California State University, Bakersfield
IN-27: Innovation D

To complete the University's first AASHE STARS report, the Office of the President (Chief of Staff to the President, in her role as Liaison to the President for Sustainability and the Sustainability Coordinator) led a team of 10 paid sustainability interns (funded by the Energize Colleges program) to complete the aggressive hunt for campus sustainability data. The students were hired specifically for the sole task of collecting data and submitting the STARS report. Throughout the entirety of the project, the interns worked alongside campus staff for data collection. The student interns supported various campus departments in the submission of data to the STARS Liaison (Sustainability Coordinator). Student interns tracked down invoices and ledgers full of energy, water, mileage data and more. Some of this information spanned over the past decade. For information older than the three years prior to the STARS submission, student interns visited various campus storage facilities to track down physical hard copies of files. The interns used the STARS Data-Tracking Sheets, provided by AASHE, to collect the information. They were supported by the Director of Facilities Operations, Director of the Environmental Resource Management Program and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee, and other campus staff members, who then completed final submission and review. Leveraging the students as a campus resource allowed CSUB to assemble the comprehensive STARS report. This structure also provided the paid student interns with work experience, and the opportunity to hone valuable skills, including teamwork and collaboration, professional communication, and research experience.