Sustainability Action Plan 2022

As described earlier, the Foothill-De Anza Community College District has been proactive in sustainability policy for many years. The Board of Trustees established policies for district sustainability that have been incorporated into the 2010 District Sustainability Plan, 2016 Facilities Master Plan, 2017- 2023 District Strategic Plan, and 2018 Foothill College Sustainability Management Plan. In addition, the board adopted the Energy Master Plan in 2021 and endorsed the creation of this Sustainability Action Plan, which addresses districtwide and site-specific needs for each college regarding energy and sustainability.

Recognizing the necessity for a coordinated effort and human resources to manage a large and complex program, the district approved the Energy and Sustainability Manager position in early 2022 to coordinate the implementation of the Sustainability Action Plan. It is anticipated that the position will be filled by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

The district established the Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) to share timely, relevant, and accurate local and state energy and sustainability information with constituency representatives and to provide a forum for participation in defining opportunities to promote environmental sustainability. ESAC is an advisory body and part of the district’s participatory governance process. The role and responsibilities of ESAC include:

• Review and make recommendations to promote environmental and social sustainability
• Review and make recommendations on energy use and GHG emissions reduction
• Look outward/forward on strategic planning to promote environmental and social sustainability
• Communicate and disseminate reports and updates to respective constituency groups and the community In addition, ESAC has been tasked with managing the Sustainability Action Plan development and implementation.

A critical activity for this Sustainability Action Plan is identifying funding and resources for its implementation. The district will develop a funding plan and schedule to implement prioritized sustainability activities and projects. Funding sources could include the Measure G bond program, district and campus general funds, grants, utility incentives, state construction funds or other sources. The funding plan should be one of the first steps taken after adoption of the plan.

Many of the projects identified in this plan require technical or programmatic expertise not available among district personnel. When appropriate, specialists should be engaged to assist in designing and implementing energy projects to ensure project success. The district will ensure that the individual or company being hired has experience relevant to the project for which they are being hired. Experience working with other California community colleges is also a plus.

Plans already established include the development of a request for qualifications/request for proposals (RFQ/RFP) to conduct an Electrification and Utility Upgrade Feasibility Study, which would quantify measures and costs to eliminate natural gas usage at college facilities to achieve GHG reduction goals. The RFQ/RFP has an anticipated release date to qualified engineers or architects in late 2022 or early 2023.

The district should evaluate the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®) to measure sustainability performance annually and report the results to the Board of Trustees. STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure sustainability performance. The framework encompasses long-term sustainability goals for high-achieving institutions and entry points of recognition for institutions taking the first steps toward sustainability. More than 1,000 colleges and universities use STARS to measure sustainability progress. Basic access to STARS for self-reporting is free, and a paid subscription provides peer-reviewed progress reports and recognition on the AASHE website and other publications. STARS takes an expansive approach to sustainability and includes issues of equity and environmental justice at the core of its metrics. For example, institutions are given credit for having bathrooms appropriate for transgender students, access to affordable systems of transportation, and programs accessible to low-income students.

The state Chancellor’s Office has embraced this program for district sustainability tracking, and ESAC should coordinate activities with Chancellor’s Office staff to ensure best practices implementation. For more information about STARS and AASHE, go here.

District and campus master plans and sustainability planning go hand in hand. Foothill-De Anza has a history of coordinated planning and has incorporated sustainability into the 2010 District Sustainability Plan, the 2016 Facilities Master Plan, the 2017-2023 District Strategic Plan, and the 2018 Foothill College Sustainability Management Plan. The district should integrate the mission, goals, objectives and measures identified in this Sustainability Action Plan into existing and future master plans.

The district recognizes that it is essential to institutionalize energy and sustainability into planning activities and everyday operations. Temporary, one-off efforts to manage sustainability activities result in short-term solutions that make it difficult to maintain progress into the future. To avoid these common pitfalls, ESAC should investigate the most effective ways and best practices to incorporate a broad approach to sustainability into the organization and foster a culture of sustainability in district operations. This will require districtwide operational and community training about new systems and processes at all levels. The first step in this process will be establishing and filling the previously described position of district Energy and Sustainability Manager.

The California Community Colleges system, led by the state Chancellor’s Office, has established several shared governance committees to develop and implement best practice energy and sustainability policies and programs and integrate them into local district operations statewide. These committees generally consist of Chancellor’s Office and district personnel who participate in regular meetings and workshops that focus on college facility and finance issues, including energy efficiency and a broad approach to sustainability. These committees include the Chancellor’s Office Climate Policy Steering Committee, the Association of Chief Business Officers (ACBO) Facilities

Task Force, and the Community Colleges Facilities Coalition (CCFC). In addition, regional committees consisting of personnel from local districts meet on a regular basis to discuss these issues as well.

Foothill-De Anza already participates in the ACBO Facilities Task Force but should broaden its activities and membership to the other statewide committees to help evaluate and implement policy, share experiences and expertise, and help influence future energy and sustainability efforts at the systemwide level.