Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Dasha Ostrova
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California College of the Arts
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Jennifer Juras
Director of Institutional Research
Office of Institutional Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

Future Action Reclamation Mob (FARM):
FARM is a CCA student-run club stretching across all majors for anyone interested in growing (themselves or some plants). Through reclaiming unused public and private space FARM aims to build community through the cultivation of plants. With several variations of FARM currently in the works, the Hooper chapter of FARM works to revitalize the city‐owned land adjacent to CCA’s San Francisco campus and runs an organic vegetable garden on the Back Lot, CCA's multi-purpose outdoor zone in SF .


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects 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 college has two working gardens on each campus. The garden in Oakland is a curricular tied to "Soil to Studio". Soil to Studio explores regenerative design, introducing students to nontoxic natural dyes cultivated through urban gardening and giving them insight into the politics, aesthetics and practice of natural dyeing. On the SF campus the garden is overseen by the student group, FARM, and in partnership with Facilities host a variety of events.
https://www.cca.edu/about/sustainability
https://www.cca.edu/academics/community-arts/garden


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
---

The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
---

Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives 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:

Impact: Social Entrepreneurship Awards
Annual student grants ($10k) for Social Entrepreneurship.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

Several initiatives Architectural Ecologies Lab
https://www.architecturalecologies.cca.edu/

Buoyant Ecologies Maldives MArch/BArch Advanced Studio:
https://www.architecturalecologies.cca.edu/#/buoyant-ecologies-maldives/
The Architectural Ecologies Lab at California College of the Arts serves as a platform for collaborative research between designers, scientists, and manufacturers. Operating at the intersection of architecture, fabrication, and ecology, the lab merges spatial practice with innovative techniques of material production and rigorous ecological research. The lab’s work leverages interdisciplinary expertise and meaningful collaborations with science and industry to develop compelling architectural strategies to address ecological challenges like sea level rise, habitat restoration, and climate change. The lab explores how ecological performance can inform innovative approaches to architectural form, material assemblies, and manufacturing processes. Central to the lab’s work is a commitment to experimental fabrication processes, full-scale prototyping, and proof-of-concept tests that extend design ideas beyond the academic studio and into the real world.

Buoyant Ecologies team also on Public Sediment team for Resilience by Design - Bay Area Challenge
http://www.resilientbayarea.org/public-sediment

CCA/Urban Works Agency
Resilience by Design - Bay Area Challenge
Two advanced studio courses in MArch/BArch this year

All Bay Collective
http://www.resilientbayarea.org/the-all-bay-collective/

Andrew Kudless + Nathan Lynch Wild Domestic MArch/BArch Advanced Studio
https://www.architecturalecologies.cca.edu/#/wild-domestic/

Bouyant Ecologies (2015-present)
An ongoing collaborative research project by CCA and Autodesk Workshop at Pier 9 in partnership with the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
The projects investigate public engagement, ecology and material research through a focus on new visions for San Francisco’s waterfront.

Oikonos Wildlife Restoration (2010-present)
CCA students worked in partnership with the Oikonos Wildlife Restoration program to protect the nests of an endangered bird species off the California coast. Students came together to design, build, and deploy clay nesting modules strong enough to withstand being inadvertently crushed by elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo Island.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:

1. Students were involved in selecting the architectural firm finalist for the campus unification with a special eye towards sustainable practice: https://www.cca.edu/news/2016/11/15/california-college-arts-selects-studio-gang-design-unified-campus-san-francisco

2) Levi's Unzipped Film screening hosted at CCA. The film was produced by Levi Strauss Foundation grantee Remake – an organization dedicated to igniting a conscious consumer movement. 2) 2) As part of New Student Orientation week, a program called "Chimera Quest" invites students to visit a local partner (e.g. Center for Creative Reuse, SCRAP) while using Bay Area public transportation. The focus is educating students on alternative sources for making material and teaching public transportation etiquette. https://www.cca.edu/news/2017/04/28/levis-unzipped-film-takes-young-designers-around-world-see-where-fashion-made


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
No

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

The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
---

Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
No

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

The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
---

Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Materials ReUse Center
Students, faculty, and staff can leave, take, and reuse all sorts of materials and items: wood, plastic and foam, metals, electronics, books and paper, odds and ends -- anything that's safe and reusable for use in projects.

https://sites.google.com/a/cca.edu/campus/sf-campus-news/back-lot/materialreusecenternowopenonthebacklot

https://www.cca.edu/news/sustainability


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

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

FARM fellows, funded from President's Sustainability Steering Group

student employment opportunities are behind our login on our site


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
---

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

A brief description of the graduation pledges:

The Graduation Pledge is a pledge that graduating students make to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job they consider, and to try to improve these aspects of any organization for which they work.


The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
Yes

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:

Earth Week, Bicycle Coalition partnership, and Student Sustainability Award:
A series of events focused on sustainability such as swapping materials, navigating Bay Area public transportation, etc. throughout the academic year. In addition to a week-long program timed during Earth Week, we have established partnerships with the Bicycle Coalition to help teach the community on how to bike in the city. Also, there is the Student Sustainability Award which recognizes students who demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to being a sustainability leader at the college. Students may show leadership in terms of environmental, cultural, social, financial, and personal sustainability practices and principles.


The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
---

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.