Sustainability Action Plan 2022

Much like energy efficiency goals, the district should establish goals to reduce water consumption on campus. The Santa Clara County Water District, as of June 2022, has mandatory water use reduction requirements of 15% over 2019 levels. As the 2022 drought stretches on, newly mandated reductions will likely come from the state and local agencies. In response to the drought, the district should strive to meet the BOG Framework goal of a 20% water use reduction over the 2019 baseline.

The district should develop and implement water conservation strategies to meet conservation goals and minimize penalties that may come from water districts due to the drought. Strategies could include the following:

• Maximize the resources of the Santa Clara Valley Water Agency for water conservation. These include landscape programs, rebates, outdoor and indoor conservation practices, water savings devices and other resources.
• Adopt water conservation landscaping practices.
• Install irrigation submeters on landscaped areas larger the 2,500 square feet and monitor regularly.
• Perform regular surveys to ensure that landscape sprinklers and irrigation are functioning properly.
• Submeter buildings for water usage and make data available to student conservation projects.
• Ensure that low-flow devices are installed on all appropriate plumbing and that they are operating properly.
• Explore rainwater harvesting techniques and implement where practical.

Stormwater and sewer discharges are a prime source of pollutants entering the environment and place the campus at risk for fines or other regulatory penalties. Stormwater management is an area where regenerative and nature-positive strategies can be used to reduce risks. The district should employ the following methods to reduce discharges.

• Raise awareness to reduce discharges and pollutants - Ensure that staff, faculty and students are aware of the detrimental effects of contaminants in stormwater and sewer discharges. Ensure that chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other hazardous substances do not enter the sewage system. Use signage, and work to educate the campus community that only rainwater should enter storm drains. Follow all regulations regarding sewer and storm drain discharges.
• Reduce stormwater runoff - Utilize permeable paving, drainage swales and other methods as appropriate to minimize stormwater discharges and soil erosion. Nature-positive and regenerative strategies would include green roofs that capture stormwater and detainment ponds which help recharge local aquifers.
• Utilize the California Community Colleges Storm Water Management Program template.
• As recommended by the BOG Framework, follow the U.S. EPA Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) requirements.

Sustainable landscaping practices conserve water and can contribute to achieving many other goals for sustainability. The district should evaluate adopting the Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines or other sustainable landscaping practices. The Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines were developed by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (www.stopwaste.org) for the professional landscape industry to offer an integrated, regenerative, and nature-positive approach to landscape management. The guidelines are organized around seven principles for the protection of the environment:

• Landscape locally
• Landscape for less to the landfill
• Nurture the soil
• Conserve water
• Conserve energy
• Protect water and air quality
• Create and protect wildlife habitat

The guidelines consist of 55 practices to fulfill these principles, applicable throughout the state. The program is comprehensive and may be used in total or selectively by the district to meet specific goals. Many jurisdictions in the San Francisco Bay Area have adopted the Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines and have found them to be effective. The district should engage Foothill’s horticultural department in implementing this program.