Cal State San Marcos’ efforts to reduce the amount of electricity the campus uses during periods of high demand have earned the university a statewide energy efficiency award.

Ed Johnson, director of facilities services for the university, was in San Francisco on Monday to accept the award from Flex Your Power.

A partnership of utility companies, businesses, government agencies, institutions, nonprofit organizations and individuals, Flex Your Power presents the awards annually to businesses, government agencies and other entities who demonstrate energy efficiency. More »

Think the Flintstones meet the Jetsons.

After 40 years of challenging universities to create a marketable human-powered automobile, the Society of Mechanical Engineers has yet to reach its goal.

Imagine a vehicle with an electric motor, four solar panels and eight eco-friendly batteries attached to a custom frame with two sets of power-generating foot pedals.

“I asked myself, ‘Why not?’” said Tai-Ran Hsu, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “Using solely human power isn’t practical enough for today’s society.”

Full Story: SJSU team creates award-winning zero-emissions vehicle

Green Campus Interns were featured prominently at the California State University Facilities Management Conference, with the four recognized campuses presenting to the full conference during Thursday evening’s Awards Dinner.

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Sustainable Consultations of Office Practices (SCOOP) won first place for student projects at a California State University systemwide Facilities Management conference in November.

The students prepared a PowerPoint presentation of their project’s intent, goals and results. SCOOP competed against other entrants, including UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Irvine, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz.

Full Story: SCOOP Scoops First Place at Facilities Conference

Nora and Hashem Naraghi Hall of Science, the recently completed state-of-the-art building on the California State University Stanislaus campus, has earned an environmental “green” rating that comes with a silver lining.

The University was notified this month by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that the new facility has been awarded a “Silver” rating through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program which rates buildings for their environmentally friendly features. The new rating award comes on the heels of the University’s “Green Rating” by The Princeton Review developed in partnership with ecoAmerica, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental organization.

Full Story: Naraghi Hall of Science earns “Silver” rating for LEED