By Carissa Diaz
Staff Writer

After one year of being open, the Office of Sustainability has already made improvements on going green.  Students and faculty have come together to help the university receive a bronze rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

The university received the bronze rating in September. It marks the first time CSUDH has been recognized for its environmental efforts.

“In terms of a rating, we’ve wanted one for quite some time,” said Ellie Perry, coordinator of the Office of Sustainability. “I think President Hagan had originally wanted to do it back in 2014, but we just didn’t have a staff person who could take the time and actually collect all that data and get projects going.”

The university went through a process that almost all other universities go through if they want to be credited by AASHE. Each school reports sustainability efforts worked on inside and outside of classes. It begins with all departments reporting their information to the coordinator on how they incorporate sustainability. The campus then gets points for each sustainability effort. The rankings are then determined once all the points have been submitted and credited. The ratings are bronze, gold, platinum, and silver. 

“To get a bronze after only one year of having an office of sustainability is really good,” said Perry. The fact that we’re able to get rated at any ranking is pretty impressive.”

The minimum number of points for a bronze rating are 25. Silver ratings are awarded at 45 points, gold at 65 points and platinum at 85 points.

One way the campus has been working toward sustainability is by controlling water management. According to the Office of Sustainability website, it has connected with the water company providers to set up a way that allows them to view the audits. They’ve also replaced shower heads on campus that monitor water flow.

When it comes to waste management, the office says reducing and reusing is the key. It advises everyone on campus to use reusable water bottles to fill up at the hydration centers.

Another way to improve sustainability is through transportation. There are services that the parking office offer that will help limit student driving, such as a carpool program. Full-time students can receive discounts for Metro/Tap cards.

Another way students can contribute by participating in campus projects is to join the new Sustainability Club.

“We have switched out housing and parking lot light bulbs to more luminous and efficient LED bulbs,” said Scarlett Zamora, president of the Sustainability Club. “We are also in the process of making the golf carts on campus run on solar power.”

For those that can’t join the club, there are still ways to contribute, Perry said. It is helpful to report leaks in the bathrooms or around campus, and let faculty know which classrooms are too hot or too cold. This allows the school to know where energy is being wasted.

“We’re trying to upgrade a lot of the lighting in the classrooms and buildings to automatic sensors,” said Perry, “There’s obviously older classrooms that don’t have that yet, so doing simple things like turning off the light when you leave a room is really helpful too.”

Perry also said sustainability is off to a good start by earning this rating, but it is important to keep improving.

If you would like to report any issues you see around campus that could affect sustainability, contact the Facilities Services at (310) 243-3804.