In his efforts to promote a national Clean Energy Standard, California Gov. Jerry Brown attended the “National Clean Energy Summit 4.0: The Future of Energy” in Las Vegas on Aug. 30 alongside many notable environmental supporters.
The Center for American Progress, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and several other groups hosted NCES 4.0 to discuss the future of energy in America. Gov. Brown, Vice President Joe Biden and other environmental advocates spent the day focusing on our clean energy future.
“We want 33 and a-thirds percent in renewable energy in California by 2020,” Brown said. “We are at 17 percent, not including hydro or nuclear.”
Gov. Brown also spoke on Sept. 22 in Fresno where he signed three bills concerning renewable energy and credited his predecessor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with conceiving and pushing the idea of the solar initiative in California.
“Politicians come and go, but good ideas continue,” Brown said.
Colleges all over California are working to improve awareness, sustainability and go green.
2009 was a big year for Cosumnes River College committing to going green.
The Green Force, also known as the Sustainability Committee, received special funds for 100 recycling bins on the CRC campus which are still used by students.
One hundred and sixty nine CRC employees took an employee sustainability pledge, “to take into account the social and environmental consequences of their actions and those of the campus and will work toward achieving sustainability,” according to the school website.
Graduating students at CRC were invited to take a graduation pledge of social and environmental responsibility, a trend which started in 1987 at Humboldt State University and spread to more than 100 colleges and universities.
December 2010, CRC had its first graduate earn the new Environmental Studies and Sustainability degree, as reported in the Green Scene. The Winn building, which will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating Systems is currently in production and set to open in 2013, according to the CRC Connection.
In the Learning Resource Center, there energy saving features as simple as the bathroom lights turning on when you walk into the empty room.
CRC offers many green classes in architecture, building and construction, economics, geography, geology and horticulture.
Students in Professor Debra Sharkey’s Environmental Studies & Sustainability class are working on group projects to make CRC a more sustainably run campus. Two groups are focused on energy-related issues, energy conservation and an increased use of solar panels to produce a greater proportion of our own power.
“GreenForce acknowledges the importance of all people in promoting sustainability – environmental stewardship is not just for those who can afford hybrid cars or solar panels on their homes,” Torence Powell, CRC GreenForce Director, recently said in an interview with the “Green Scene”, a bi-monthly newsletter promoting ways to be green and to help our environment locally and globally. “There are small steps we can all take which, collectively, have a huge impact. Our GreenForce projects help to foster an awareness of these small steps, and equip our students with the skills to go out and make it happen!”