Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.79
Liaison Barbara Queen
Submission Date June 20, 2022

STARS v2.2

California State University, Los Angeles
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Brad Haydel
Energy and Sustainability Manager
Facilities, Planning, Design and Construction
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

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:
Under the leadership of the ASI Environmental Affairs Commissioner, the Environmental Policy Committee (EPC) formulates and encourages the adoption of policies that will make Cal State LA and the CSU System more environmentally sustainable. The Environmental Affairs Commissioner and EPC act as education agents with respect to environmental sustainability and environmental justice in our community.

The Environmental Policy Committee formulates and encourages the adoption of policies that will make ASI's internal practices more environmentally sustainable. In addition the committee also seeks:
1. To collaborate with the Campus Sustainability Committee to formulate and encourage the adoption of policies that will make Cal State LA a more environmentally sustainable campus
2. To educate the on-campus community on the topic of environmental sustainability and environmental justice
3. To formulate and encourage the adoption of policies that will make the California State University system more environmentally sustainable working primarily through the California State Student Association.

Gardens and farms 

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:
The USDA Urban Food Garden and Edible Food Garden Club help to educate, mentor, and train students in food production on the urban food gardens at Cal State LA, while examining the science, technology, and history behind the effective natural resource management in these locales.

https://sites.google.com/view/historical-database-of-climate
https://www.instagram.com/ediblegardenclub.calstatela/?hl=en
https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1023285-growing-food-in-the-city-urban-food-gardens-for-research-and-education.html

Student-run enterprises 

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:
Cal State LA Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) is a nonprofit network of students, faculty and professionals, with a mission to create opportunities for students, to learn problem-solving skills and to gain practical experience in sustainability challenges. ESW has a stated mission "to build a more sustainable world through new educational programs, sustainability-oriented design projects, and volunteer activities."

Sustainable investment and finance 

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:
Established in 2016, Cal State LA's Green Revolving Fund (GRF) is intended to empower all members of the Cal State LA community to help create a more sustainable world. The mission of Cal State LA's GRF is to financially support projects that promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste reduction and other sustainability initiatives with a demonstrated return on investment. The GRF looks to the university's students, faculty and staff to contribute ideas on the best ways to invest in energy and sustainability projects that reduce utilities consumption and generate cost savings.

Events 

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:
The Sikand Center for Sustainable and Intelligent Infrastructure (Sikand SITI Center) hosts an annual Urban Sustainability Symposium to bring together researchers, educators, students, policymakers, and other stakeholders to engage in a collaborative discussion that addresses challenges in urban sustainability. Students and faculty also exhibit poster presentations on their research in the field of urban sustainability. In addition, various faculty, student organizations, and student affairs offices collaborate with ASI to offer annual Earth Week events focused on sustainability.

Cultural arts 

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 Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA hosted and Earth Day Virtual Event on April 22, 2021 inviting the campus community to learn more about our planet and what we can do to help with sustainable living, conservation, and change for the environment. The promotional material states, "Experience beautiful imagery from around the globe in this special presentation that features footage captured by Canadian documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart and Indian filmmaker Rita Benerji."

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

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:
Cal State LA's Naturalist Club, in partnership with the Desert Studies Center, has a goal to explore the fauna and flora of local ecosystems and influencing local communities through outreach events.

Sustainability-focused themes 

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

Sustainable life skills 

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:
N/A

Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Urban Ecology Center (UEC) has identified funding to support 10 undergraduate students with stipends of $10,000 each through the #Californiansforall College Corps service program funded by the State of California Office of the Governor and administered through Cal State LA’s Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good. These UEC College Corps Fellows must work a minimum of 450 hours during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
N/A

Optional Fields

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

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
N/A

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.