Announcement Archives
Central Coast Climate Collaborative
November 2018
With support from the Office of the Provost and funding from REC Solar, Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design has designated a faculty member to help lead the Central Coast Climate Collaborative beginning in the 2018–2019 academic year. Cal Poly will work to expand its hallmark hands-on, Learn by Doing approach to the Collaborative to share resources and information, pursue grant funding, and connect faculty and students with real world climate adaptation and resilience challenges in their own communities across all six counties of the central coast—Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito. In July 2018, the Collaborative was officially recognized as a member of ARCCA—California’s Alliance of Regional Collaborative for Climate Adaptation.
Cal Poly Wins Our 31st Sustainability Best Practice Award
June 2018
Cal Poly continues to build a reputation for leadership in sustainability in operations and academics. In 2018, Cal Poly received its 31st Sustainability Best Practice Award from the UC/CSU/CCC Energy Efficiency Partnership Program. The university received significant funding to advance sustainability programs and initiatives, completed LEED Certification of three buildings, and received recognition for student leadership, sustainable food service, transportation programs, building design, nationally ranked academic programs, and student design competitions.
Cal Poly Receives Silver STARS Rating!
February 2017
In February 2017, Cal Poly earned a STARS silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, awarded Cal Poly high ratings in curriculum, campus engagement, planning, and water and greenhouse gas emissions management. Cal Poly intends to resubmit for a Gold rating in 2019, with additional credits for the new solar farm, increased sustainability course offerings, and other ongoing initiatives.
Cal Poly Wins 4 Awards in 2017 Sustainability Best Practices Competition
June 2017
Cal Poly has won four awards in the 2017 Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards Competition. The competition is hosted by the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC), which recognizes California universities that demonstrate effective energy efficiency projects and innovative sustainability practices in operations and academics. Cal Poly picked up three best practice awards and an honorable mention for its sustainability programs in food systems, student leadership, innovations and waste reduction.
Cal Poly Campus Dining received a Best Practice Award in the Sustainable Food Systems category for its integrated marketing campaign, “Sustainable Dining to Reduce the University’s Foodprint.” The campaign combined public relations, digital content, social media and advertisements to educate the Cal Poly community about making sustainable dining decisions on campus.
The student-run Cal Poly Green Campus Program received a Best Practice Award in the Student Sustainability Leadership category for the initiative, “Inspiring Action Early: 2016 Student Sustainability Leadership Summit.” The two-day summit at the beginning of the school year educated student club leaders on organizational strategies to inspire their peers to get involved, improve coordination and communication, and be more impactful in program planning and implementation.
The Cal Poly solar farm project received a Best Practice Award in the Sustainability Innovations category, representing a creative solution for large-scale renewables. The solar farm, situated on a sheep pasture, will also foster research opportunities for students in Cal Poly’s animal sciences to study sustainable rangeland management practices, and vegetation management strategies for utility scale solar farms using sheep grazing. “The solar farm will provide a unique, hands-on opportunity for students enrolled in Cal Poly’s Animal Science program to learn best practices related to managing the vegetation of solar farms using herd management techniques,” said Jaymie Noland, head of the Animal Science Department. “We are proud to partner in this sustainability effort that will benefit all Cal Poly students well into the future.”
Cal Poly’s Zero Waste Collaborative received an Honorable Mention in the Innovative Waste Reduction category for its “Cooperation Makes it Happen” initiative. Cal Poly developed a long term collaborative partnership with Waste Connections, its waste hauler, to establish an innovative compensation structure that provides incentives to drive meaningful progress towards Zero Waste. “There is so much great work in sustainability and energy efficiency happening across our campus,” said Dennis Elliot, director of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability for Cal Poly. “It is an honor to be recognized for these worthwhile efforts and it reinforces Cal Poly’s commitment to environmental leadership.”
Cal Poly Receives LEED Silver for Three Existing Campus Buildings
June 2017
Cal Poly has received LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for three existing campus buildings, the Advanced Technology Laboratories, Cotchett Education Building and the Construction Innovations Center. The three structures achieved their certification in LEED’s operations and maintenance (O+M) category.
Read the full press release ›››
Go Green this Move In
August 2016
When you become part of the Cal Poly community, you are joining an academic institution dedicated to being a model for environmental stewardship. That means it's up to YOU to make every day sustainable choices! Here are a few tips to make the Move-In experience as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible:
Planning Ahead – Save time and money by knowing what will and will not fit in your room. You can learn about room features and furnishings at housing.calpoly.edu . Make sure you have a discussion with your roommate regarding who will be responsible for bringing particular furnishings to the room. There's no need for two televisions, two microwaves, two irons in one room!
Buy Secondhand – There are many options online for finding used lamps, textbooks, etc. from current and former Cal Poly students, whether it's Facebook (SLO County Buy, Sell, Trade), eBay, or the local thrift stores. Many used products still have years of life left in them and do not have a high environmental cost to transport.
Reuse & Repurpose - Ask your local grocer if they can spare any empty cardboard boxes instead of buying new ones. This will not only be a smart way to reduce waste, but a great way to save money on moving material. Also, remember that cardboard recycling is mandatory at Cal Poly since we are committed to becoming Zero Waste, so be sure to break down those boxes when you take them out to the recycling bins. Lastly, if you would rather avoid the cardboard, use plastic storage containers and suitcases that you can use over your college career.
Avoid Bottled Water - Instead of purchasing a large case of bottled water, we suggest taking advantage of the free refillable water stations located across campus or bringing your own water pitcher and rest assured knowing tap water has stricter health regulations than bottled. Also remember to use that free reusable water bottle that will be provided during WOW.
Choose Energy-Efficient Products – Bring LED or CFL bulbs which require 70% less energy than traditional bulbs. Pack a power strip to help you easily shut appliances when you leave your room. Buy ENERGY STAR®-qualified products. Bring the ultimate energy efficient tool with you, a clothes drying rack, to shorten those long waits down in the laundry room.
Green Campus Kicks off Eco Reps Pilot Program
September 2016
Eco Reps are a group of 40 students committed to creating a culture of environmental stewardship on the Cal Poly campus through peer education, sustainability-focused projects, and outreach events. Managed by the Green Campus Team within Facilities, Eco-Reps get to exemplify the "learn by doing" motto, all while having a direct role in Cal Poly's advancement to a fully sustainable future. Visit the Green Campus website to learn more.
Green Campus announces dates for 2016 ACDC
July 2016
The Cal Poly Green Campus team will be teaming up with University Housing and Residential Life to host the 2016 Annual Diversion and Conservation Challenge (ACDC). The ACDC will pit residents of the 6 Red Brick Buildings against each other to reduce the most energy and water use in their buildings. Wate and Energy will be tracked live using the Lucid Energy Dashboard during the duration of the two week competition. The winning hall will recieve an ice cream social party featuring Batch ice cream sandwiches! Visit the Green Campus website to learn more.
Meet the 16/17 Green Campus Team
July 2016
For the 2016/17 academic year Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability staff will guide the work of three new team members on the Green Campus team in addition to two returning team members. Green Campus recognizes the value in engaging newly admitted students to achieve successful culture change on campus around sustainability. In addition to organizing the Annual Conservation and Diversion Challenge the team is crafting plans for an Eco Rep's program, Res Hall Eco Certified program, as well as planning for activities that will engage thousands of students during Earth month in April of 2017.
The 2016 Cal Poly Sustainability Charrette
May 2016
Just after Earth Day 2016, Cal Poly convened a campus wide Sustainability Charrette to shape Cal Poly's role in Sustainability and Climate Change. With President Armstrong, Provost Enz-Finken, and Vice President Vizcaino-Villa in attendance, the all-day event brought together over 100 faculty, staff, students, administrators, industry partners, and community leaders. The Charrette brainstormed ideas to further infuse sustainability and climate change into curriculum, research, and student experience, resulting in a number of proposed initiatives that build on Cal Poly's strengths and ongoing efforts. Proposed initiatives under consideration include:
Cal Poly goes above and beyond State mandated water reduction targets!
March 2016
Do you ever wonder what Cal Poly is doing to reduce water consumption and respond to the ever growing impacts of drought? Thanks to a diverse group of Cal Poly stakeholders who crafted the 2015 Drought Response Plan [PDF], the University has gone above and beyond the 20% reduction CSU policy and state mandated targets and reduced water consumption from ALL campus users by 31%!
Cal Poly grows sustainability team in Facilities!
February 2016
With a new team made up entirely of Cal Poly grads, Facilities is elevating its focus on sustainability. Under Director Dennis Elliot (BS Mechanical Engineering 1993), two new employees have come on board - Eric Veium (BS Industrial Engineering 2008 and former Green Campus Intern) is serving as Energy and Sustainability Analyst, and Kylee Singh (Masters of Public Policy 2013) is filling the role of Sustainability Coordinator.
Green Campus Program goes back to its roots!
January 2016
In 2015, when funding became limited for the Alliance to Save Energy's Powersave program, Cal Poly Facilities Department decided to independently fund the internship opportunity. Through outreach events and peer to peer education, team members work to engage and create behavior change around the way students manage their water, energy and waste. Green Campus recognizes the value in engaging newly admitted students to achieve successful culture change on campus around sustainability. In addition to organizing the Annual Conservation and Diversion Challenge the team is crafting plans for an Eco Rep's program, Res Hall Eco Certified program, as well as planning for activities that will engage thousands of students during Earth month in April of 2017.