Campus Community Imagines the Future of Sustainability at Annual Fall Mixer

Published November 5, 2018

The month of October not only marks the halfway point of the fall semester, it is also the time of year when the annual Faculty and Staff Sustainability Mixer takes place. The mixer, now in its fifth consecutive year, is co-hosted by the Office of Sustainability, the President’s Commission on Sustainability and the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. The purpose of the annual event is to foster dialogue among members of the campus community and to raise awareness about new sustainability initiatives and events on the horizon.

 

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MIXER

This year’s mixer took place on Thursday, October 4th at the beautiful Earl Burns Miller Garden, where CSULB faculty and staff members made new connections, learned about sustainability programs on campus, and enjoyed delicious vegetarian appetizers. The evening’s program featured presentations from campus staff, faculty, and administrators who discussed current achievements and priorities, as well as the future of sustainability at CSULB.

 

Provost Brian Jersky kicked off the evening by speaking about the university's new campus-wide initiative Beach 2030, a two-year long visioning process to create a plan for the future direction of the campus. The initiative calls upon the campus and Long Beach community to imagine what an ideal CSULB could look like over the coming decade and beyond. Jersky encouraged those in attendance to take part in “Imagine Beach 2030,” an online public event on November 14-15 where participants can share their ideas and voice their concerns about the future of the university.

 

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Following Jerksy’s introduction of Beach 2030 Environmental Science & Policy Program Director Dr. Christine Whitcraft spoke about how the university will meet its sustainability-related goals by 2030 with guidance from the new President’s Commission on Sustainability.

The newly established commission will replace the university's Sustainability Task Force, which was formed in 2011 as an ad-hoc committee by the Academic Senate. Building upon the university’s current sustainability commitments, the Commission will be charged with helping reduce the university’s carbon footprint, introducing environmental literacy into classrooms, and helping the campus achieve zero waste.

 

According to Whitcraft, the commission is “an opportunity to use the President’s leadership to elevate the profile of sustainability on campus by creating a commission that includes staff, faculty, students and community members.” Whitcraft will serve as the commission’s interim chair until the membership elections take place in spring.

 

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2018 Sustainability Champion Award. This year’s award honored Interim Director of Facilities Management, Paul Wingco, who previously served as Energy and Sustainability Manager before assuming his current role.

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Paul and Holli

Wingco served as a core member of the Sustainability Task Force since its inception and has been instrumental in bringing about many of the campus' award-winning energy and sustainability projects. After more than 30 years working in energy, sustainability, and facilities for higher education, about 26 of which were spent at CSULB, Wingco is planning on retiring in December 2018.

 

“Sustainability is a journey, not a destination,” Wingco said during his acceptance speech. “As many of you know, I’m retiring in December so I’m getting off the bus per say, the journey, just to give the opportunity for someone else to get on and continue that journey.”

 

Wingco said that winning the Sustainability Champion Award is an honor and that his retirement is still surreal.

 

 “[Winning] makes you reflect on things that you’ve been a part of and I think it inspires me even more knowing that the campus is in better shape,” Wingco said. “I feel good leaving the campus knowing that it’s in good hands.” 

 

To tie it all together and wrap up the evening, Sustainability Coordinator, Holli Fajack spoke about the huge leaps the campus has accomplished in sustainability over the years, and of the journey still ahead.

 

“In order to make our campus more sustainable, we need to make OUR voices heard. Imagine Beach 2030 will be one of the first steps in providing that platform.” said Fajack.

 

About Imagine BEACH 2030

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Beach2030
On November 14 (8:00 am PST) through November 15 (11:59 pm PST), the CSULB community is invited to join an online conversation called Imagine BEACH 2030. The goal is to engage faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader community to think creatively about the future of the university: its role in the community, the changing value of the degree, funding models, innovations in research, community engagement, teaching, work, collaboration, sustainability and resilience, and more. 

LEARN MORE

 

The future of sustainability at CSULB, starts with YOU. Here’s how you can get involved:

 

 

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Vote in the midterm election on November 6. Check your nearest polling place by visiting www.registertovote.ca.gov. Vote-by-Mail ballots can be dropped off at the USU info & Ticket Center until November 6.


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Participate in Imagine Beach 2030 on November 14-15. Register by November 14 to join the online conversation and enter for a chance to win $25 Beach Bucks!


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Attend and/or submit a project for the Green Generation Mixer & Sustainability Project Showcase.Save the Date for Wednesday, April 24th and stay tuned in January for our Call for Submissions flyer!


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Join a sustainability organization on campus. There a number of sustainability organizations and student clubs on campus. Check out the full list here


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Join a Presidential Commission Working Group. Email holli.fajack@csulb.edu to find out how you can get involved in the newly established President’s Commission on Sustainability.


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Get involved with the Office of Sustainability. From volunteering to attending a sustainability campus event, there are a number of ways to get involved! For more info, click here


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Join our newsletter. Stay in the loop of campus sustainability by signing up to receive our monthly newsletter with upcoming events, opportunity, and news!