The unique relationship between the University of California, the California State University and California Community Colleges under California's Master Plan for Higher Education has made the state's network of public colleges and universities a national model for higher education and research innovation for more than four decades. At this week's 7th Annual California University Sustainability Conference, the three institutions will turn their collective attention to sustainability solutions that will help campuses become more energy-efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly in the coming decades.

With more than 1,000 participants, including 250 students, the conference is the largest-ever network of colleges collaborating on one sustainability forum.

The three-day conference, which will explore ways to implement sustainability on campuses statewide and prepare future generations for "green collar" jobs, runs from Thursday evening (July 31) through Saturday afternoon (Aug. 2) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Lt. Gov. and UC Regent John Garamendi will address the conference participants on Friday morning.

"The higher education institutions in California are not only places of learning but living laboratories on green technology that creates jobs and investment opportunities. Going green is expected now by the next generation of Californians at our colleges and universities," Garamendi said. "Everything being talked about at this conference is cutting-edge, but the goal is to make it standard. Everyone wins, including students, California taxpayers, the environment and the private sector."

Other keynote speakers include Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance, who is a nationally recognized environmental justice and clean energy advocate, and Debra Rowe, president of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development and a professor of renewable energy technology and psychology at Oakland Community College.

The conference program will feature more than 75 sessions and workshops organized around 13 different subject tracks, including green building, water and landscaping, energy, transportation, food systems, waste reduction and recycling, procurement and sustainable business practices, and curriculum and research.

In addition to presentations and discussions, the conference will honor the 2008 Higher Education Energy Efficiency Partnership Best Practice Award winners. This year, 26 honorees were selected in areas such as building retrofits and operations, green buildings, sustainable transportation and student sustainability programs. For a list of winners: www.greenbuildings.berkeley.edu/best_practices.htm

The forum will also offer campus tours and field trips to green building and sustainable-practices sites in the region, an exhibit hall showcasing products and services for sustainable campuses, and a student sustainability "convergence" on the final day of the conference. Details about the complete program are available at http://sustainability.calpoly.edu.

Among the UC highlights on the agenda are:

• "Climate Change Policies and Practices" -- This session will feature presentations from several campuses, including UC Berkeley, which has committed to reducing its emissions to year 1990 levels by 2014, six years ahead of the state of California's goals under Assembly Bill 32.

• "Greening Campus Dining Facilities" -- UC Santa Cruz will describe its student dining facilities, which have received green certification from the city. One quarter of the produce that UCSC serves its students is certified organic.

• "Integrated Building Design" -- This session will cover the new Ocean Science Education Building at UC Santa Barbara, which is pushing to achieve LEED Platinum certification and is striving to become the first zero-energy building in the UC system.

• "Making Sustainability Part of Everyone's Job" -- Three campuses (including UC San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara) are starting to put sustainability into job descriptions, creating sustainability performance incentives, and training all staff about their role on a sustainable campus.

UC is a national leader in campus sustainability. Last fall, the Sierra Club's Sierra magazine named UC as the fourth-greenest university in the country.

Statewide, UC has 14 LEED-certified buildings, including two LEED Platinum buildings and three LEED Gold buildings. Every building on the new UC Merced campus, which opened in fall 2005, is LEED-certified.

UC has committed to aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Systemwide, UC has pledged to reduce its emissions to year 2000 levels by 2014, to 1990 levels by 2020 and to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible.

UC has also set a "zero-waste" goal by 2020, meaning UC will recycle or compost 100 percent of its waste.

The University of California, home to more than 220,000 students and 170,000 faculty and staff, encompasses 10 campuses, five medical centers, management of three Department of Energy national laboratories, and more than 130,000 acres of natural habitat reserves throughout the state.

For press credentials: Katie Maynard (805) 448-5111, kmaynard@geog.ucsb.edu

For more details about the conference program, schedule, tours and sponsors: http://sustainability.calpoly.edu

For more information about the University of California: www.universityofcalifornia.edu