Associated Students Inc. has joined the California State University-wide campaign to create a green campus. The student-run campaign, “Renew CSU,” is urging more CSU students to get involved with organizing a green campus movement.

Part of the plan, which is coming in the wake of what other CSUs, such as Chico and Humboldt State, calls for getting students and staff to make sustainable development a practical reality on all campuses nationwide.

The effort is designed to make a commitment to obtain at least 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, including solar, wind and biomass by 2014 and 50 percent by 2024. By 2010, 11.5 megawatts of campus electricity would be of renewable sources.

The plan calls for students and faculty to create an Interdisciplinary Center for Sustainability. The committee, which would include students, staff members and off-campus organizations representatives, would make proposals for expanding recycling and reuse programs, with special attention made to food services. It would also promote sustainability-related courses in General Education curriculum and planning lectures series.

The committee also plans to collaborate with the “Renew CSU” movement, which effectively lobbied CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed and CSU trustees last fall to pass a resolution mandating reduced energy use and increased energy independence and efficiency on all CSU campuses.

ASI President Angela Arriola said the movement is spreading like “wildfire.” Arriola is working with other student body governments in California to create a model for making all CSU campuses green.

All renovated and newly constructed buildings would be designed and constructed using green building guidelines developed by the U.S. Green Buildings Council, known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, and would be designed and built at a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver rating or higher (without binding the CSU to actually pursue the organization’s certifications).

Arriola said the campaign is seeing real-time use at Humboldt State. The university was one of the first to reduce the amount of paper used by campus facilities by making all documents use both sides of the paper.

As of right now, the campaign is getting the ball rolling by networking with other CSUs that already started taking steps toward creating a green campus.

Although “Renew CSU” is just starting to catch speed, this isn’t anything new to California. For years the state has been at the forefront of making a more eco-friendly environment for its population.

Building codes are continuously evolving appropriately as new technologies and new ways of thinking become available.

“Energy is just one aspect of sustainability,” said Victor Takahashi, the director of facilities planning and construction services. “Making buildings sustainable by not putting them in direct sunlight all day is just one way to cut down on energy costs.”

Takahashi said recycling building materials and reusing property are other ways California building codes are taking advantage of cutting back on energy costs.

“We just recently rehired a new recycling specialist,” Takahashi said.

Along with recycling specialists, Sac State also employs energy conservation specialists as well.

Josh Staab can be reached at [email protected]