Each year, a selection committee reviews nominations and selects one faculty, one staff, and one student who has excelled in advancing sustainability on campus and in the local community. The 2026 award winners embody a spirit of innovation, collaboration, and leadership to create solutions to pressing challenges facing the campus and society.
This year, the award winners were presented with trophies made by students Kane Naruishi, Jaimie Lerma, Giselle Chavez, and Connor Chase in the Swetman Makerspace.
As co-president of the Surfrider Club at Cal Poly Humboldt, Student Sustainability Champion Riley McDaniel is leading efforts to advance the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans through education, advocacy, and inclusive governance. Thanks to McDaniel and fellow club members, the club is a strong, active force on campus and in the local community, from participating in environmental fairs at local elementary schools to helping the J Dining Hall become a certified Ocean Friendly Restaurant. McDaniel is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Journalism & Mass Communication.
As the lab technician for the Art program’s ceramics studio, Staff Sustainability Champion Christopher Dubois instituted the first formal clay recycling program for the program, keeping approximately two tons of clay out of the landfill each semester and reducing the extraction of finite materials. Through this effort, the Ceramics Lab donates free clay to roughly 300 students each year, saving students money and making ceramics more accessible. And now, under his leadership, the Ceramics Lab is recycling half a ton of fired clay pieces, which are crushed and repurposed as paving materials.
Faculty Sustainability Champion Jennifer Ortega founded the inaugural Trillium Project, a development retreat to support faculty in integrating sustainability into their courses. She helped develop and lead the People & Planet Place-Based Learning Community; facilitated the designation of Cal Poly Humboldt as a Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum, and launched the Certificate for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools, expanding workforce-relevant training aligned with climate adaptation and educational equity. The award was accepted on Jen’s behalf by her husband, Justus Ortega.
The Office of Sustainability sponsors the annual Sustainability Champion Awards. For more information on sustainability at Cal Poly Humboldt, visit the Office of Sustainability website.