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Chico State

Sustainability

A printing machine puts an Earth Day logo on a reusable bag

International Organization AASHE Once Again Honors Chico State for Excellence in Sustainability

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recognized Chico State for its environmental practices, honoring it as one of the top performers in its Master’s Institutions category.

Kendall Hall with spring flowers in the foreground

California State University Honored with Innovation Award for Faculty Learning Community Led by Chico State Professor

Geography and Planning professor Mark Stemen has been honored by a national organization for his tireless work to bring sustainability to more than just science classes.

Joseph James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe (right) speaks as and Arthur Garcia, Cultural Resource Manager and Tribal Elder of the Wintu Tribe, looks on. The Kapusta 1B project, a new Sacramento River side channel approximately ½ mile long (2,365 feet) created for salmanoid spawning habitat is behind them.

New Channel Teeming With Fish Thanks to Impressive Teamwork

The Kapusta Open Space Side Channel is teeming with tiny fish thanks to a massive team effort spearheaded by Chico State Enterprises and managed by the North State Planning and Development Collective.

Professor Garrett Liles holds samples of soil in each hand. He is standing at a table inside the soil sampling area of the regenerative agriculture lab.

Inside the ‘RAD-Lab’: Looking to the Ground for Solutions

The Regenerative Agriculture Demonstration (RAD) Lab began as an idea in grad school, and is now full service lab analyzing soil and carbon health.

Artist rendering of the front of a new academic building

Chico State to Break Ground on First Net-Zero Building with Future Home for College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

In what will be the first net-zero building on campus and only the third in the entire CSU, Chico State will break ground on the new building to host the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Alumna Ava Bloom

5 Questions with Chico State Alumna and Business Owner Ava Moon

Chico State graduate and local artist, Ava Bloom, channels her independent spirit, commitment to sustainability, and love for creating art into new vintage boutique.

A valley oak tree spreads its branches as the sunlight filters through

The Princeton Review Honors Chico State as One of its Green Colleges

The Princeton Review recently listed Chico State on its 2023 Guide to Green Colleges.

A screenprint of a logo that says "Earth Month"

Chico State Earns Coveted Top Spot in Prestigious AASHE Sustainability Rankings

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recognized Chico State for its environmental practices, honoring it as the top performer in its Master’s Institutions category.

A bee in flight prepares to land on a branch of purple flowers.

Protection of Pollinators Earns Bee Campus USA Designation

Intentional changes in landscaping practices have earned Chico State recognition as a Bee Campus USA.

Two trash cans with recycling labels.

AASHE Names Chico State as a Top Performer in Sustainable Practices

A prominent national organization has rewarded Chico State with its highest-ever ranking measuring efforts in sustainability.

A student walks past the Science Building in the evening light.

Science Takes Center Stage

This fall—three years after breaking ground— the new Science Building will open fully with more than 523 in-person class sessions serving thousands of students.

MacKenzie Deeter poses for a portrait

On Pace to Finish Strong

Student-athlete and graduating senior MacKenzie Deeter may have missed her last season of competition due to COVID-19 but she left a legacy of sustainability on and off the track.

President Hutchinson stands with students holding signs calling for action against climate change at a strike in city plaza.

Let’s Take a Stand for Our Planet

President Hutchinson invites campus community members to join her in taking immediate action to address climate change.

The hid leg of a cricket peeks out from inside a taco with otherwise traditional ingredients.

Buggin’ for Dinner

Last week, Sutter Dining featured Bug Night—an opportunity for students to sample new food sources.

A sign points attendees to Chico State's This Way to Sustainability conference.

14th Annual This Way to Sustainability Conference at CSU, Chico Focuses on Regenerating Ecological Systems

Next week Chico State hosts the 14th annual This Way to Sustainability conference.

Kendall Hall Lawn alight with a sunset glow filtering through the redwood trees.

From the President: Striding Toward a Sustainable Chico

As the University strives to make a greater impact in confronting climate change, President Gayle Hutchinson challenges us to do more.

Students mingle in the beautiful sunshine of the Chico State campus on the first day of classes in fall 2018.

CSU, Chico Named One of Nation’s Best for Upward Mobility Following Graduation

Colleges and universities have the obligation to help prepare students for life after graduation, so they can thrive in their chosen field to yield tremendous upward mobility. California State University, Chico was recently recognized as being one of the country’s top institutions for doing just that.

Solar panels are arrayed atop of Yolo Hall (in front) and Acker Gym (center) with Whitney Hall in the background on the Chico State campus. Chico State was recently recognized for an overall commitment to sustainable practices in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's its 2018 Sustainability Campus Index. Additionally, Sierra Club placed CSU, Chico at No. 9 in its “Cool Schools 2018” list, the highest ranking of any CSU institution, and the first top-10 overall sustainability ranking nationwide for the University.

CSU, Chico Receives Pair of Prestigious Sustainability Honors from AASHE, Sierra Club

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recognized California State University, Chico for an overall commitment to sustainable practices in its 2018 Sustainability Campus Index (SCI).

Graduating students sit facing the stage as their decorative graduation caps are displayed.

Chico State Terrific Titles of 2018

With the end of the 2017-2018 year rapidly approaching, and the swirl of the spring semester struggle muddying your memory, it seems only right to recap what our Wildcats accomplished this year.

Physical Sciences building rendering

CSU, Chico to Break Ground on New Physical Science Building in Fall 2018

The first images of the physical sciences replacement building were revealed this week, with a formal ground breaking planned for fall 2018.

A group of students walk around in the South Campus Neighborhood.

Painting a New Picture for South Campus

Representing so many threads within the tapestry of this community, Chico State strives to be an engaged and collaborative neighbor. A recent partnership with the city of Chico has taken our relationship to a new level.

The Chico State Tiny House Club gave a tour of their 196 sq. ft tiny house to the campus on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer)

Big Finish For Chico State’s Tiny House

CSU, Chico's Tiny House Club designed and built a home measuring less than 200 square feet, impressing judges at the recent Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Tiny House Competition.

A flyer for The Chico Experience Week on October 7-16, 2016.

The Chico Experience Week Preview

The schedule for The Chico Experience Week is jam-packed with more than 90 events on campus and in the community, so here is a preview of some of our top picks for the 10 days to come.

Charged and Ready to Go

This week, the nation's first thin-film photovoltaic charging station opened on the Chico State campus, offering campus and the community eight traditional power outlets and four USB portals from the comfort of a shaded table.

Night falls on the Arts & Humanities Building.

New Arts and Humanities Building Opens

A photographic look at Chico State's new Arts and Humanities Building

A hand arranges sticks and logs in a box to make a bee hotel

Building a Better Bee Hotel

The University Farm was abuzz as more than 60 students and community members crowded a classroom for a workshop on constructing wild bee habitats commonly known as bee hotels.

Sustainability: Putting Education into Practice

What does sustainability look like at Chico State? AS Sustainability helps students become aware that changing little habits every day does make a big difference.

Students in hard hats with construction equipment

Small House, Big Aspirations

Nearly 40 students from across campus are participating in a tiny house competition sponsored by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The Organic Vegetable Project sells produce to two customers

Sustainable Eats: A Recipe for Success

When student Grace Kerfoot became the AS Sustainability dining coordinator last fall, she was immediately off and running on bringing more dining choices to Chico State.

Student assisting with a street tree planting effort

’Cat Tales: Maintaining a Legacy

Read about the accomplishments of students, staff, and alums in the weekly edition of ’Cat Tales.

10 Reasons to #ChooseChico

Trying to decide which college is right for you? Here are 10 awesome reasons to #ChooseChico.

’Cat Tales: Saving Lives and the Planet

Read about the accomplishments of students, staff, and alums in the weekly edition of ’Cat Tales.

Chico State Explores the Way to Sustainability

By This Way to Sustainability lead student coordinators Michelle Libman, Senior, Recreation Administration, and Brittany Williams, Senior, Environmental Science This Way to Sustainability is a student-run conference that hosts more than 100 speakers and 1,400 participants at California State University, Chico. It provides a forum to discuss current issues that are relevant to us all […]

1st Street Promenade

Campus Construction Update

When students come back for fall semester, they will notice a few changes to campus. The 1st Street Promenade’s third phase of construction is expected to be completed in early August. The Normal Avenue parking structure construction, which started in January, is looking better every day. The parking structure itself is on schedule for its […]

Volunteering’s Valuable Lessons & Valuable Skills—For Now and For a Lifetime

Jennifer Jewell, volunteer coordinator for Gateway Science Museum on the campus of CSU, Chico Did your parent, school or church ask you to volunteer when you were a child? Mine did. All three asked that I serve some amount of volunteer time for some organization or effort each year. For school I worked at the […]

Why Our Ag Majors Are Growing

By Jennifer Ryder Fox, dean of the College of Agriculture After reading the January 19, 2012 Yahoo Education article “College Majors That Are Useless,” one might be led to believe that the author, Terence Loose, has something against eating, wearing clothes, enjoying a natural landscape, or smelling a bouquet of roses. What other reason could […]

Hidden Gems: Creekside Educational Garden

The Creekside Educational Garden is quite the hidden gem due to its location behind Colusa Hall. Directly south of Big Chico Creek sits an 8,000-square-foot section of land that has been set aside for this special project. The project began in the spring of 2011 as the third part to the larger Creekside Plaza Landscape […]

Summer Construction Time-lapse

By Pat Berry, Library Administration The video is comprised of photos that I took from the fourth floor of Meriam library and was created using iPhoto.  I’m not that great with video, so I went with the easiest option available.  I started taking photos so I would be able to measure the progress being made. […]

Saving You Dimes One Cup at a Time!

By Avery Beck, Senior, Anthropology Major Being away from home. Meeting new people. Spending late weekend nights roaming around downtown looking for parties. My freshman year at Chico State was basically everything I imagined college would be, based on the impression the movies I grew up watching gave me. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel […]

Dinner, Courtesy the University Farm

By Anna Harris, Assistant Editor, Public Affairs and Publications It’s not often that beans become an impulse purchase, but after visiting the Organic Vegetable Project stand last Wednesday (every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Services Center Plaza), I found myself walking across campus with a 10-pound bag of beautiful yellow […]