| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.35 |
| Liaison | Juliana Goodlaw-Morris |
| Submission Date | Feb. 6, 2024 |
California State University, San Marcos
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Juliana
Goodlaw-Morris Sustainability Manager Safety, Risk and Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
The Planet Mentorship Program is a paid opportunity for students with diverse backgrounds to become change makers! This mentorship consists of a cohort of CSUSM students that use the arts and data visualization to illuminate how climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Through this program, students will also have the chance to explore pathways for their futures and learn useful skillsets, such as communicating complex themes and ideas, project development through collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
Inclusive sustainability is a transformative example of innovation and investment connecting inclusive excellence and sustainability. When we can think about environmental justice as a social justice issue, we can begin to understand the complexities of marginalized and vulnerable communities. It is important to consider, many of our students come to CSUSM with a personal narrative that reflects years of environmental and social justice struggles. This initiative seeks to place students at the center of their lived experience and give them tools and access to be leaders combating some of these struggles we are currently facing as a society. We are striving to ensure our students and the wider CSUSM community can live socially just lives within our ecological limits.
UC Santa Cruz faculty in collaboration with the People of Color Sustainability Collective (PoCSC) coined the term and defined inclusive sustainability as the recognition, celebration, and validation of diverse understandings and expressions of sustainability. CSUSM has built upon what UCSC developed and currently views inclusive sustainability as a transformational framework that connects social justice and sustainability by placing student/academic success at the center while addressing holistic wellness, safeguarding environmentally sound practices, ensuring socially just communities and seeks to identify inequities for current and future generations.
Structurally, Inclusive Sustainability is a shared initiative of the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) and Safety, Health and Sustainability. Currently, the Sustainability Manager, Juliana Goodlaw-Morris and the Deputy Diversity Officer within OIE, Ariel Stevenson are collaborating on the Inclusive Sustainability Program. The ongoing joint efforts are intended to meet the dual challenges of systemic racism and climate change on behalf of students, yet lack a centralized office and mission for launching, coordinating and sustaining these efforts.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
ASHE awarded CSUSM the 2022 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award in partnership with CSU Chico, Monterey Bay, San Marcos, Stanislaus, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Cal Poly SLO, as well as Strategic Energy Innovations. This multi-campus faculty learning community consisted of 62 faculty representing over 30 disciplines. At the time of submission, the CSU Faculty Learning Community in Teaching Climate Change and Resilience resulted in over 75 classes being redesigned to include greater engagement of climate change and resilience. In addition to the AASHE award for Campus Sustainability Achievement, the CSU Systemwide Faculty Learning Community on Climate Change and Resilience was awarded the 2023 American Association of State Colleges and Universities Excellence & Innovation Award for Sustainability and Sustainable Development -- Comprehensive. All campuses involved are recognized for their "outstanding results and potential to influence and serve as a model for other institutions and systems."
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Within these past three years our Zero Waste Program has evolved a great deal. We now have campus wide composting available for pre and post-consumer organics waste, all breakrooms and outside waste bins have landfill, recycle and composting. In October of 2023, the Green California Schools & Higher Education Summit granted CSUSM a Leadership Award for our contribution and efforts to sustainability, specifically for our new Zero Waste Donation Pick Up Form. This form was created to streamline the process for diverting usable office supplies and materials and getting them into the hands of students, staff, and faculty. Through this effort we have completed over 170 donation pick-up requests and have diverted over 6,000 pounds from going into the landfill since March 2022. The California Higher Education Collaborative (CHEC) also awarded CSUSM a Focus on Efficiency Award for our Zero Waste Donation Pick Up Form. This award highlights innovative practices and process improvements implemented within the California Public Higher Education system. Through our innovative yet simple Smartsheet form we have been able to find much success in diverting waste and getting usable materials distributed across campus.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
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.