May 7, 2014
To the Campus Community:
Earlier this semester, as part of the Help Make CSUN Shine Brighter initiative, we posed a question about sustainability, reflecting a growing concern and commitment to an issue that has been embraced by the CSUN and broader community.
From individual efforts to the work of CSUN’s Institute for Sustainability, to sustainability goals set by the CSU Board of Trustees in 2005 and now being expanded, sustainability increasingly factors into our daily lives. As a CSUN planning priority, sustainability is now a key consideration in university operations. The blueprint for these efforts is CSUN’s sustainability plan. Affirming our institutional commitment to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from certain operations, and to promote climate research and educational efforts, in 2013, I was proud to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment for CSUN. More recently, I was among the founding signatories of Second Nature's Alliance for Resilient Campuses, which provides leadership on issues related to climate change and resilience.
Because we wanted to hear directly from CSUN students, faculty and staff about this critical issue, Topic 4 of Help Make CSUN Shine Brighter asked:
As green initiatives multiply, managing those efforts with limited resources becomes increasingly important. What efforts should take priority and what creative ideas do you have for making CSUN shine greener?
A synopsis of the input received from the campus community is now available online at http://www.csun.edu/MakeCSUNShineBrighter. In many ways, your comments and suggestions served to affirm numerous efforts already underway. Some suggestions are included in the Sustainability Plan, with implementation either in process or planned; other comments and ideas will help to further flesh out these initiatives and shape how we move forward. Suggestions for improving campus sustainability not part of the plan will be considered for inclusion as next year’s action items are prioritized.
We appreciate the level of engagement and thought that was reflected in everyone’s comments and ideas. It is good to know that we as a community share an interest in greening CSUN. With each of us doing our part, we can and will achieve our sustainability goals.
When you visit the Help Make CSUN Shine Brighter website, I also encourage you to review the latest update to Topic 2 – Enhancing CSUN Pride, Spirit, and Reputation – which reports on the ongoing progress related to your suggestions.
Thank you for your continued engagement with these topics and others of importance to the university.
Dianne F. Harrison, Ph.D.
President