Working Together for a More Sustainable Future

4CD’s sustainability program touches us all – and everyone can help us reach our goals.

4CD’s 75th anniversary is a time to look back with pride on all we’ve accomplished together. Equally important, it is a time to look ahead to how 4CD provides outstanding learning opportunities to transform lives – and how we educate the people who will help us solve our world’s pressing challenges.

Perhaps no challenge is more urgent than climate change, and 4CD is actively working to address our changing environment. With the energy and commitment of our people, we can brainstorm and implement solutions that benefit our communities and the environment. We offer courses that increase students’ environmental literacy, and in 2023, we introduced new internship programs to provide hands-on experience that can lead to exciting, meaningful sustainability careers. And through our operations, and thoughtful planning, we can reduce our negative environmental impacts.

A Brief History of Our Sustainability Program

The leadership of faculty, staff, and students, past and present, has marked our sustainability efforts. Our collective initial efforts became more formalized in the 2000s as each of our colleges established their sustainability committees, which remain vibrant and open to all. In that same decade, we completed our first districtwide energy efficiency projects, including solar panel installations, lighting retrofits, mechanical equipment and controls upgrades.

We marked a milestone in 2010 when the 4CD Governing Board approved Board Policy (BP) 6004: Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability to support resource and environmental stewardship at 4CD. In 2013, 4CD received $4.5M in California Proposition 39 funding, allowing for additional districtwide energy efficiency projects, including LED lighting and upgrades of mechanical and some building controls. Over the years, we have also seen a growing number of campus buildings reaching our LEED certification goals, which means they have met rigorous health, sustainability, and energy efficiency criteria.

In 2022, the 4CD Governing Board adopted a Board Resolution with nine sustainability goals. These goals span districtwide and support the policy and framework of the California Community College Board of Governors. We established benchmarks and set targets for each goal, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, water usage reduction, waste, transportation, food systems, and sustainable purchasing. Each year, we share our progress through an annual sustainability report.

Building Connections and Inspiring the Next Generation

Led by Ines Zildzic, Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning and Construction, 4CD’s sustainability team has grown alongside these critical developments. In 2016, 4CD hired its first Sustainability and Energy Manager, manager, Tracy Marcial and over the past several years, the team expanded to include support staff including Katherine Chen, Utility and Sustainability Specialist and several interns and part time staff, like Moises Rocha. Collectively, these champions foster an environment that embodies the ethos of learning and curiosity, helping to make a difference.

Our sustainability goals are a collective effort, requiring every member of our community to play a part. This is why the team’s work is not just about implementing initiatives, but also about educating our campus communities, finding champions of our work, and building strong connections. Whether with departments, operations and management teams, student government, or committee members, each interaction is a step towards a more sustainable future.

In 2023, the Facilities Planning Department collaborated with the colleges on an exciting initiative to create 4CD’s first sustainability internships. PG&E funding allowed us to welcome a Campus Energy and Sustainability Intern and a Building Decarbonization Intern, both at DVC. Through funding from the Learning Aligned Employment Program (LAEP), we created Zero Waste Analysis Internships at all three colleges to update waste bin infrastructure and improve waste sorting on campuses. The team is also working on electrification projects and preparing for incoming building code changes – and, above all, is continuously raising the bar to grow our positive impact.

Our Commitment to Climate Justice

Contra Costa County is economically and culturally diverse, with communities facing various environmental burdens, including extreme heat risks. Those burdens are more likely to affect historically disadvantaged communities. While those risks impact all people, animals, and our ecosystems, they disproportionately affect young people and future generations, people of color, and people in poverty. That only exacerbates existing inequities.

We are starting to see a national commitment to environmental justice. In 2022, for the first time in history, the federal government’s Justice40 Initiative set a goal to ensure that at least 40% of certain federal climate and clean energy investments flow to disadvantaged communities. At the state level, California grant funds support projects like community climate resilience centers, which offer equitable access to shelter from wildfire, smoke, extreme heat, and power outages.

All nine of our sustainability goals are designed to reduce 4CD’s contribution to climate change. By achieving these goals, we will realize long-term savings and provide our surrounding communities with cleaner air, water, and soil. These initiatives also create more equitable spaces to work and learn, making a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbors.

How You Can Play a Part

If you have a passion for sustainability, 4CD offers many ways to get involved. Every member of the campus community is welcome to join the sustainability committees at CCC, DVC and LMC. All county residents are welcome to join the free Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge to engage in sustainable actions at home. Fresh off the press, the 2024 Sustainability Report offers more details on all these programs. Together, we can continue building a greener future for the next 75 years and beyond.

• Home
• Press Release
• Welcome to 4CD’s 75th anniversary!
• Mojdeh Mehdizadeh - Coming Full Circle
• Bringing the World to 4CD
• Celebrating the Women of 4CD
• John Marquez’s 55+ Years of Building a Stronger 4CD
• Celebrations of Success
• Working Together for a More Sustainable Future
• 75th Anniversary Boards
• Sharing Memories - Contra Costa Community College District 1948–2008, a collection of stories edited by Bill Harlan