Climate and Sustainability Task Force

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Mission

The mission of MJC CSTF is to work with the MJC campus and local community entities to better align the practices and policies of our college with the principles of sustainable development. As such, we:

  1. Promote the understanding of sustainability and climate change within our community and on our campus.
  2. Increase sustainable practices and reduce the carbon footprint of our campus
  3. Build partnerships between various campus departments, local K-12 schools and universities, and other local entities in order to achieve the above stated goals.

Structure

  1. The committee membership will consist of MJC faculty, students, staff, and administration, as well as representatives from community partnerships. (A “committee member” shall be defined as someone who has attended a regular meeting of the CSTF within the past year and/or is actively engaged in the work of the committee)
  2. The committee will be chaired by an MJC employee (faculty, staff, or administration). The committee chairperson will serve in that position for a term of two (2) years. After this term, a new committee chairperson will be decided by a vote of all committee members. There is no limit to the number of terms that a chairperson can serve.
  3. The committee shall be divided into three subcommittees:
  • Green Campus Subcommittee
  • Green Outreach Subcommittee
  • Green Curriculum Subcommittee

Members

Noah Hughes, MJC Professor - Earth Science, CSTF Chair
Richard Anderson, MJC Professor Emeritus - Biology
Bill Anelli, MJC Professor - Philosophy
Trevor Carter, Campus Facilities Manager I, YCCD
Arnold Chavez, MJC Great Valley Museum & Planetarium Director
Teri Curtis, MJC Professor Emeritus - Biology
Debbie Gilbert, MJC Professor - English
Garry Hayes, MJC Professor - Geology
Cece Hudelson, MJC Professor - Geography
Kelsie Kieffaber, MJC Student Representative & Project Green President
Judy Lanchester, Director of Facilities Planning & Operations, YCCD
Dr. Laura Maki, MJC Dean, Science, Mathematics & Engineering 
Jose Marquez, Project Coordinator, SCOE
Liz McInnes, MJC Professor - Biology
Haleh Niazmand, MJC Professor - Art
Yolanda Perrigil, Assistant Director of Facilities Planning & Operations, YCCD
Dr. Chad Redwing, MJC Professor - Humanities
Ron Rutschman, Community Representative
Catherine Tripp, MJC Professor - Biology
Lina Yang, MJC Student Representive
Jennifer Zellet, MJC Vice President, Instruction

Projects

The task force is currently working on or in the planning stages of the following items:

  • Complete the process and receive “Reporter” designation of The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS).  STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.  It is intended to engage and recognize the full spectrum of higher education institutions, from community colleges to research universities.  It encompasses long-term sustainability goals for already high-achieving institutions, as well as entry points of recognition for institutions that are taking first steps toward sustainability. 
  • Development of MJC climate courses and certifications/degrees.

Resources

The following resources are available through MJC's Canvas Commons (account required)

Sustainability Related Lab Activities - This is a simple lab activity where student use the Climate Toolbox website to answer a questions about how climate change will affect average summertime maximum temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley under two different "emissions scenarios". Author(s): Noah Hughes

Sustainability Related Discussion Activities - These are discussions activities that cover various sustainability issues/challenges that are specific to our region (either our state, watershed, or the San Joaquin Valley itself). Author(s): Noah Hughes

Sustainability Related Resources (for curriculum development) - A list of sustainability-related resources to be used for curriculum development. Author(s): Noah Hughes

Unit: Climate and Climate Change (ZTC) - Topics covered include the definition of climate, how it differs from weather, the controls on climate, and the causes of climate change across various scales of time and space. Author(s): Noah Hughes

Unit: The Current Climate Crisis (ZTC) - This is an entire ZTC unit on the current Climate Crisis, with special focus on potential climate impacts to our local region. Author(s): Noah Hughes

Climate Change Related Lecture/Slides - These are slides and lectures related to Climate and Climate Change, with an emphasis on our local climate. Author(s): Noah Hughes

The link below is access the Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Campus Sustainability Hub (yosemite.edu email required)

Campus Sustainability Hub - The Campus Sustainability Hub is a one-stop shop for AASHE members to access toolkits and resource collections about all aspects of sustainability in higher education, from academics to operations to governance.