Green Campus Summit 2011: In California Jan. 29-31

The Alliance’s Green Campus Program is gearing up for its seventh annual Energy Efficiency Summit, which will take place Jan. 29 – 31 at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

The Green Campus Program is a student-driven energy efficiency education program that promotes careers in the field, generates actual energy savings, increases awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, and encourages academic infusion of sustainability concepts; the program's interns collectively saved their universities about 4,000,000 kWh of energy and $485,000 in 2010 through their on-campus projects.

Sustainable Students

As the premier energy efficiency event for colleges and universities, the summit will convene more than 150 students, faculty, staff and administrators from 16 California State and University of California campuses. Guest speakers include Institute for Energy Efficiency Executive Director David Auston, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, CSULB President F. King Alexander and Alliance President Kateri Callahan.

The invitation-only event will offer best practices for saving energy on college campuses and improving energy efficiency information in academic curricula, as well as ways to take advantage of the growing number of green jobs available to college graduates.

Empowering the Future Workforce

“There is an emerging green workforce,” said Green Campus Project Manager Renee Lafrenz in a Long Beach Gazette article. “Even if the students don’t all want to work for a nonprofit or utility, what they learn here can be applied to many career fields.”

In addition to sharing ideas about saving energy and learning about successful campus projects, students will have the opportunity to network with energy company leaders and other professionals working the field of sustainability. 

Event Details

For a full schedule, session descriptions and speaker bios, visit the Green Campus Energy Efficiency Summit event page.  Also check out preview coverage of the event in the CSULB Daily 49er.