Employee Spotlight

Sustainability Team Wins Again!

By Anna Anderson

The 2023 California Higher Education Collaborative Conference was held at UCLA from November 28th to December 1st. This conference aims to bring together public higher education institutions in California to focus on improving the system as a whole. Awards are presented to teams that implemented successful practices emphasizing operational performance. Sacramento State’s sustainability team was presented with an award for Hornet Reuse and The Water Meter Project. The sustainability team also won the Focus on Efficiency award in 2018 and 2019.

The Water Meter Project was implemented to find a cheaper alternative to expensive meter installs. Most campus buildings did not have meters, and the previously installed meters had to be manually read on analog units. At first, an engineering study concluded that the cost to implement smart meters campus-wide would be $2.2 million, with each meter installed averaging $50,000. Later, the sustainability team found an alternative in Metron Farnier, a company with installs that use cellular signals and long-term battery packs at $6,800 per meter. Choosing Metron Farnier resulted in an 86% decrease when comparing cost estimates.

Hornet Reuse was launched last year to reduce campus waste by allowing students, faculty, and staff to exchange items that would otherwise be thrown out. It is a mobile app and website that lets the campus community post items they want to give away or find things they need. This app contributes to waste reduction and cost savings by diverting usable goods from landfills and repurposing them instead. The app also builds community by allowing the campus to share resources and engage with one another collaboratively. The sustainability team at Sac State works hard to create innovative solutions that reduce environmental impact and let the campus and students thrive.

A huge thanks to Joshua Maddox, Laura Gonzalez-Ospina, and Ryan Todd for all of their hard work!

How would someone contact Sustainability?

Please visit their page, or email sustainability@csus.edu.