SAN MARCOS -- Cal State San Marcos senior Erik Roper strongly believes the entire Cal State system should commit itself to green building goals and he and other students are taking steps to make that happen.

Along with six other student university representatives from Cal State schools, Roper presented a list of building standards to the CSU Board of Trustees in Fresno earlier this month.

Roper, vice president of external student affairs and the environmental officer for the California State Student Association, and the student leaders comprise the newly formed Renew CSU campaign. The group formed in February, adopting the slogan "Because Sustainable is Attainable," in order to put pressure on the CSU Board of Trustees to put a focus on the role state colleges play in the environment.

Roper said 15 of the 23 CSU campuses have students actively involved in the campaign.

"This has to do with both money and the environment," Roper, 28, said. "People hear the word 'environmentalist' and think of long-haired, hippie tree huggers but it's more than that. We need to be sensitive to the impact the CSU system has on global warming while being mindful of the financial aspect. CSU has felt the impact of budget cuts and these goals could mean hundreds of millions in cost savings."

CSU Renew has specific goals in mind. They are calling for the CSU Board of Trustees to commit to obtaining at least 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2014 and 50 percent by 2024. The equivalent of one megawatt of renewable energy per CSU campus should be in place by 2010.

The campaign also calls for renovated and newly constructed buildings to be designed and constructed to green building standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, known as LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

The campaign also wants energy use per student reduced by 20 percent by 2014 and 40 percent by 2024.

"This all includes solar energy panels, energy efficient windows and heating and air conditioning systems as well as lights and insulation," Roper said.

But Roper, a social science major who graduates in May, said that the goals are not all about global warming and energy efficiency. He said buildings not built to green standards can be physically harmful to their occupants.

"Sustainability is not just about energy costs," he said. "For example, one major cost associated with unsustainable buildings is indoor air quality that is 125 percent worse that outdoor air quality. It's making people sick, which means loss of work and loss of productivity."

The seven students that went before the CSU Board of Trustees handed out literature and energy efficient light bulbs to make their case. Roper was the only representative from Cal State San Marcos. The majority of the student activists attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Tylor Middlestadt, an architectural engineering major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, told the Board of Trustees that the future is now and that the board has the power to make changes in the system.

"We need to establish a relationship with the Board of Trustees and the CSU system and show them that student voices impact the future," Middlestadt said. "Actions need to be executed in a way that supports sustainability and opens a line of communication between the students (and the board). CSU Renew exists for the purpose of making sure all opportunities are economically and environmentally sustainable."

So far, the campaign has been completely driven by students. About five Cal State San Marcos students are involved but they do not have a faculty adviser. Robert Brown, associate professor in economics, teaches an environmental economics course at the college. He said the campaign's goals are worth exploring and that Roper was dedicated to getting the word out about sustainable buildings.

"He is very passionate about environmental issues and has worked extremely hard to get the issues to the forefront of the campus and inform students of environmental issues," Brown said. "His actions are motivated by improving the environment and providing information so that the students can make decisions on environmental issues."

Roper said students are already concerned about the environmental impact of their university. He believes that the CSU system has the potential to set the standards for other colleges across the country. The campaign has already received endorsements from the statewide Academic Senate and the Director of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Students are seeking endorsements from the governor and other state officials.

"CSU is the largest university system in the nation and, as California goes, so goes the nation," Roper said. "Students are concerned and see this as critical. The UC framework has already adopted (these requirements) and so have other colleges like the L.A. city colleges and it will spread."