CHC’s Sustainability Innovations

Publish Date: Nov. 14, 2023

On Tuesday, November 14, Crafton Hills College (CHC) conducted a tour to showcase its sustainability efforts for a group of architectural students from the University of Southern California (USC).

Before the tour, several notable speakers including Ida Clair, from the Division of the State Architect’s office, and Wrenna Finche, Vice Chancellor for the California Community Colleges, addressed the importance of a multifaceted approach to sustainability and the many ways that the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) and CHC are actively working to improve and expand upon these efforts.

During the event, Mike Strong, CHC’s VP of Administrative Services, presented CHC Facilities Director Larry Cook with a Sustainability Champion award for his exemplary leadership and commitment to recognizing and advocating for enhanced sustainability measures campuswide. Much of the sustainability work around campus can be traced back to Cook’s efforts from the time he assumed his position at CHC.

The walking tour allowed participants to see CHC’s sustainability efforts firsthand. It began at the Crafton Center, moved through the Central Plant, where participants could see the inner workings of the structure, and carried on through the Public Safety & Allied Health (PSAH) building and Kinesiology, Health Education & Aquatics (KHA) complex. Each stop highlighted a structure’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum or Gold rating as well as specific sustainable choices that were made for that building or area.

These include:

• specific ways the structures utilize natural light and shade,
• landscaping using local drought-tolerant plants,
• water retention basins,
• a centralized heating and cooling system to maximize efficiency and minimize energy use,
• a solar farm -- which is being updated to make it even more efficient and sustainable,
• LED lights as well as retrofitted lighting to help save energy,
• recycled water for irrigation.

SBCCD currently has ten LEED-certified structures, with more on the way, and is actively working to meet the districtwide goal of Zero Net Energy. SBCCD and CHC have won several awards in recent years for their sustainability efforts towards this goal, including the 2022 Sustainable Innovation Award for Sustainable Infrastructure from the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles (USGBC LA).

These sustainability projects not only improve the environment but also save money that can be used to further support students, about half a million dollars from the refurbishing of the campus solar farm alone.

For more information on SBCCD’s sustainability efforts visit: sbccd.edu/sustainability