Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.82
Liaison Holli Fajack
Submission Date Jan. 29, 2021

STARS v2.2

California State University, Long Beach
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:

1. The Environmental Science & Policy Club - The CSULB Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P) Club helps to spread awareness, education, and appreciation of the environment on campus and in our local community through club activities, such as coastal clean-ups, hikes, habitat restoration projects, Earth Week & Earth Day events, tabling, guest speakers, and more.

2. The Cycling Club - This group is determined to promote cycling as a fun, valued, and sustainable transportation choice on and off campus through community, advocacy, and education. This group is governed by student members.

3. Geography Student Association - This group coordinates and locates events and programming that suits geography major/minor students including lectures, land restoration projects, networking events, cultural dinners, and more. This group is governed by student members.

4. The Marine Biology Student Association - A student-run organization for students interested in marine life and science to come together and form a like-minded and passionate cohort. Members are not only encouraged to discuss current events in marine biology but also to make friends and socialize through off-campus events like beach clean-ups and local snorkeling trips. This group is governed by student members.

5. Engineers for a Sustainable World - A non-profit network comprised of students, faculty, and professionals who are dedicated to building a more sustainable world for current and future generations. Their mission is to bring innovative and lasting engineering solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. This group is governed by student members.

6. Students for Sustainable Health - Students for Sustainable Health is a student organization committed to fostering healthy lifestyles through the promotion of sustainable food systems. Their mission is to empower their members through action and education while promoting healthy living and access to sustainable nutrition within the community.

7. Wilderness Expedition Club & Outdoor Adventure Club - This club is designed to provide a community for individuals seeking to share wilderness adventures. These adventures can vary from simple day hikes to long expeditions including climbing, backpacking, surfing, kayaking, mountaineering, and more.

8. Student Sustainability Coalition - The mission of this organization is to establish a reliable line of communication and a powerful network for collaboration between organizations that are involved with sustainability efforts both on and off-campus.

9. Cease Animal Torture (CAT) - This is an intersectional animal rights group advocating for animal, human, and earth liberation. It brings together students who aim to provide information and resources to those who are interested in veganism, animal rights, and liberation activism.

For more information about active student groups focused on sustainability visit: https://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/get-involved/clubs-organizations


Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

Grow Beach is a campus-wide effort to provide a natural and convenient garden right on campus. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni use the campus garden to cultivate their own food while creating positive academic, cultural, environmental and health benefits to our campus community. The campus is currently evaluating options to relocate the garden to a more accessible and central location on campus in order to increase visibility, participation and academic integration.


Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

The Student Swap Shop is a student-run initiative that provides students with the opportunity to swap unneeded or old school supplies, like books, notebooks, and other items essential to education. The Student Swap Shop is housed within the ASI Beach Pantry, a campus food pantry that provides non-perishable food and personal care items to students in need.

For more information about the student-run enterprises on campus, please visit: https://asicsulb.org/corporate/discover/beach-pantry


Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

Climathon is a 24-hour hackathon that looks for innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to climate challenges. This is a global event that leverages student ingenuity to create businesses that can move society toward a more secure climate future. Over the past few years, several of the concepts and projects ideated during Climathon have been further developed and ultimately pitched during the Sunstone Innovation Challenge. The Sunstone Innovation Challenge is an annual business plan competition for students at CSULB. One of the judging criteria considers the sustainability dimension of the proposed business. The student teams are required to consider the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit in their product or service. Winning teams win access to funds and additional resources to advance their business proposals.

For more information about our sustainable investment initiatives, please visit: https://www.csulb.edu/institute-innovation-entrepreneurship


Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:

Earth Week at the Beach - This is a week-long event in April. Each day of Earth Week brings opportunities to learn about environmental issues and personal and collective actions that can make a difference. With vendor and campus group information tables, demonstrations, prizes, and giveaways, the events aim to be fun and educational.

Green Generation Mixer and Sustainability Project Showcase - CSULB's annual Green Generation Mixer bring together student, faculty, staff, and Long Beach community sustainability leaders for a fun evening and the opportunity to connect with sustainability-minded student clubs, local environmental organizations, and Long Beach-based green businesses. The mixer also features a Sustainability Project Showcase, a presentation of student and faculty research, creative and technical projects that explore a wide variety of sustainability topics and solutions. The projects are judged and evaluated based on the quality of presentation, originality, and successful communication of sustainability issues and concepts.

Sustainability Month - Each October is celebrated as Sustainability Month at CSULB. Programming for this month of events varies but typically includes guest speakers and panels, movie screenings, workshops, and resource fairs, all of which are focused on raising student and community awareness about sustainability challenges and calls to action.

Fall Sustainability Mixer - Hosted during Sustainability Month, the Fall Mixer is an opportunity for faculty, staff, and student leaders to make connections and plans to support sustainability programs and goals over the coming academic year. The event features a short program that typically includes an overview of campus sustainability achievements over the previous year and upcoming initiatives.

For more information about our sustainability events, please visit: https://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/news-events


Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:

The annual Green Generation Mixer & Sustainability Project Showcase at CSULB features live performances that shine a light on several sustainability-related topics through the lens of performance arts. In 2018, "The Global Water Dances" was performed by a local dance group to inspire action and international collaboration for water issues. At the 2019 event, a student theater group performed an original piece entitled “Earth Song” that depicted the impacts of humans on the environment. Also in 2019, a group of MFA Dance students performed improvised movements throughout the garden space to highlight the various ways that humans interact with and respond to the natural and built environment.

For more information, please visit: http://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/news-events


Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

The ASI Student Recreation and Wellness Center offers Outdoor Adventure Trips, a fee-based program that features activities such as rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking, and kayaking. Trips include experienced leaders, transportation, equipment, and food. All trips follow Leave No Trace principles. Examples of two principles are:
1.Dispose of waste: participants are informed of what to do about micro and macro trash along with how to dispose of human waste properly.
2. Leave what you find: participants are encouraged to take pictures and nothing else from the natural environment.

For more information about our campus wilderness or outdoors program, please visit: http://www.asirecreation.org/rock-outdoor/outdoor-adventures


Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

N/A


Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

CSULB Office of Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability in CSULB’s Beach Building Services department offers a variety of internship and student assistant positions. Student interns and assistants help with campus sustainability efforts and specific projects.

ASI/USU Sustainability Assistant Positions
These paid student assistants develop and support Associated Students, Inc and University Student Union sustainability programs and initiatives under the direction of the ASI/USU Facilities Director and Associate Director and the ASI Sustainability Coordinator.

ASI Commissioner for Environmental Justice
This is a one-year, paid position within the ASI President’s Cabinet. Responsibilities are to promote awareness of ASI sustainability efforts, develop sustainability strategies, and advise student government on-campus sustainability efforts."

Sustainable Transportation Program
Parking and Transportation Services houses the campus Sustainable Transportation Program, which is staffed by a full-time coordinator and one to two Student Assistants. Students support the campus sustainable transportation programs and initiatives including data collection, program development, and research, and outreach events.

For more information about our sustainability-focused student employment opportunities, please visit: https://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/get-involved/jobs-internships-community-service


Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
Yes

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):

The Office of Sustainability provides a Green Graduation Pledge for recent graduates to encourage them to make environmentally conscious decisions in their personal lives and career choices and ensure that they do their part in creating a more equitable, sustainable world. Specific actions that graduates can choose to pledge to include learning how their chosen career or field impacts the environment, communicating expectations about environmental stewardship to their employers, and modeling sustainable behaviors in the workplace and in their personal lives.

For more information about the Green Graduation Pledge, please visit: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=m2d10dOsREa-gq8EGYKXegNiQ6JYSnFIgwpTeyJLuMRUMzBIV1JaM0RMTlhNR0dZRkozRURTN1g2MS4u


A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:

Sustain U is an ad hoc committee that focuses on creating an awareness of sustainability throughout the Associated Students Inc. (ASI), the University Student Union (USU), and the University as a whole. Sustain U members include students, often elected student leaders, and full-time staff members representing the various functions of ASI/USU as well as staff from throughout the university. Student membership in Sustain U or even intermittent attendance at meetings is open to anyone interested. This group is governed in part by students.

For more information about Sustain U, please visit: https://www.asicsulb.org/corporate/discover/sustain-u


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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