SUSTAINABILITY AT CAL POLY
Information and Resources

Draft Report to The California State University
April 11, 2006

Prepared by:
R. Thomas Jones
Dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and Chair, Sustainability Advisory Committee

Harvey Greenwald,
Professor of Mathematics and Chair, Academic Senate Sustainability Committee
Mike Multari

Facilities Planner and Campus Sustainability Coordinator

Background:
Cal Poly has two standing Committees tasked with addressing sustainability.

The Sustainability Advisory Committee, serving the President, is focused on providing advice and counsel on facilities development, operations, and land stewardship matters in conjunction with Cal Poly's Facilities Planning and Facilities Services staff. The Committee is constituted of faculty, student, and administrative representatives and engages in discussions about and review of issues related to policy, operations, implementation of the Master Plan, and specific campus development projects, including transportation, infrastructure, utilities, waste management, and building and land use projects.

The Academic Senate Sustainability Committee, established by the Senate, is focused on developing and fostering teaching and learning on the subject of sustainability as it relates to campus intellectual and academic life, curriculum, and special projects. The Committee is constituted of faculty, student, and administrative representatives. It has undertaken sponsorship and support for two regular events, a one-day Annual "Earth Day", and a two-day "Biennial Sustainability Convocation," held in even numbered years.

ORGANIZATION
Cal Poly has demonstrated a real commitment to sustainable practices that have resulted in significant changes. Here are some examples:

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

• April 23, 2004, President Baker signed "Talloires Declaration" committing Cal Poly to internationally recognized sustainability goals.
• In 2004, creation of a Sustainability Advisory Committee and in 2005 naming of a “Sustainability Coordinator”.
• From 2002 on- Cal Poly “Biennial Sustainability Convocation” created-President and Provost work with students and faculty to invite nationally recognized experts on sustainability to campus for lecture, workshops, and advisory sessions to stimulate academic and facilities management ideas and practices.

TRAFFIC AND COMMUTER SERVICES

• Reduction in commuter parking demand (as measured by permits issued) by about 25 percent since 2002. Measures included significant contributions to the local transit provider to allow all Cal Poly students and staff to ride buses for free, parking price increases to discourage parking, incentive programs to use alternative modes including vanpool and car pool programs, programs to increase awareness of alternatives.
• Campus Sustainable Transportation and Mobility Initiative- Campus-wide community (students, faculty, staff, administration) has been involved in a series of design workshops to articulate dimensions of the Cal Poly’s and San Luis Obispo’s transportation and mobility systems that can be redesigned in order to substantially reduce the campus community’s dependence on automobiles. Since the document of possible projects was published to the Center for Sustainability in Engineering website (www.csine.calpoly.edu) in March 2006, faculty and students in two courses have designed portions of the needed system.

ENERGY CONSERVATION

• Reduction in energy use (MMBTU/s.f.) by almost 13 percent between 1999 and 2004. Measures included retrofit of over 27,700 lighting fixtures for a total savings of over 4.0 million KW and revamping campus-wide heating and cooling system that lowered natural gas consumption by 30 percent. We are programming other efficiency upgrades to further reduce electricity consumption by an additional 15 percent by 2010, including installation of photovoltaics to produce over 300,000 KWh and using cogeneration in the new student housing project, which is under construction to generate almost 3.0 million KWh.
• Increase in electric and LPG vehicles so that over 5 percent of the campus fleet now operates on alternative energy sources.

FOOD SERVICES

• Produce and products from Agricultural Lands produced by faculty and students used for central food service.
• New program using seasonal Cal Poly organic salad materials begun 2004- Sustainable Agricultural Resource Consortium oversees certified organic experimental growing areas and provides food for both student dinging at "The Lighthouse" cafeteria, and boxed produce orders by individuals.
• New Program to recycle coffee grounds and some vegetable waste from dining and café facilities to sustainable farming areas begun 2005.

SOLID WASTE

• Almost 60 percent of the total campus-wide solid waste tonnage is recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill. Numerous measures have been instituted for different types of waste.

NEW CONSTRUCTION

• New Poly Canyon student housing project that will accommodate 2700 residents to be LEED certified; the project has just started construction and will be completed in 2009.
• From 2003-2009, will have added 3580 beds for residents and 69 units of faculty housing, and correspondingly reducing auto commutes and related emissions.
• Campus is pursuing opportunities to secure additional photovoltaic panels through donations now being finalized of from 100,000 to 300,000 KWh.

WATER USE

• Decline in domestic water use as measured by volume/s.f. of building by about 15 percent between 2000 and 2005, primarily through fixture retrofitting and changes in irrigation methods.

CAMPUS LANDS STEWARDSHIP

• New Campus Master Plan Completed in 2001 - featuring significant increases in density of future development to reduce land consumption, removal of automobile circulation from central campus, substantially increased higher density housing to increase the ratio of campus residents to commuting students. In 2000, 17 percent of students lived on campus. In 2005, 20 percent of students lived on campus. In 2010, 30 percent of students will live on campus.
• Cal Poly has designated 250 acres as natural preserves to protect especially sensitive habitats and special status species. Additionally, prime agricultural and natural habitat lands protected permanently in both 3000-acre main campus area and 3000 acres of the Chorro Valley ranches agricultural lands.
• Swanton Pacific Ranch Plan partially implemented – sustainable stewardship plan being followed for the entire 2200 acre ranch with pilot program in sustainable forestry in redwood forest section, and organic gardening operated by local lessee in lowlands portion.
• Brizzolara Creek Advisory Committee formed to develop restoration – includes multidisciplinary faculty team with expertise in forestry, agriculture, natural and aquatic habitat, landscape architecture, stream restoration.
• Stream and wetland renovation in Chorro Valley ranches in cooperation with Cal DFG, MBNEP and others. Recent grants have funded over $300,000 in restoration work.

STUDENT COMMITMENTS

• Associated Students Inc. (ASI) produced a Student Guide to “Sustainable Living,” First Edition 2005.
• Several student clubs and committees are committed to student sustainability such as:
  o Environmental Council at Student Community Services
  o Sustainable Agriculture Club
  o Renewable Energy Club
  o Bio-Diesel Club
  o Fair Trade Club
  o Engineers Without Borders

CURRICULUM

• Academic Senate has established standing Sustainability Committee with representation from administration, facilities, students and faculty, that serves as a clearinghouse and support network for increasing academic and intellectual activity related to sustainability.
• Draft Surveys of all existing programs and all courses have been begun to establish a catalog and web based index for students and faculty to use as a resource, with the goal of inserting a new section in the next printed catalog cycle as a cross reference to all sustainability courses and programs.
• Funds set aside each year to foster development of new courses that are interdisciplinary give some priority to new course proposals concerning sustainability.
• Initiatives within each of the seven Colleges over the last several years show new courses have been added that address sustainability and individual faculty have used sustainability as a focus for classes, both within the General Education requirement areas, and within the professional college courses. Summaries of these to be completed as part of the Survey. Currently, several proposals for new courses and minors in colleges are under consideration but not yet formalized.

Examples of existing majors, minors, concentrations, and faculty/student projects include:

Sustainable Agricultural Resource Consortium (SARC) College of Agriculture – in addition to scheduled courses, SARC operates demonstration organic farms and undertakes public education and touring.

Materials Engineering – The Materials Engineering Department was awarded a $1M grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate sustainability concepts throughout the curriculum (freshman through senior years). The approach has been to redefine materials engineering to include an integration of the triple bottom line in the design process. Curriculum aids, generic to engineering programs for faculty at other institutions are posted at www.csine.calpoly.edu.

Sustainability Minor, College of Architecture and Environmental Design – won first prize for Sustainability programs out of 83 entries from the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment in 2005.

Environmental Studies Minor - College of Science and Math.

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS

• New Centers and Institutes have been crated as vehicles for engaging in applied research or fee work related wholly or partly to sustainability- The most recent include:
• Center for Sustainability in Engineering (CSinE)–2005- Established with the goal of facilitating the transition to engineering solutions that encompass systems thinking, and incorporate environmental and social considerations in engineering design and management. CSinE held a distinguished speaker series of five speakers in January, 2006 as part of the Cal Poly’s “Sustainability Month: Resolve to Change Your World,” with J. Pete Myers (co-author, “Our Stolen Future”) as the keynote speaker. CSinE Research projects include a range of technologies (e.g., hydrogen fuel cells, alternatives materials for concrete), and education issues. One of CSinE’s programs is a research affiliate of the National Academy of Engineering’s Center for the Advancement of Scholarship of Engineering Education—focused on research on how to effectively prepare engineers for sustainable solutions.
• California Center for Construction Education – 2004- not exclusively focused on sustainability. To include industry roundtables and applied research in Green Construction and LEEDS training for architects, engineers, and the construction industry
• The ITRC (Irrigation Training and Research Center) is significant. Their focus is water conservation and their contributions in this area are impressive. The following two pages from their web site provide a good summary:
  http://www.itrc.org/about.htm
  http://www.itrc.org/projects.htm
• Cal Poly "Tech Park" – conducted design charette in 2004 for sustainable development concepts, and recruiting potential tenant that may have an interest in sustainability
• One examples of notable current research outside the above centers and institutes: Faculty member Dean Wendt's project at the Morro Bay Estuary ("Elucidating the Nexus of Science and Society in the Morro Bay Ecosystem") received $1.5 million in funding from the Packard Foundation, The Resources Legacy Fund Foundation (RLFF) has provided $400,000 and the CA Coastal Conservancy is providing $500,000.
• College of Agriculture has conducted research on sustainable grazing and waterway restoration in cooperation with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, US EPA and the Morro Bay National Estuary Program.
• Watershed Institute has undertaken several projects on habitat restoration and water quality improvements.
• College of Architecture and Environmental Design faculty and students are involved in several regional and local “smart growth” community planning projects, including providing technical assistance in San Luis Obispo County’s “Vision 2050” planning process. Additionally the San Miguel Plan, done by the City and Regional Planning faculty and students, won a first place award from the American Planning Association.