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At the California Student Sustainability Coalition’s most recent fall convergence, hosted by California State University at Chico, I was given the opportunity to hold a workshop. I called my workshop “Cross-Pollinating for Clean Energy Campuses,” inspired by and based on what I learned at the Focus the Nation ReCharge! retreat about collaboration and diversity. 

 

The California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) hosts convergences twice a year to bring sustainability-minded students from across the state of California together to share ideas, collaborate, get to know one another, and create a sense of togetherness. All students are encouraged to hold workshops on any topic, because the convergences run on the energy and passion of students themselves. Workshops are chances to share ideas but also gain new ideas, because every attendee has a unique perspective and experience to bring to the table.  

 

My workshop was mainly a discussion; I wanted to use the fifty-minute time slot as a chance to brainstorm new ideas that we could all take back to our campuses in our efforts to implement clean energy. Personally, I was looking for fuel to take back to my FTN Forums-to-Action team. There were about ten of us in the room, and I had each attendee pick which quadrant/quadrants (FTN style) he or she identifies with. All quadrants – Storyteller, Innovator, Politico, and Technician - were represented!

 

Together, we discussed collaboration on multiple levels – with the community, with legislators, with campus organizations, with administration, and even with different college campuses, like we were doing at this very convergence. Participants brought lots of new ideas to the table, from green lunch bag series with scientists, to asking labs to experiment with their technologies on campus, to holding diversity events bringing different kinds of people and clubs together. Some students talked about how their campuses have a “Renewable Energy Initiative” funded by student fees. 

 

At the end of the session, we did some real-time “cross-pollinating.” Each of us got in a pair with someone of a different quadrant, and discussed answers to questions including  “What is the best forum to voice opinions and ‘cross-pollinate’?” and “How can we frame the issues in different ways to get different types of people and organizations on board?” The creative juices were flowing, and the sound of stimulating conversation filled the room. The idea of “cross-pollinating,” of bringing different styles of thinking together to work on common issues and questions, is the only way to truly address the challenges we face on our campuses and beyond. 

 

The CSSC Convergence, in essence, is one big field of cross-pollination. At its core, the convergence brings people of many backgrounds together, in one place, to pollinate one another with new ideas and solutions. The energy, passion, and creativity present at these convergences are amazing, reminding me that while the internet is a powerful tool for collaboration, nothing beats learning from someone face to face – something I learned at the ReCharge! retreat in August. 

California adopted the nation’s first cap-and-trade program to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the state’s climate change goals. The cap-and-trade program comes out of California’s AB 32, a landmark bill on emissions passed in 2006.  Although industry representatives and unions questioned its impact on jobs, and environmental justice groups said the program allowed polluting in low-income neighborhoods to continue, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to adopt the program.  Read more about this landmark cap-and-trade program.  

 

The first phase of the program will apply to major industry, like oil refineries and electric utilities, starting in 2013.  In 2015 the program will be extended to natural gas and transportation fuel industries.  California chose the cap and trade program to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals; the state aims to be at 1990 GHG levels by 2020.  

 

There are various approaches to curbing carbon emissions, both regulatory and through the market, with each system raising its own set of advantages and disadvantages.  The EPA offers a basic explanation of cap and trade systems. 

 

Will other states follow suit? The verdict is still out.  With the economy and jobs being a current hot button issue, decision makers will have an eye out for how the program effects the economy.  But while industry reps expressed concern about decreasing jobs, California’s bold move continues to showcase the state as a leader in clean energy.  While the program will likely face obstacles around implementation and execution (as any groundbreaking policy does, particularly one that is the first of its kind in the nation), the Golden State’s program demonstrates  a commitment and promise to the clean tech industries.  Such a loud and clear signal continues to position California as a welcoming home for clean tech businesses, and with it the jobs of a green economy.