The CSU Commitment to Sustainability

Beyond Green Roofs

Michael Clemson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:12:10 +0000

Vertical gardens bring lush, verdant life to even the coldest and barest of surfaces, both indoors and out. These ‘living walls’ increase interior humidity, purify the air and provide a much-needed touch of nature in spare, angular urban spaces like airports, museums and shopping centers.

WebEcoist has a feature on 15 buildings with stunning vertical greenery from around the world.

Dale Prize Winners Plan for Change

Marlene Nang — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:05:13 +0000

The Urban & Regional Planning Department has announced the winners of the 2009 William R. and June Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban Planning. Gail Goldberg and Stephen M. Wheeler will be honored at an upcoming banquet and colloquium. This year’s events focus on “The Future of California’s Communities and Regions in an Era of Resource Constraints and Climate Change.”

Increasingly, today’s planners are challenged to carefully consider California’s future as they plan the state’s communities and regions. Resource constraints such as water supply, combined with aggressive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, mean that the context for planning has changed. Some see a transformation toward a mixed-use, urban model while others contend that outlying areas will adapt and prosper. Because change is continuous, unprecedented new types of communities may emerge.

Full Story: Dale Prize Winners Plan for Change

From the Farm to the Dining Hall

Marlene Nang — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:50:46 +0000

The local, organic produce served at Humboldt State’s main dining hall is fresh. In fact, if you’re eating a salad in The J at noon, there’s a good chance the lettuce was picked that same morning.

HSU’s Dining Services has experienced great success with its local, organic and sustainable offerings. While Dining Services has worked with local food suppliers for decades, about four years ago HSU connected with the Humboldt County chapter of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and began increasing its local food options. The result has been that during the North Coast’s growing season—roughly April to October—between 50 to 100 percent of produce at HSU is local and organic.

Full Story: From the Farm to the Dining Hall

HSU Hosts Sustainability Leadership Drive

Marlene Nang — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:28:08 +0000

Humboldt State University will host some 250 high school students in early February from the Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley and north to the Redwood Coast at a Leadership Conference in Sustainability that builds on HSU’s historical role in green initiatives.

“Focus on Sustainability: Recycling, Conserving, Reducing and Rethinking” is the theme of the forum, which will train “Nor-Cal Generation Y” students in leadership skills, activism and community involvement. It will take place Saturday, February 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room at University Center.

Full Story: HSU Hosts Sustainability Leadership Drive

Cal State Fullerton to Host Global Warming Teach-In

Marlene Nang — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:17:39 +0000

A Feb. 5 daylong “Teach-In on Global Warming” will utilize faculty expertise and student advocates for sustainability to spotlight campus responses to environmental change.

Cal State Fullerton’s homegrown event will feature 15 half-hour presentations on a wide range of subjects followed by question-and-answer sessions. The day will include tours of the Fullerton Arboretum, information booths, a nationally based webcast, free refreshments and a drawing for a bicycle.

Full Story: Cal State Fullerton to Host Global Warming Teach-In