California State University, Monterey Bay
EN-3: Student Life

A variety of clubs on campus including the Marine Science Club, Science Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Hospitality Club support student learning and engagement focused on sustainability in the community as it relates to those curricular areas of study.

Most notably the Sustainability Club currently with 158 members is our largest active group on sustainability. Their mission is to help introduce students to sustainability in every aspect of life and how to think critically about environmental issues. This club strives to collaborate with other clubs on campus and organizations in the Monterey area. We not only focus on how we can be more sustainable in our lives but how and why it can be difficult. Intersectionality is the core focus of the sustainability we advocate for.
https://myraft.csumb.edu/feeds?type=club&type_id=56829&tab=home

Our Associated Students/Student Government-Environmental Affairs Committee (EAC) - The student governed organization raises awareness of environmental impact issues on campus, the surrounding community, the region and state promotes and advocates for sustainable organizational and campus practices and operations. They host events for Earth Day each year and have representation on the President's Committee on Sustainability. The group also played a large advocacy role in the divestment from fossil fuels efforts within the CSU. https://myraft.csumb.edu/feeds?type=club&type_id=54545&tab=home

East Campus residential housing has a small student led garden in whch students may utilize. Additionally, the "sustainability commons" is an area of campus dedicated to sustainability-focused living learning opportunities. It provides open space for research, greenhouses for propagation of native plants and opportunities for student groups and courses to learn in a "hands-on" manner.

The Hub - This is the Food Pantry on campus - Food insecurity is defined as "being without access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food." The financial burden of a college education has led to an increasing number of students that are food insecure. The Hub was implemented in an effort to address this issue at CSUMB. Through this service, we are able to provide students with nutritious perishable and non-perishable foods. The Associated Students strive to make getting an education affordable and accessible. The Hub is one of the ways we can accomplish this task. While sustainability is not directly addressed within this mission statement the social justice issues addressed within this program fit within our campus definition of sustainability. https://csumb.edu/basicneeds/

Sustainable Hospitality Club - Bring about awareness of sustainability to the local community and CSUMB students. They educate the community on important environmental issues and what we can do to lessen or prevent our impact. They focus on the hospitality industry - what it entails, why its important to incorporate sustainability. https://csumb.edu/business/cob-clubs/

The School of Natural Sciences organizes seminars featuring different speakers focusing on different areas of the Natural Sciences. Conservation, environmental issues, and furthering education in natural science fields are some of the topics covered. The environmental and social/economic sustainability factors are integrated in each series.

Sustainable Hospitality has hosted a summit the last two years that brings together industry leaders to discuss best practices in the hospitality industry.

https://csumb.edu/biologychemistry/seminars

This includes everything from a sculpture hanging in the Otter Express, a campus dining facility, made entirely of recycled materials to other speakers and art installations. The campus also has a number of Senior Capstone Art projects focused on Sustainability.

https://csumb.edu/sustainability/event-calendar

Through the Student Recreation department they help the community explore the natural world in an area famous for its beauty, and strategically located for those who wish to dive, surf, sail, climb, hike, bike, and ski all in the same day. Our location offers endless possibilities for exploration with mild weather, year round. We are bordered by miles of public beaches and recreation lands. Our campus connects with 50 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horse back riding trails in the largest remaining coastal oak woodlands in California. Big Sur's mountains and canyons with their giant old growth redwood trees are our backyard. Out front is a marine sanctuary noted for whale watching, scuba diving and the home to otters, the university mascot. We are the first ever collaborative venture in outdoor recreation and education services between a California State University and the United States Army. This creates an incredibly comprehensive system of services and resources. Almost everything imaginable is available. Currently you can rent hiking and camping equipment as well as bicycles in the Student Center. In the future you will have a ropes course accessible to you along with other outdoor activities. They utilize the seven principles of Leave No trace - Outdoor Ethics in all of their programming efforts.
https://csumb.edu/recreation/adventure-anywhere/

This is now an element of our Office of Inclusive Excellence & Sustainability and has been added as an active part of our inclusion and equity efforts.

https://csumb.edu/diversity

There is a Sustainable Otters Living Learning Program in the residence halls which helps students to learn not only the value of sustainable practices, social justice, and innovation - but will better understand the intersections of this knowledge.

https://csumb.edu/housing/living-learning-programs/project-leading-change-leave-your-mark/

The Sustainability Office employs 4-8 students per year that work on sustainability outreach and engagement including developing campaigns for specific topic areas such as water and waste.

Associated Students employees the AS Senator and programmers for the Environmental Affairs Committee (EAC).

The Hub employs 6 student assistants and 10 service learners.

The graduation pledge was launched in May 2020.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfB5Sk23EcjoQ5bHTVC2SE399TOe5_jj_bb8p2mmcGHyOKmrQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Since Covid, we have drastically reduced our reliance on wet signature, requiring way less printing of documents. We also continue to do many meetings by zoom, which means agendas are not printed and notes are taken electronically. There is also significantly less printing on campus. Many staff are continuing to work a hybrid schedule which helps the environment as well.

We have instituted grey water irrigation in one of the residence halls that now waters plants outside of the building.