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Tours

  1. Sustainability Tour

    Stops

    1. Solar-Powered Umbrella Charging Stations

      • Two umbrellas - each have three USB ports to charge devices (note that there are six additional solar-powered USB ports, along with three 110 Volt outlets, at the Kroc school's EnergiPlant)
      • The umbrellas are located on the patio in front of Copley Library 
      • Also noteworthy: the Copley Library was retrofitted in early 2018 with LED lighting, which is projected to save ~200,000 kWh of electricity annually (~$36,000 in cost savings)

    2. Cultivate LLC

      • Camino-Founders Hall houses the Cultivate Living Learning Community (LLC)
      • The Cultivate LLC focuses on “sustainable living to protect the Earth’s natural resources”
      • The Cultivate LLC hosts activities and events demonstrating and promoting sustainability, such as a yoga, organic brunch, succulent planting, make your own tote bag, games made from recycled materials, etc.

    3. Office of Sustainability

      • Strives to create a more environmentally-friendly campus by minimizing expense and consumption of energy, water, and waste
      • Engages students, faculty, and staff through sustainability-related events, internships, and certifications
      • Serves as a resource regarding sustainability education for the USD community
      • Aims to reduce USD's carbon footprint, elevate USD’s commitment to sustainability, and advance USD’s sustainability efforts

    4. Aromas

      • Local, organic, fair trade, alumni-owned (Ryan Bros.) coffee
      • Coffee with a Conscience: 25 cent discount to anyone who brings a reusable cup (available at all dining facilities on campus)

    5. Student Life Pavilion (SLP)

      • LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified building (Fowler Park and Beyster Institute for Nursing Research hold the other LEED certifications on campus)
      • BioHiTech Digester: transforms 3,200 pounds of food waste into liquid each week, which then returns to the ecosystem as grey water

    6. Solar Panels

      • 1.23 megawatt solar system, provides ~7% of USD's electricity (~33% of USD's electricity is generated from a fuel cell in the West Parking Structure)
      • Atop 11 campus buildings: Manchester Village Apartments (A & B), Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Copley Library, Camino Hall, Founders Hall, Jenny Craig Pavilion, Alcala Vista Apartments- Laguna and Borrego Halls, Kroc School of Peace Studies, and West Parking Structure

    7. Community Garden

      • Student-run garden, spearheaded by the Garden Club (a subset of Be Blue Go Green student organization)
      • Aided by various USD community members and the garden recreation class, which can be taken for half a credit
      • Two rain water collection barrels on site
      • Compost bins available for use by the USD community- bring your food scraps here

    8. Sustainable Transportation

      • ~300 Bike parking spaces on campus
      • 80+ Carpool spaces on campus
      • 28 Electric Vehicle Parking Spaces
      • Trams run approximately every 15 minutes and travel throughout campus and to/from Old Town Transit Center
      • Partnership with Zipcar for on-demand car sharing

    9. Water Reduction

      • Paspalum sod installed for the lawn (which requires less water than traditional turf) and surrounding plants are native or adaptive to the southern California climate
      • Ornamental grass removal: 30,000+ square feet of ornamental grass has been replaced with drought-friendly material, saving 560,000+ gallons of water
      • Weather-based irrigation system utilizes wireless technology to allow sprinklers to automatically adjust to weather conditions
      • Low-flow aerators on faucets and shower heads
      • Water-efficient toilets

    10. Experimental Greenhouse

      • Atop of Shiley Center for Science and Technology
      • 1200 square feet with four operational rooms
      • Used to test the strengths and weaknesses of plants
      • Contact the Office of Sustainability if interested in a tour

    11. EnergiPlant

      • 800 Watt wind generator
      • 200 Watt solar power: 50 Watt solar panel on each ‘leaf’
      • LED low light and motion-activated bright lights
      • 3 110V outlets
      • 6 USB ports for charging mobile devices

    12. Garden of the Sea

      • Features a reflecting pool, sculptures, and landscaped gardens overlooking Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean
      • Home to many native plants, including the California Sycamore tree, Lemonade Berry, Rhus Laurina (sister of the Lemonade Berry), Prickly Pear trees, and ~1,000 types of succulents
      • Also home to a variety of fruit tress including fig, apricot, apple, and plum
      • (Kumeyaay Garden is another location on campus to view native plants, as well as view Tecolote Canyon and Mission Bay)

    13. USD Electronics Recycling Center (ERC)

      • Aims to extend the useful life of donated electronics (via reusing, repurposing, reselling, or recycling) 
      • 3+ million pounds of e-waste diverted from the landfill (since 2011)
      • Open to the public, (working and not working) donations of electronics welcomed
      • Shop in the resale store for secondhand electronics at a steep discount