A.S. Government Resources

A Resolution in Support of a LEED Platinum Certification for the Modern Space Student Union

WHEREAS, the approximate 35,000 students at San Diego State University (SDSU) have shown their commitment to environmental sustainability by voting with their dollars to assist Associated Students (AS) to launch the organization into a new direction, where our future needs will met by renewable energies and energy conservation methods; and

WHEREAS, Associated Students of San Diego State University is currently one of the most environmentally progressive collegiate student bodies in the nation, with its wide variety of green programming and initiatives; and

WHEREAS, AS has institutionalized sustainability through the creation of the Green Love Sustainability Advisory Board (Green Love Board); and

WHEREAS, it is the chartered purpose of the Green Love Board to advise the AS Council regarding AS sustainability initiatives, programs and services while making recommendations regarding policies and procedures; and

WHEREAS, the Green Love board recognizes that the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings lower operating costs and increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, are healthier and safer for occupants, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives and demonstrate owners' commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility [1]; and

WHEREAS, LEED certification is an independent, third-party verification that ensures building projects meet the highest green building and performance measures; the point based rating system addresses six major areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process [2]; and

WHEREAS, experts from every sector of the building industry develop and continue to refine LEED, making it a transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by the LEED committees are publicly reviewed for the approval by the more than 10,000 membership organizations that currently constitute the USGBC [3]; and 

WHEREAS, the Green Love board seeks to assist AS in reaching the highest level of sustainability as feasible for all of the non-profit corporation's facilities; and

WHEREAS, Platinum is the USGB's highest rating of LEED certification obtainable; and,

WHEREAS, the Modern Space project will affect all future generations of SDSU students who utilize the facility; and

WHEREAS, this Council is in a privileged position to make the decision on which rating of the four levels of LEED certification (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum) that the Modern Space facility will be committed to; and

WHEREAS, life supporting resources are declining, while there is an unprecedented growth in population and consumption of these life supporting resources, and this decision will either result in additional scarcity and suffering for the planet, or a future of greater abundance and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the Green Love Board recommends that the AS Council further demonstrate its commitment to sustainability that the organization and the students of SDSU have voiced, by placing the ambitious LEED Platinum certification as a top priority for the new student union expansion project; and

WHEREAS, on April 10, 2007, the SDSU Senate unanimously approved the Resolution for Sustainability at SDSU, which states that, "the Senate supports actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum (including campus facilities and grounds as learning laboratories) and other educational experience for all students;” and 

WHEREAS, since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass more than 14,000 projects in 50 U.S. States and 30 countries covering 1.062 billion square feet (99 km²) of development area HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and _Environmental_Design" \l "cite_note-Green_Building_by_the_Numbers-1" \o "" [4];  and

WHEREAS, many other academic institutions have already made the commitment to LEED certified projects, SDSU has yet to receive LEED certification on any of our buildings; and

WHEREAS,   if the Modern Space student union were to obtain LEED Platinum certification, the expansion project would be the first Platinum-rated California State University (CSU) structure as well as the first Platinum- rated student union designed in California, setting a visionary standard for stewardship in sustainable building practices for not only California but universities nationwide; and,

WHEREAS, pursuing LEED certification for a project incurs costs which include the USGBC correspondence, LEED design-aide consultants, and the hiring of the required Commissioner Authority - all of which would not be included in an environmentally responsible project unless it were also seeking LEED certification; and

WHEREAS, these higher initial costs can be effectively mitigated by the savings incurred over time due to the lower-than-industry-standard operational costs which are typical of a LEED certified building; and 

WHEREAS, studies suggest that an initial upfront investment of 2% extra will yield over ten times the initial investment over the life cycle of the building [5]; and

WHEREAS, additional economic payback may come in the form of employee and student productivity gains incurred as a result of working in a healthier environment; and

WHEREAS, the tremendous environmental, health, social, and publicity benefits that AS and SDSU will receive from striving for LEED Platinum are tremendous, yet not easy to calculate or assign a dollar value to; and

WHEREAS, the Resolution for Sustainability at SDSU states that "San Diego State University aspires to be a national and international model for sustainable practices in all dimensions of its operations (teaching, research, business and finance)”; and

WHEREAS, creating environmentally responsible buildings and campus plans not only reduces negative impacts on the environment but also enables students to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions that will improve the quality of life now, without damaging the planet in the future, inspiring our leaders to become “minds that move the world;” therefore, be it
         
RESOLVED, the AS Green Love Sustainability Advisory Board calls upon the Associated Students Council to vote in support of Modern Space achieving the highest level of LEED certification, Platinum, as a top priority; and be it further

RESOLVED, the AS Council and the Green Love Sustainability Advisory Board will develop a team to meet this priority and goal; and be it further

RESOLVED, that this AS Green LEED task force is to be creative and work collaboratively with the community, to seek out the achievement of at least the minimal point value of receiving LEED Platinum certification in the development of the ModernSpace project, with the LEED Platinum
premium not to exceed 5% of the project GMAX; and finally, be it

RESOLVED, that this resolution be distributed widely including, but not limited to San Diego State University President Stephen Weber, San Diego State University Facilities & Planning, the San Diego State University Senate Sustainability Committee, San Diego State University Aztec Shops, Chancellor Charles B. Reed and to the Board of Trustees of the California State University System.

Approved by the Associated Students Council on April 29, 2009

__________________________________
James Poet, Associated Students President

 

[1] USGBC Accessed 4/4/09
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=64
[2] USGBC Accessed 4/4/09
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=64
[3] USGBC Accessed 4/4/09
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=64
[4]  HYPERLINK "http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3340" \o "http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3340" "Green Building By the Numbers". USGBC. Retrieved on 2008-12-01.,
[5] Kats, Greg; Leon Alevantis, Adam Berman, Evan Mills, Jeff Perlman (2003).  HYPERLINK "http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Design/CostBenefit/Report.pdf" \o "http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Design/CostBenefit/Report.pdf" "The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California's Sustainable Building Task Force" (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-10-30.