Cal Poly Humboldt
EN-10: Community Partnerships

The RePower Humboldt Strategic Plan is a result of more than two years of research, analysis and community involvement. The plan lays out an array of opportunities for Humboldt County and recommends a set of actions to create jobs, stimulate the local economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase local energy security. The study was a collaborative effort of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), the Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC) at Humboldt State University, and the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Principal funding came from the California Energy Commission, with match funding from each of the three participating organizations.

Humboldt County has the ability to lead the way toward a sustainable energy future by using local renewable resources to meet the majority of its electricity needs and a large portion of its heating and transportation energy needs. Key recommendations from the Strategic Plan include:

-Aggressively pursue cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities
-Support responsible wind energy development
-Expand the use of biomass energy that is consistent with forest restoration needs and priorities
-Develop infrastructure for and encourage the use of electric vehicles
-Encourage development of distributed energy installations
-Pursue options for local development and ownership of renewable energy projects, as well as local purchase of the power generated
-Form an energy leadership group to move the plan forward.

The collaboration between these entities has involved research, design, and installation of solar and wind power for local organizations including local tribal organizations and rancherias, the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles and comprehensive research, design and planning into meeting Humboldt County's energy needs.

Collaboration between HSU's SERC and RCEA has led to multiple projects, with multiple partners over the last 4 years and continues to be promising. These projects involve large amounts of community and student engagement including underrepresented populations such as low income residents and local tribal organizations.

http://www.redwoodenergy.org/community-energy/background
http://www.redwoodenergy.org/community-energy/background
http://www.schatzlab.org/projects/policyanalysis/repower.html

http://www.redwoodenergy.org/current-projects
http://www.schatzlab.org/projects/policyanalysis/pev.html

The City of Arcata and Humboldt State University embarked on a simultaneous commitment to zero waste initiatives while Zero Waste Humboldt, a non-profit organization is committed to the same initiative throughout the community among, businesses, non profits, institutions and individuals. These three programs have been increasing their work in tandem over the past few years through shared board leadership, community programs, and coordinated efforts in their various areas of expertise, program development and consulting.

Currently HSU's Vice President of Academic Affairs serves on the Board of Zero Waste Humboldt and assists in the City of Arcata's sustainability efforts. In conjunction, HSU has zero waste initiatives operating throughout its campus programs including event planning, housing initiatives, dining services, and student led efforts including take back the tap, zero waste event certification, and the installation of bio-bins for composting. HSU is increasingly more involved in off campus awareness efforts and practices. HSU has a campus wide sustainability network that carries out the HSU portion of these targets and deeply involves student organizations and membership. As HSU's student body is approximately 60 percent under-served students it incorporates a diverse set of voices in these efforts. Similar efforts are coordinated off campus within the community via Zero Waste Humboldt and within the City of Arcata via the zero waste efforts within their department of sustainability.

Joint Meetings between all entities help coordinate activities, bring in student and community involvement and contributions at the level of program planning and development, and incorporating HSU's research and scholarship. In 2017, the campus zero waste efforts will combine deeper with Zero Waste Humboldt in co-led events that increase participation and awareness throughout the county bringing HSU's resources and support further into the community.

Additionally, service learning students and interns are drawn from multiple departments on campus to serve both the City of Arcata and Zero Waste Humboldt in their efforts continuing the reciprocal relationship in different facets.

http://zerowastehumboldt.org
http://www.cityofarcata.org/275/Zero-Waste
http://www2.humboldt.edu/wrrap/zero-waste
http://kiem-tv.com/video/zero-waste-underway-hsu

Humboldt State is heavily engaged in food sovereignty, security, distribution and access issues within Humboldt County through embedded partnerships with Food for People (Humboldt County's official food pantry) on the meso and micro levels and the California Center for Rural Policy on the macro level. The connections with Food For People and CCRP include shared board leadership, committees and councils between the campus and community and the placement of research students and project participants, interns and Service Learning students. Food For People and Humboldt State's Food Alliance coordinate donation efforts and pantry locations and availability between the campus and community. All partners deeply involve community or student voices in program development and access to resources.

The Humboldt Food Policy Council is a network of food systems stakeholders including: grocers, farmers, public health, hospitals, economic developers, local food advocates, planners, food pantries, elected officials and consumers. The overall goal is to build a strong local and equitable food system through targeted policy changes. Some of the topics include:

• Healthy Food Access and Education
• Planning / Land Use
• Agricultural Production
• Food Processing
• Farm-to-Institution
• Food Insecurity
• Distribution
• Food Waste

HSU contributes heavily in terms of research, strategy, planning, hosting meetings, contributing student and community voices in establishing a equitable and sustainable future for food and agriculture in Humboldt County. HSU has participated in research, program development, community service and activism with the Farmer's markets, alliances, Food for People, Humboldt County Public Health, etc.

Projects include:
-Research into the disparity access to quality vs. unhealthy food based on neighborhood.
-Community garden access and participation.
-Efforts to increase farm to table options for residents living under the poverty line.
-Access to locally farmed goods on campus
-A Food Pantry on campus
-Significant contributions and donations to the Food for People Food Pantry for Arcata and the greater Humboldt Area, including on and off campus food drives, food point donations, internships and service learning participation.

http://www2.humboldt.edu/ccrp/projects/food-systems-security/humboldt-food-policy-council/
http://foodforpeople.org
http://hsuohsnap.org

Another program partnership includes Donation Dash, which provides all students moving off campus at the end of each semester the opportunity to donate goods and materials to worthy causes throughout the county including Angels of Hope, Eco Groovy Abundance, and the Dream Center - Donations can total into 28,000 items at the varied collection times.
http://www2.humboldt.edu/wrrap/

HSU is also currently in the process of coordinating a partnership with the City of Arcata to comply with requirements put forth via the campus's Second Nature Climate Commitment. As part of this commitment, made in January 2016, HSU must actively support a joint campus-community task force to ensure alignment of the campus Climate Action Plan with community goals and to facilitate joint action. Conversations for how to coordinate this task force began in Fall 2016. It is expected that the group should commence formally sometime during 2017. Read more about the Second Nature Climate Commitment at http://secondnature.org/climate-guidance/the-commitments/#Climate_Commitment.

A variety of other partnerships exist throughout HSU's various programs. These involve research, internships, program development, shared leadership, service learning, and combined initiatives that involve formal partnerships.

HSU programs are deeply involved in efforts with the following organizations:
The Arcata Marsh - http://www2.humboldt.edu/arcatamarsh/
Friends of the Dunes - http://friendsofthedunes.org
Humboldt Bay Keepers - http://humboldtbaykeeper.org
California Coastal Commission - http://www2.humboldt.edu/pmc/portal/california-coastal-commission-hold-september-meeting-hsu
Humboldt County Office of Education - http://humboldt.k12.ca.us
Humboldt County Probation Department - http://humboldtgov.org/145/Probation-Department
The Arcata, Eureka and McKinleyville Chambers' of Commerce: http://www.arcatachamber.com, http://eurekachamber.com/, http://mckinleyvillechamber.com
The California Small Business Development Center - http://norcalsbdc.org
The Northeast Prosperity Center - http://www.redwoodcoastprosperity.com

The campus is involved in many more formal partnerships than can be reported here. Please contact the Center of Community Based Learning, website below, or the Office of Sustainability with further questions.

Data was gathered through the websites provided and interviews with faculty, staff, administrators and community partners involved.