Cal State Long Beach hosted students and administrators from 16 California State University and University of California campuses over the weekend for the seventh annual Energy Efficiency Summit.
President F. King Alexander welcomed the members of the summit and encouraged everyone in attendance to work together to promote energy conservation.
He said universities need to show society the right way to go.
“Universities are the catalysts in sustainability,” Alexander said. “Cities look to us for solutions, look to us for new ideas and look to us for energy.”
He said college students and the generations that are moving into the economy are the most important influence on the population.
“The baby boomers are not going to change their bad habits on their own,” he said. “High schoolers and middle schoolers have the greatest potential to have an impact on the environment.”
He pointed out that minor changes can have a major fiscal impact on campus, like the replacement of vending machines, which saved $5,000 a year. These changes can also reduce the carbon footprint.
He said the U-PASS program has increased from 600 riders a week to 6,000, saving students and staff money on parking and gas.
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster recalled when he began working on energy conservation and noted that, at that point in time, you could have only filled one table in the room with participants. Now, almost all the tables in the room were filled.
“It’s gratifying to see the change in society and in young people,” he said. “We need to be more thoughtful about how we use energy in our daily lives. The university will lead the way in this area.”
In honor of Alexander and the mayor’s support, Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) has planted a grove of 100 trees.
The summit also drew representatives from other states, including Bob Koester from Ball State University in Indiana. He said there are 22 schools in Indiana working with ASE to get outside funding. In addition, he and others have already written a piece of legislation to make the movement happen.
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