experiences in climate change education, empowerment, and positive impact in their local communities.

In 2018, through a partnership between the campus Office of Sustainability and the Sustainability Task Force, the CSULB Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden was selected as a receipt of the prestigious Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Sustainability. The California Natural Resources Agency and the California Association of Museums give this award annually to a California museum, zoo, aquarium, science center, botanical garden, or historical society with an exemplary public education or operational sustainability program. Only four California-based museums were recognized in 2018 for making strides to promote sustainability in their communities.

The Japanese Garden was recognized for its role in co-hosting CSULB’s Green Generation Mixer and Sustainability Project Showcase, an annual event that brings together the campus and Long Beach community for an evening of networking, music, food, and sustainability-focused student and faculty projects. For the past 7 years, the Japanese Garden has provided a space for sustainability-centered discussion, celebrated the academic achievements of students and faculty through a Project Showcase, and allowed attendees to make connections with environmental organizations on and off-campus.

Reporting Period: AY 2020-21