Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.42
Liaison Stephanie Del Rosario
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Fullerton
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.20 / 4.00 John Bock
Professor / Director
Anthropology / Center for Sustainablity
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Air & Climate:
ENST/CHEM 492 Sustainability Projects is a multidisciplinary immersion course that utilizes the built environment to educate and prepare students to become green building leaders and sustainability-focused citizens. ENST/CHEM 492 places a significant portion on the air and climate issues on campus, especially pertaining to the GHG inventory and the development of campus provisional Climate Action Plan (CAP).

Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Buildings?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Buildings:
In ENST/CHEM 492, students assess the performance of existing facilities on campus and chose one building where they will facilitate the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED EB:O&M) process with the goal of certifying the facility. At the close of the semester the students are prepared to sit for the LEED EB:O&M professional credential exam.

Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Energy:
ENST/CHEM 492 places a significant portion of the course on energy auditing and recommendations for energy efficiency strategies and retrofit projects.

Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Food & Dining:
ANTH 458 Sustainable Urban Food Systems utilizes the CSUF Learning Farm to provide undergraduate experience in sustainable agricultural practices and relates the farm experience to understand local food systems, including student nutrition.

Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Grounds:
In BIOL 444, Plant Physiological Ecology students work with three major objectives of the CSUF Facilities Management office to create a more sustainable, water-wise campus environment that will be used directly and indirectly as a learning resource, now and into the future. Students utlilized the tree map on campus to understand: 1.Identify Water Sources and Use by Campus Vegetation. Using a stable isotope approach, identify water sources used by different plant species across campus 2.Provide Advice for Irrigation and Future Planting. Identify plant water use functional groups (irrigation- vs ground-water users) for Facilities Management planning. http://news.fullerton.edu/2016su/Mapping-the-Campus.aspx

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Purchasing?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Purchasing:
N/A

Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Transportation?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Transportation:
N/A

Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Waste:
Students in ENST/CHEM 492 work with CSUF Facilities Managemnt to conduct waste stream audits and assess the impact of improved signage and communication on separation efficiency. Students in this course have also analyzed the overall efficiency of the campus waste process.

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Water?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Water:
Students in ENST/CHEM 492 have conducted chemical analyses of the surface water in the Fullerton Arboretum ponds to assess its viability for irrigation usage. Based on the analysis they assisted the Arboretum in developing a long-term plan to integrate runoff and surface water into the irrigation network, reducing dependence on municipal water supplies. Students in EGCE 549 Elastic Structures established a baseline and monitored the physiochemical composition of campus stormwater. Students practiced real-world stormwater testng and management techniques to support improvement of campus stormwater management. This is a high impact practice implemented in an environmental engineering course that supports campus sustainability goals of reducing runoff and flooding. This project was titled, "Occurrence, Distribution and Persistence of Campus Stormwater Pollutants." It was completed in the fall of 2016.

Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Coordination & Planning:
N/A

Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
N/A

Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Investment & Finance:
N/A

Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Public Engagement:
Students in ENST/CHEM 492 developed a set of participatory exhibits based on Project Learning Tree environmental literacy training for K-12 teachers. These exhibits were then utilized by K-8 students who visited the CSUF campus during Earth Week. ENST/Chem 492 students staffed the exhibits and participated in pre- and post-assessment of sustainability literacy conducted as part of an Environmental Studies graduate student project.

Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
N/A

Other Impact Areas 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to other areas (e.g. arts & culture or technology)?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to other areas:
N/A

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/sustainability/Pages/Campus-as-a-Living-Lab.aspx

Additional documentation to support the submission:
FL-Kurwadkar--2016.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/sustainability/Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20Library/FL-Kurwadkar.pdf

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.