Awards

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Thirty-six facilities are LEED certified; 10 more are in design and construction, expecting LEED certification

Solar PV installations provide 10.5 megawatts, enough to power 11,000 homes, and more are in design or construction

The CSU produces 30 megawatts-enough to power 29,000 homes-through on-site energy cogeneration

The CSU has 18 MW of thermal energy storage capacity

Since 2003, the CSU invested over $50 million in energy efficiency funding

Since 2003, the CSU has reduced operational costs by $8 million annually and leveraged over $13 million of utility incentive

Reduction of more than 25,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions since 2004, equal to taking 4,500 cars off the road

35-year track record of energy and greenhouse gas reduction

Six CSU campuses signed the Presidents' Climate Commitment: Pomona, Bakersfield, Chico, Fullerton, Monterey Bay and San Francisco

Innovative and emerging technologies in facility design and renovation

The CSU has won a number of awards in recognition of its commitment to energy savings and sustainable design:

2010

Now in its ninth year, the 2010 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference gathered students, faculty, staff and administrators from the state's three public higher education systems to learn from each other about the best sustainable practices. During the conference, nine projects spanning seven CSU campuses (Humboldt, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San José, and San Luis Obispo) received best practice awards.

Each award represents the hard work and dedication of university students and employees. Floyd Dudley II, the assistant director of Energy and Engineering Services at CSU San Marcos, is an example of this dedication to sustainability. For his role in reducing the university's energy consumption, Dudley was recognized as the 2010 Young Energy Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers.

2009

In 2009, the CSU system, Humboldt State University and CSU Northridge each won awards through the annual Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming competition, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

CSU Northridge received the NWF Chill Out award in recognition of its 1 MW fuel cell power plant, the largest such installation at any university in the world. The ultra-clean plant produces 18 percent of the campus's electricity. Partnered with cogeneration, the fuel cell produces 22 billion BTU of useful thermal energy annually. The system has a combined efficiency double that of power on the nation's electricity grid and produces nearly zero particulate emissions. The campus also created a dense planting area known as the "rainforest" to absorb waste carbon.

2008

The state's Flex Your Power campaign recognized the CSU for reducing power use during critical demand periods throughout the summer. CSU campuses shut down or reduced the use of electricity hungry systems when called to do so by the California Independent System Operator.