LA Community College System Heads for Energy Independence
By Leslie Berliant
Originally published on June 17, 2009, at SolveClimate
By the middle of next year, the nine campuses that make up the nation’s largest community college system plan to be completely energy self-sufficient.
It’s a huge step, and it will begin saving money immediately.
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) started down this path in 2001, the year voters approved the first part of $5.7 billion in bond funding to renovate the campuses.
The LACCD Board of Trustees was thinking about much-needed modernization work and its first new construction in 35 years, but it was also thinking ahead. It passed a sustainable building policy mandating that all new buildings that use 50% or more of bond funding be LEED certified. The board had previously developed a renewable energy plan that aimed for a minimum 10% renewable energy standard.
At the time, the trustees were afraid that anything beyond that would be too costly, says Larry Eisenberg, executive director of Facilities, Planning and Development for the LACCD.
The system’s chancellor and the implementation team saw greater potential, though.
