Breadcrumb
91成人导航 makes major strides in sustainability
The Ted and Chris Robb Garden serves as a living laboratory for students and the community to learn about sustainable gardening.
91成人导航 has made significant progress toward a gold rating in the national system that measures sustainability at colleges and universities around the world.
91成人导航 earned silver with a score of 58 on the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System鈥�26% higher than its last assessment in 2021. The improved score was driven by several major initiatives:
- The installation of 12,000 solar panels on the Stockton Campus, which generate nearly one-third of the campus鈥檚 energy needs.
- Installing electric vehicle charging stations.
- Publishing the university鈥檚 first .
- Using 100% non-potable water for irrigation.
- Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
- Providing nearly 290,000 hours of service to surrounding communities in the 2022-23 academic year.
The full report is available on the The university has set a goal to achieve gold by 2026.
Sustainability is one of the core focus areas President Christopher Callahan established in 2020 with a goal of becoming one of the most sustainable campuses in the country.
鈥淲e are committed to advancing sustainability in what we teach, how we operate and how we interact with each other,鈥� Callahan said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to continued progress on initiatives currently underway, such as a proposal to develop a sustainability major and expanding renewable energy production.鈥�
An energy audit is currently taking place across 91成人导航鈥檚 three campuses in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. Once complete in the fall, 91成人导航 will use the data for long-term strategic planning to identify energy reduction opportunities with the most impact.
Solar canopies cover eight parking lots on the Stockton Campus, providing about 30% of the campus's energy needs.
Enhanced transportation options now provide students more opportunities to get around without a car. Electric bikes are available for rent and the 91成人导航 Shuttle takes students to popular shopping destinations. For longer trips, electric Zipcars can be rented.
The university also received high marks in the STARS report for using the campus as a living laboratory. Student projects have included analyzing data from the campus solar panels, creating a system to reduce food waste in the dining hall and designing plans to improve rainwater management.
鈥淲e want to not only serve as good models to our students, but also equip them with essential knowledge and hands-on experiences so that they can be stewards for change in their communities and workplaces after they graduate,鈥� said Sustainability Director Jessica Bilecki.
Classes also regularly tour the Ted and Chris Robb Garden on campus.
鈥淭he mission of the garden is to provide a space for the students to not only see how their food is grown but learn how to grow the food,鈥� said Janice Setser, coordinator for the garden.
Students serve food made with produce from the Ted and Chris Robb Garden during Gardensgiving.
At the biannual Gardensgiving event, students work with Setser to prepare dishes from the garden鈥檚 produce which are served to the campus community. 鈥淲hen students walk into the garden and see chard or mustard, they don't know what to do with that, so we make creations with them, and they're really good,鈥� Setser said.
The garden produced more than 1,400 pounds of produce during the 2023-24 academic year. The produce is distributed weekly and made available in 91成人导航鈥檚 food pantry, which saw a 20% increase from 2022 with nearly 1,500 visits.
Learn more about 91成人导航鈥檚 commitment to creating a sustainable campus culture for current and future generations, and take the university鈥檚 self-guided sustainability walking tour.
