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Buy Clean California Act
The
Buy Clean California Act (PCC 3500 - 3505) states that
the environmental effects of eligible construction materials must be documented, and their global warming potential (GWP) must be lower than industry average. It seeks to lower the Scope 3
embodied carbon of capital projects in the state, and it applies to construction projects undertaken by certain state agencies, the University of California, and the CSU. This requirement is referenced in the “Environmental Requirements” section of the
General Conditions for all major capital projects.
Visit the
DGS website more information and to see current Buy Clean California eligible materials and their acceptable GWP limits.
External Green Building Rating System
Current CSU policy requires all new construction and major renovations to be capable of achieving a Silver level of certification under the
U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The LEED rating system assesses buildings for sustainability criteria across many areas, including location and transportation, energy and water efficiency, materials, and indoor environmental quality.
While the current systemwide policy does not require projects to pursue LEED certification, several campuses do have such a requirement. Currently, seven CSU campuses require LEED certification for projects, five at the Silver level and two at the higher Gold level.
Senate Bill 100
Senate Bill 100 (2018) requires the state to achieve carbon free power by 2045, the power mix will be 60% renewable and 40% carbon free sources. This law applies to all load serving entities (LSEs), including Community Choice Energy, bundled, and Direct Access customers. As a result, CSU’s Scope 2 emissions will follow state law.
Campuses may elect to decarbonize Scope 2 emissions faster, but individual action is not required to decarbonize Scope 2 emissions.
There are other important needs that can be met by onsite renewables.
Onsite Renewable Electricity
- Onsite renewable energy generation, such as solar PV, reduces scope 2 emission in the near term of 10-20 years while the electric grid continues to decarbonize. Once the California electric grid is fully decarbonized in 2045, onsite renewable electricity generation no longer reduces scope 2 emissions. Onsite renewable energy supports campus specific early action goals.
- Onsite renewables, if planned properly and combined with battery storage, can contribute to reliable, resilient energy capabilities to ride through grid power outages from wildfires and public safety power shutoffs with reduced carbon pollution, compared to convention fossil fuel generators.
Click
here to find resources to support campus onsite renewable generation and storage development.
Sustainability Policy
In May 2014, the CSU Board of Trustees adopted the first systemwide
Sustainability Policy. This policy, reflecting years of discussion and development, applies sustainable principles across all areas of university operations, expanding beyond facilities operations and utility management. This expansion was both a reaction to and a catalyst for the changing sustainability landscape within the CSU and higher education in general. The 2014 Sustainability Policy seeks to integrate sustainability into all facets of the CSU, including academics, facilities operations, the built environment, and student life.
As part of the Sustainability Policy, all campuses are required to track and report their progress using the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE)
Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS) platform.
Title 24 Compliance
While the complete California Building Standards Code (Title 24) is broad, the term "Title 24" is often used to refer specifically to the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6).
Per the
Sustainability Policy, all new construction and major renovation projects must exceed current California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) energy standards by at least 10% on a performance basis, with each component (envelope, HVAC, lighting) meeting or exceeding Title 24 prescriptive requirements.
California Energy Code requires most new buildings to be constructed with new solar and battery systems. To meet the requirements in a cost-effective manner, the CSU (in consultation with the California Energy Commission) allows for a campus boundary approach, enabling campuses to meet compliance either through building-level installations, or alternatively install a larger array within campus boundaries and credit a portion towards each new building project.
Transportation & Parking Policy
The
CSU Transportation & Parking Policy requires campuses to
prioritize cost-effective and lower carbon transportation options before constructing additional parking assets to meet student, faculty and staff commuting and travel needs. Campuses must designate alternative transportation committees (ATCs) and develop transportation demand management (TDM) plans in order to identify and implement the best fit transportation options for all campus commuters.
TDM refers to strategies and infrastructure that can reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips, and Scope 3 emissions. On campuses, TDM often looks like:
- Bicycle infrastructure and bikeshare programs
- Public transit subsidy programs
- Vanpool, carpool, and carshare programs
- Telework, distance learning, and off-peak scheduling
- On-campus housing and parking management strategies
Understanding Scope 1, 2 & 3 Emissions
Scopes 1, 2, and 3 are an internationally accepted way of defining and dividing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions into three “bins” to make it easier to conceive of and address our climate impacts.
Scope 1 emissions are those that the CSU directly produces by burning fuel on-site, such as in cogeneration plants, natural gas boilers, and campus-owned fleet vehicles.
Scope 2 emissions are GHGs that we as an organization are indirectly responsible for because they are produced by the utilities, power plants, and other fuel sources from which we purchase energy.
Scope 3 emissions include the broader upstream and downstream GHG impacts indirectly resulting from our operations — such as those from our supply chain, waste disposal, business travel, and commuting activities.
For more information, see the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s
Diagram of Scopes and Emissions Across the Value Chain.
In the CSU context, reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions is largely in our direct control via energy efficiency, electrification, renewable energy procurement, and fleet transition. Our unit’s work also addresses our Scope 3 footprint by seeking to procure lower-carbon products and materials and encouraging sustainable travel choices.