| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 80.73 |
| Liaison | Austin Eriksson |
| Submission Date | Oct. 3, 2024 |
California State University, Northridge
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Kailey
Tooch Sustainability Coordinator AS |
Student groups
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
The Environmental Club is a student-led organization that serves as liaisons' to the Institute for Sustainability. As a club, they advocate for the development, research, and promotion of sustainability within the student body of the university and its serving community.
https://www.instagram.com/csun.enviro/
The Sustainable Fashion Club aims to stop fast fashion trends and provide insight and practical tips. They offer opportunities for students to exchange their clothes and discuss vintage fashion. They also share sites and programs that make it easier when trying to find something sustainable and reliable to purchase.
Gardens and farms
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
CSUN has a campus compost site and food gardens. Most of these facilities are primarily run by students employed through the Institute for Sustainability and the Marilyn Magaram Center. Additionally, the iconic CSUN Orange Grove provides oranges for the community, as well as a shaded space to relax, study, and reflect on agricultural history. Not only do these gardens serve the university to help reduce campus organic waste, but they also serve as educational opportunities for both internal and external community members to learn how to compost and garden.
1. CSUN G.A.R.D.E.N.: https://www.csun.edu/sustainability/sustainable-garden-education-center
2. MMC Wellness Garden: https://www.csun.edu/marilyn-magaram-center/mmc-wellness-garden
3. Jardin Tonatiuh: https://sundial.csun.edu/20509/news/chicano-house-opens-community-garden/
4. Orange Grove and Pond: https://www.csun.edu/facilities/csun-orange-grove-and-pond
Student-run enterprises
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
CSUN's Associated Students is a student run enterprise with funding from student fees. Associated Students (AS) is the primary advocate for students at California State University, Northridge and provides excellent, meaningful programs and services designed to enhance and create a spirited learning-focused campus environment. AS is also the official seat of student governance for the campus. The Student Government division represents the student body, advocates its needs and defends its interests in dealings with faculty, campus administrators and government officials. Sustainability is a department of AS which focuses primarily on events and programming related to sustainability on campus.
Sustainable investment and finance
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Events
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
CSUN hosts several events annually that are focused around sustainability. Some of these include Refill & Repair, Thursday Thrift, Earth Fair every April, The Sustainable Fashion Expo, Clean Air Day every October, America Recycles Day every November, and C.R.A.M.P.S. (College Resources for All Menstruating Persons and Students).
https://w2.csun.edu/as/departments/sustainability/programs-and-services
In the 2023-2024 academic year, Associated Students Outdoor Adventures hosted the Western Region Outdoor Leadership Conference (WROLC). The Western Regional Outdoor Leadership Conference is a collaboration of university outdoor programs in the West that began in 1991. The main purpose of the conference is to provide an affordable and professional-level conference that would serve our programs’ student leaders. The conference is regularly attended by university outdoor programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and beyond. It emphasizes the importance of sustainability as it is integrated into the outdoor adventures programs.
https://w2.csun.edu/as/departments/outdoor-adventures/wrolc-2024
Additionally, in Spring of 2024, CSUN Sustainability hosted the first ever Food Recovery Forum. The event featured speakers from organizations in the field of edible food recovery and zero waste throughout Los Angeles such as Athens Services, LA Compost, FoodCycle LA, Food Recovery Network, California Climate Action Corps, Recycle2Riches and Hollywood Food Coalition etc. Many CSUN students were in attendance and had the opportunity to participate in the Q&A session, as well as network with professionals.
https://www.csun.edu/sustainability/events/food-recovery-forum-event
Cultural arts
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
In 2023, CSUN's Art Department hosted a semester long sustainability focused fashion project, Waste to Wearable, among five classes (ART 100/L Intro to Art Processes, ART 385/L Children’s Crafts, ART 342/542 Exhibition Design, FCS 320 Family Resource Management, and FCS 471/L Apparel Design). The program was dedicated to addressing the pressing global ecological crisis of our contemporary times.
"We firmly believe in the power of art as a potent means of advocacy, with eco-art standing as a leading form of contemporary cultural expression that promotes ecological awareness and sustainability. Our exhibition showcases ecologically conscious work from student artists and designers who have engaged in in-depth research of critical environmental challenges. It is our hope that their artworks not only inspire individual ecological responsibility but also foster connections within the community and encourage sustainable attitudes and behaviors across broader society.
https://ama01duarte.wixsite.com/waste-to-wearable/blank
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is a campus theatre that hosts a wide range of student performances & visiting musicians & dance troupes. In February of 2023, they hosted Treelogy, an exhibit, co-curated by Addy Gonzalez of 11:11 Projects and Miles Lewis of Valley Art Workshop, which explores the shared experience of fire and the trees’ function as ecological cornerstones.
The featured artworks addressed fire’s various roles as creator, destroyer, and regenerator. Three original musical compositions were commissioned by The Soraya. They were dedicated to three of California’s most iconic tree species: the giant sequoia, coastal redwood, and Joshua tree which were all hard hit during the wildfires of 2020. Fires consumed much of the state’s beloved natural space, and disrupted environments that took thousands of years to develop. The exhibit served as a prompt for students and other attendees to reflect on how humans can achieve a more complete and symbiotic relationship with our environment.
Wilderness and outdoors programs
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Since 2008, Associated Students Outdoor Adventures (OA) has been providing unique recreational opportunities to the CSUN community. Through the Wilderness Outings, RIDGE Rockwall, rental center, team building programs, workshops and clinics, Outdoor Leadership Program, and most recently Camp Matador, they provide awe-inspiring, transformative experiences to more than 6,000 students each year. The Outdoor Adventures Department strictly follows the Leave No Trace principles and there are workshops and certifications in place to teach students, staff, and faculty about the concept.
Sustainability-focused themes
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Each year, the annual Earth Fair event follows the theme of the official Earth Day theme. For example, the theme for 2025 is "Protect Our Species", therefore, Associated Students will be hosting an Earth Fair involving organizations that emphasize and advocate for species protection. In addition to that, they will be hosting another event which takes place in the fall semester "Save the Bees". This event will focus on the crucial role that pollinators play in the ecosystem and the various threats they are facing.
Sustainable life skills
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
There are multiple departments on campus that focus on sustainability related education for students and regularly provide sustainable living workshops. In the last year, the Institute for Sustainability hosted events about gardening, protecting pollinators, electric vehicles, and more; Associated Students Sustainability hosted events related to zero waste living; the Marilyn Magaram Center for Nutrition and Dietetics hosted events related to healthy eating including vegetarian and seasonal cooking.
More information on these ongoing workshops can be found on the websites below:
Institute for Sustainability https://www.csun.edu/sustainability/news-events
Associated Students Sustainability https://w2.csun.edu/as/departments/sustainability
Marilyn Magaram Center https://www.csun.edu/marilyn-magaram-center/mmc-events
Student employment opportunities
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
CSUN's Associated Students employs several students in their Sustainability Department which focuses primarily on education and outreach to their peers through events and various programs. The Institute for Sustainability, in addition to training and recruiting volunteers, hires student employees to help promote on-campus sustainability, outreach, and coordinate events.
Graduation pledge
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.