COUNCIL for SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

Team Focuses on Embedding Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability into Stan State’s Culture

By Gina Oltman

Years of making small changes to reduce her family’s environmental footprint has taught Michele Gordon that sustainability is like a river – individual raindrops, once united, become a powerful force.

It’s a concept the Chemistry Department instructional support tech enjoys seeing in action at home as her family adopts more sustainable habits. When she learned in 2020 that Stanislaus State’s Council for Sustainable Futures was accepting applications to fill newly added seats, she was quick to apply, eager to see the concept work on a larger scale.

“Of course, it’s a little different when you translate it to a larger scale, like from a household to a campus situation,” said Gordon. “But it’s still one raindrop at a time, and all the raindrops make a river.”

The council, on which Gordon now serves as a staff representative, is an 11-member advisory team dedicated to embedding the concepts of environmental, social and economic sustainability into the values of Stan State. With a focus on education and environmentally friendly practices, it aims to foster awareness, understanding and a culture of sustainability on campus and in the local community.

In recent years, the council has led, facilitated and supported a range of initiatives, basically creating a river of sustainability one drop at a time. Examples include nearly eliminating plastic straws in campus dining areas, extending and connecting campus bike paths, bringing numerous speakers to campus, blending sustainability topics into curriculum and championing an ongoing effort to meet more of the campus’ energy needs with solar power.

To support its efforts, the University has become an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and has earned a silver rating through AASHE’s Sustainability, Tracking and Rating System (STARS).

Council membership reflects the campus community. Seats are filled by students, administrators, faculty and staff members, allowing the council to hear a range of perspectives when discussing issues.

“We don’t just deal with environmental sustainability. We are also looking at social justice and environmental justice in terms of sustainability,” said Jake Weigel, associate professor of art, who is in his second year on the council as a faculty fellow. “So that’s where it becomes really important for everyone to be represented at the table. We need different perspectives. One person might think differently than another person about sustainability. We need to understand those perspectives so we can grow the conversation.”

Weigel says the diversity of council membership, as well as ongoing connections with previous members, helps council members reach out across the campus when they need feedback on an idea or expertise in a certain field.

We don’t just deal with environmental sustainability. We are also looking at social justice and environmental justice in terms of sustainability.

- JAKE WEIGEL

Fellow member Julia Reynoso, associate vice president of Capital Planning and Facilities Management, agrees that the council’s diverse membership is important to its success. When the council was first formed, she said, it did not have wide representation, and it soon became clear that membership needed to expand.

“The council has evolved over time to include as much diverse representation of the campus as possible,” she said. “That’s important, because the diverse representation is how sustainability becomes embedded throughout the University.”

As president of the student group Eco Warriors, political science major Destiny Suarez is one of two student members who bring the student perspective to the council.

“I became involved because I felt the need to learn and express concern and ideas of sustainability on campus,” said Suarez, who took a council seat in 2020 when she served on the board of directors of Associated Students, Inc. Student voices on the council are important to help shape “the new world of sustainable possibilities” that is developing on campus, she said.

Looking to the future, Suarez said she hopes to help the council accomplish the goals in its strategic plan, including sustainable internship, leadership and job opportunities for students. The council’s many accomplishments are documented in four years of annual reports, and members are always working toward the next achievements. Faculty Fellow Julia Sankey, professor of paleobiology and geology, is researching student commuting and associated air quality and health effects, while Kyu Han Koh, also a faculty fellow and an assistant professor of computer science, is involved in outreach at Walnut Elementary Education Center and working on a sustainability education project using the Minecraft video game.

Also underway: Weigel is exploring an idea to raise awareness with a virtual sculpture representing the average person’s carbon footprint, and Gordon is working with other instructional support techs to reduce energy and paper use in her department and beyond.

“Sustainability is a lot about rethinking how we work, how we live and the choices we make,” said Gordon. “If I can help 10 people really think about what they’re doing and find ways to be more sustainable, they could go on to influence others. Over time, we’d make a difference.”

Learn more about Sustainability at Stan State www.csustan.edu/sustainability

Council Membership

Administration Mary Stephens, Interim Vice-President, Business and Finance

Julia Reynoso Associate Vice-President, Capital Planning & Facilities Management

Staff Wendy Olmstead, Sustainability Coordinator

Michele Gordon, Chemistry

Taylor Whitehead, Health Education & Promotion

Faculty Fellows Jacob Weigel, Art

Julia Sankey, Geology

Costanza Zavalloni, Agriculture

Kyu Han Koh, Computer Science

Students Destiny Suarez President, Eco Warriors

Adela Gonzalez, ASI Director of Finance