Joe Fullerton, energy management coordinator, facilities planning, maintenance and operations for San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD), gave a presentation on how the district has reduced its usage. The district is made up of three colleges — Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College — which combined make up 1.7 million square feet of total space, encompass 144 acres of maintained landscape and serve 45,000 students.

In January 2014, Governor Brown called on Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 20 percent and said that mandatory restrictions could ensue. SMCCCD’s Chancellor Ron Galatolo responded to the governor’s proclamation by setting a 25 percent water-use reduction goal for the entire district. Fullerton said that the district has currently reduced its water usage by 22.7 percent across all three campuses.

The district started its water reduction plan by dividing its conservation efforts into four categories: landscape and irrigation, industrial process use, domestic and other. Fullerton said that 50 to 60 percent of the water usage at the three campuses is related to irrigation, 25 percent is related to industrial processing (heating and cooling) and the rest is related to bathrooms, lab use and even recreational activities such as a Slip ’N Slide used by an on-campus club.

The SMCCCD’s energy management focused on how to improve its irrigation water usage without completely doing away with campus amenities that attract students such as the green lawns and trees. One thing that helped was installing efficient water nozzles for the sprinkler systems. The nozzles were donated, and the district spent $18,000 on installation. The team also used water-based irrigation controllers.

Other operational improvements included more regularly putting covers on the pools, which take a lot of water to fill and evaporate easily. Custodians at the schools use green cleaning practices, and the bathrooms all have low-efficiency toilets. The team also decided to shut down fountains after hours, especially at night, and instituted metering to track the district’s water usage.

Fullerton added that the SMCCD is also considering geothermal energy. His goal is for a 40 percent reduction in water use in the next 18 months, but he constantly asks facility staff for ways to get to 50 percent — a goal SMCCCD just might meet.

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Through a program of education sessions, pre-summit training and an expo featuring scores of green products and services, the summit will highlight the wide range of policies, programs, strategies and technologies that are being actively implemented to preserve the state’s natural resources.

The summit will officially open on April 7 and feature keynote speakers; Bob Foster, a former mayor of Long Beach and past president of Southern California Edison who has also served on the Board of Governors for the California Independent Systems Operators, and California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León, who has been at the forefront of vital environmental efforts, co-chairing Proposition 39 and the California Clean Energy Jobs Act.

A series of pre-summit seminars on April 6 will address vital sustainability topics, offering attendees an in-depth briefing on Prop 39 updates, best practices in school efficiency projects and resources for expanding the scope of efficiency projects. This session will feature presentations by stakeholders in all aspects of Prop 39 implementation, including the California Energy Commission, the Division of the State Architect and the California Conservation Corps.

Also on April 6, the Clean Cities Sacramento and East Bay Coalitions will host a day-long Clean Transportation Efficiencies Forum covering strategies for reducing petroleum use, efficiencies gained from alternative fuels and incentives for clean vehicles and infrastructure. A zero net energy (ZNE) workshop for state and local governments, facilitated by the New Buildings Institute with co-sponsorship by Green Technology, in partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission, also will take place April 6.

On April 7 and 8, more than 20 concurrent education sessions will address a range of topics relating to green policy and practice, including codes and standards, water conservation, green schools, funding sources for energy projects plans and sustainable purchasing.

Additionally, the Clean Cities Sacramento and East Bay coalitions are hosting a day of sessions focused on carbon reduction in the transportation sector, including updates on electric vehicles (EV) and EV infrastructure. The Institute for Local Government will present a local government track addressing topics like water, energy, climate and green economic development. The Office of Education and the Environment of CalRecycle will offer training on California’s K-12 environmental literacy curriculum, while a track from USGBC California will cover onsite water re-use, ZNE buildings and more.

The conference also includes an expo April 7-8, featuring more than 100 companies offering green products and services, from lighting solutions and flooring to water conservation technologies.

An opening reception will be hosted on April 6 and the event’s annual Leadership Awards reception will take place on the evening of April 7. The April 8 keynote breakfast featuring State Architect Chet Widom will also be open to all.

For more information about the summit, visit www.green-technology.org.

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