San Diego State University is a Green campus committed to sustainability. The San Diego Green Building Council recognized two Associated Students buildings—the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union and the Aztec Recreation Center—for their energy efficient and sustainable practices.
According to a recent press release, the SDSU Union received the LEED New Construction Project of the Year Award. It also received special recognition for achieving the most energy points. The Recreation Center also received a Project of the Year award for the LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance Gold Certification.
These most recent awards are not the first time that SDSU has been recognized for its sustainability and Green practices. Last year, the Green Restaurant Association recognized SDSU as the first university to require all of its food services to meet certified Green Restaurant standards. The SDSU campus was also recognized as having the world’s most certified stadiums/arenas.
In another press release, Duane Buske, the senior general manager of purchasing and distribution for Aztec Shops spoke about the University’s decision to be Green. “It’s absolutely the right thing to do — it’s the right thing to do for the university, it’s the right thing to do for San Diego and it carries over outside the boundaries of San Diego as well,” he said.
On other occasions, SDSU has been recognized as going above and beyond when it comes to sustainability. During the summer of 2015, the Union achieved LEED Platinum certification and the Recreation Center attained LEED Gold. The goal is that all SDSU Associated Students facilities will be LEED Certified by 2020.
LEED, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, stands for green building leadership. To be certified, each project requires specific implementations and must follow strict LEED guidelines. Even the smallest elements, including the mahogany doors on the Union, are made from sustainable wood that came from a well-managed forest.
“We want to improve every year,” Buske said. “We’re always looking at ways to be more efficient.”