President Gordon recalls a 1990 visit from students concerned about on-campus recycling:
The students trudged up to his offices on the ninth floor of Langsdorf Hall, dressed as trees. Following their visit, recycling bins appeared campuswide, and now 50 percent of campus waste is recycled.

Today the campus incorporates sustainability into every new building and has been honored three times by the University of California/California State University Energy Efficiency Partnership. Awards included Best Overall Sustainable Design awards for the Student Recreation Center and the complex that includes the Fullerton Arboretum Visitor Center and Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum.

In accordance with the California State University system’s 2006 policy, each of the university’s new buildings meet LEED “certified” standards. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy Efficient Design, a certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. “The new
Student Recreation Center, built to LEED Gold standards; Mihaylo Hall, and the Arboretum/Nikkei Museum, built to a Silver standard, prove that Cal State Fullerton is a leader, providing sustainability at deliverable levels,” says Michael Smith, CSUF’s director of design and construction.

Students were so passionate about the new rec center’s green design that none of the $40 million to build it came from the state of California. “The students want to be responsible stewards of the environment and gave the design team the direction and authority to make responsible, environmentally friendly decisions,” said Andrea Willer, center director.

The center features a number of design elements to save on the use of water and power. Effective water use is a major focus in the facility, with a projected savings of more than 415,000 gallons per year. Energy conservation efforts incorporated into the center planning exceed Title 24 of the California Code for Energy Standards by 30 percent.

The building design also supports sustainability through features such as interior materials (paints, sealants and carpeting) that produce low emissions of volatile compounds, installation of additional bike racks, and a construction-waste management plan to divert large amounts of the project’s construction waste from landfills to recycling for consumer
use. Green housekeeping will be practiced in the building’s maintenance, encouraging alternatives to commonly used, chemical-based cleaning supplies.

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Michael Smith Michael Smith, director of design and construction, points to the new Student Recreation Center as a model of sustainability. And Smith says new campus construction – at the Children’s Center, residence halls and police department headquarters – will keep sustainability at the forefront of operations.