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An Update on Campus Sustainability

November 18, 2024
Office of the President

To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics

Caltech's mission of discovery, innovation, and education goes hand in hand with protecting the planet's resources and mitigating the effects of climate change. Last year, I constituted the Sustainability Advisory Council with the charge to deliver a report and recommendations to:

  • assess Caltech's current environmental footprint;
  • construct a plan that sets measurable goals and identifies initiatives and resources to achieve further sustainability in the areas of energy, water, materials, waste, land use, mobility, and emissions;
  • coordinate and oversee the plan's implementation, tracking progress toward stated goals, and the continuing evolution of sustainability initiatives and programming.

The council's report, Sustainable Caltech: A Plan for a Resilient Future, is now available. It identifies long-term and short-term actions that can propel operational sustainability along with opportunities to deepen the culture of sustainability on campus. Several of the plan's initiatives will engage the entire Caltech community, calling on our collaborative strength and broad expertise, and several already are underway, including:

  • On November 19, 2024, Caltech and Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) will sign a memorandum of understanding to establish mechanisms for working together to increase investment in clean, reliable, cost-effective energy; reduce carbon emissions; and improve energy efficiency and resilience. Projects identified with PWP have the potential to decrease campus emissions by 40% while increasing resilience and modernizing the campus grid.
  • Caltech has engaged the Arup design firm to conduct a detailed engineering and cost study for conversion of the campus heating system from steam to hot water, a project that has the potential to cut campus carbon emissions by approximately 75%. A draft report on the study will be considered by the Sustainability Council at its January 2025 meeting.
  • Water metering throughout campus is being assessed to ensure accurate tracking of water use. Water meters will be installed at the central utility plant and satellite plants, and additional meters will be replaced or installed as needed.
  • A free electric-bike rental program for students has been established to support efficient local transportation. More than 1,000 checkouts have been recorded since inception of the program.
  • In October 2024, two new staff members were added to the campus recycling program. The increased capacity of the recycling staff is expected to allow diversion of hundreds of tons of waste from landfills each year.

I thank the Sustainability Council members and co-authors who contributed to this important plan:

  • Emily Choe (BS '24), former president of Venerable House
  • Max Christman, manager for sustainability programs in Facilities Operations and Services
  • Neil Fromer, executive director of programs for the Resnick Sustainability Institute
  • David Kang, associate vice president of facilities
  • Charlie Lane (council co-chair), vice president and chief operating officer
  • Ryan O'Connor, assistant vice president for finance and operations in Student Affairs
  • John Onderdonk, former assistant vice president for Facilities Operations and Services, and chief sustainability officer
  • Jonas Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute
  • Alex Sessions, Nico and Marilyn van Wingen Professor of Geobiology
  • Angelike Stathopoulos, professor of biology
  • David Tirrell (council co-chair), provost, Carl and Shirley Larson Provostial Chair, Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
  • Paul Wennberg, R. Stanton Avery Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering
  • Christopher Yeh, CMS graduate student, Resnick Scholar, and sustainability chair of the Graduate Student Council

The council has laid a foundation for a new level of sustainability and will measure progress and shape future plans. If you would like to contribute ideas and comments to the committee's continuing effort, please visit the Caltech Sustainability website.