Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 79.37
Liaison Jillian Leach
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

California State University, Chico
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete N/A Jennifer Rotnem
Director of Energy and Sustainability
FMS
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Chico State Commits to Sustainability as Strategic Priority
+ Date Revised: June 29, 2022

A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:

California State University, Chico completed its strategic planning process in 2019, weaving its commitment to sustainability throughout its vision, mission, and strategic priorities that will guide the University. The University's vision is that Chico State will be known as a preeminent university solving the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century. Its mission is Chico State is the comprehensive university of the North State with a global reach. Through excellence of inquiry, innovation, and experiential learning, we develop students who are critical thinkers, responsible citizens, diverse leaders, and inspired stewards of environmental, social, and economic resources. Resilient and Sustainable Systems is one of three Strategic Priorities.

The 2030 Campus Master Plan, completed Spring 2020, paralleled efforts led by President Gayle Hutchinson to develop a new Strategic Plan for Chico State. This provided a unique opportunity to closely align the physical development vision with the new Mission, Vision, Strategic Priorities, and Enduring Commitments. Both the strategic and campus planning processes represent the most inclusive efforts that Chico State has experienced in its long history.

The Chico State Climate Action and Resilience Plan 2.0, completed in 2020, outlines a path to achieve the ambitious goals set to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2030.

The Strategic Energy Master Plan for CSU, Chico was completed 2021. It is the University's implementation guide for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.


Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Coordination & Planning

Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
https://www.csuchico.edu/planning/

STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
PA-2 Sustainability Planning

A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
---

Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
Sustainability Guides Campus Construction

A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:

2030 Campus Master Plan guides the physical development on campus with sustainability as a priority for new construction. Over the past three years, this includes the New LEED Science Building, the new campus bike path, and new solar projects on campus.

New LEED Silver Science Building: The new 110,200-square-foot Science Building is aspiring for LEED Silver Certification and will be a state-of-the art teaching and research facility. Science is woven not just into the curriculum and research, but the building’s very design. A sizable rooftop array of solar panels will offset electrical needs, and power demands are also minimized through reflective panels, roof membranes, insulation, optimizing daylight, shading, and sunscreens. An intricate system of chilled beams, which contain metal tubes that circulate cold water, also provides efficient cooling for laboratory spaces. It is not only the most state-of-the-art facility at Chico State, but it is one of the most visionary buildings within the 23-campus California State University system.

New Bike Path Through Campus: In August 2019, a bike path was opened running east-west along the north side of Big Chico Creek, connecting the campus corridor to City of Chico bike paths on either end. The GEOG 436 Transportation Planning course studied the path and made recommendations for improvement (PDF). In December 2020, funding was awarded as part of the President's Strategic Plan(opens in new window) to make the path permanent! In August 2021, those permanent improvements were put into place including green paint, re-paving problem areas, and signage.

New Solar on Campus Buildings: The solar design and procurement for new solar projects on campus included:


Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Buildings
Energy
Transportation

Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
https://today.csuchico.edu/science-takes-center-stage/

STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
OP-3 Building Design and Construction

A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Chico_State_New_Sciene_Building.jpg

Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
Chico State Honored for Sustainability Achievements

A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:

Chico State honored for its sustainability achievements by AASHE and Princeton Review.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) released its 2021 Sustainable Campus Index—a report recognizing top-performing colleges and universities in the US and Canada in 17 sustainability impact areas—and ranked Chico State at No. 5 in the Master’s Institutions category, up three spots from 2020.

The Princeton Review recognized Chico State on its annual Green College Honor Roll, a list of 27 colleges and universities that received the highest score possible in the publication’s annual Green Rating’s tallies. Chico State was the only CSU campus listed. Resilient and sustainable systems is one of the University’s three strategic priorities, as Chico State strives toward a just and resilient future through the advancement of environment, social, and economic sustainability. Commitments include becoming climate neutral by 2030; cultivating knowledge, research and practice to increase awareness on the impact of individual and collective actions; being wise stewards of resources and embracing sustainability as a way of living; integrating sustainability into the curriculum, research and campus operations; and recovering and adapting to significant difficulties or challenges.


Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Coordination & Planning

Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
https://today.csuchico.edu/aashe-sustainable-practices/

STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
https://www.aashe.org/sustainable-campus-index/

A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.