Sustainability

The seventh annual Sustainability Champion Awards program honors Cal Poly Humboldt employees who have deepened a culture of sustainability on campus, advanced  the integration of sustainability into academics or student life, or have reduced the University’s environmental footprint. 

Cal Poly Humboldt is on the road to zero waste, and for its efforts was recognized by the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) with a bronze Zero Waste Certification.  

A reverence for the environment is instilled in the Humboldt experience, whether it’s via the graduation pledge, or by participating in the many sustainability-driven efforts on campus. Each April, members of the university community affirm these values during Earth Week celebrations.

While Californians face increased fire risk, air pollution, and aging energy infrastructure, Tribal and rural communities remain especially vulnerable. The SAFE project—Smoke, Air, Fire, Energy—is a collaboration between Tribes and Schatz Energy Research Center to develop solutions to these challenges.

Cal Poly Humboldt, the Yurok Tribe, and College of the Redwoods have partnered on an initiative to create a local workforce for the proposed development of floating offshore wind projects along California’s North Coast.

Cal Poly Humboldt researchers found that redwoods have varying sensitivity to drought, and that rising temperatures may affect tree performance in unexpected ways—results that are both concerning and hopeful.

California’s first 100% renewable energy, front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid is now fully operational. Located in Humboldt County, California, the microgrid provides energy resilience for the regional airport and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station.

Recognizing the innovation, collaboration, and leadership of students, faculty, and staff who are advancing sustainability on campus.

With an eye on a warming planet and the North Coast’s future, Cal Poly Humboldt is turning its attention groundward with a new project designed to create a more resilient landscape in the face of climate change. 

Helping students find kinship with the land and the community through the Black to the Land Farm Project, which trains and supports Black students to be the next generation of farmers. 

Cal Poly Humboldt released its new roadmap to become carbon neutral by 2045 and move toward building a campus and community that’s more resilient to climate change.

Cal Poly Humboldt’s Food Summit 2022 is underway, with many opportunities to volunteer and learn about food systems and sustainability.

In response to the mounting effects of global climate change, Cal Poly Humboldt has released a draft update of its Climate Action Plan (CAP 2.0). A valuable tool for University-wide climate resilience planning, the CAP 2.0 is a roadmap to guide Cal Poly Humboldt towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

Humboldt State University’s Sustainable Futures speaker series (SFSS) kicks off January 27 at 5:30 p.m. with Jill Lindsey Harrison, author of "From the Inside Out: The Fight for Environmental Justice within Government Agencies." Plus, Alison Bates, who will share research on the social acceptance of offshore wind energy, and Andrea Rodgers, who will discuss on children’s fundamental rights, the climate crisis, and the call for judicial branch engagement.

Humboldt State University has launched a new minor that transcends disciplines and can complement any undergraduate major. Starting this Fall, the Sustainability minor will explore real-world problems from a variety of academic perspectives, incorporating curricula from across the natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities and the arts.

Once again, Humboldt State University has been named a “Green College” by The Princeton Review. The education services company included HSU in their 2022 edition of The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges, released this October.

For the fourth year in a row, Humboldt State University has been named a “Cool School” by the Sierra Club magazine’s annual ranking of sustainability among North America’s greenest colleges and universities.

Drawing on its strengths in STEM, environmental and social responsibility, and experiential learning, Humboldt State University has submitted documentation of its intent to launch several new and innovative undergraduate and graduate degree programs as soon as Fall 2022 and Fall 2023.

Members of the HSU community are invited to celebrate Earth Week virtually, April 19-23. The 2021 theme is “Regeneration.”

Sustainability is the recognition that humanity is a part of the natural world, not separate from it, and that healthy social and economic systems depend on the health and resilience of ecological systems.

This spring, HSU students enrolled in an intensive workshop hosted by the Program of Environmental Studies will spend their spring break vacations applying knowledge to action in the name of climate resilience.

HSU Dining Services has been recognized for its sustainability, as it launches a new collaborative program to reduce food waste.

Humboldt State’s Fourth Annual Zero Waste Conference will feature a week of food, workshops, speakers, documentaries, and more, seeking to “Rethink, Reshape, Reclaim Systems for a Waste Revolution.”

Humboldt State University has been named a Green College in the 10th annual Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges.

A groundbreaking microgrid developed to provide renewable power and energy resiliency for the Blue Lake Rancheria was put to the test during the recent statewide outage.