Sensitivity for and preservation of the environment is a key value of Pitzer College. Students shape their daily activities, programming and studies to ensure they leave the environment and the world stronger than how they found it. Pitzer serves as a living and learning laboratory for students with an interest in environmental issues.
Here are a few of the ways we practice sustainability on campus:
- 75% of Pitzer’s campus is landscaped in drought-tolerant native plants.
- Nearly 50% of Pitzer’s buildings are LEED-certified for energy efficiency. Pitzer has added five new residence halls to campus since 2007. During that time, Pitzer cut its total water usage by more than 50%!
- McConnell Dining Hall was one of the first dining halls in the country to go tray-less to cut down on water waste. McConnell also practices a farm-to-fork philosophy—food is brought to campus from no further than 150 miles away and food is prepared within 48 hours of harvest.
- The Pitzer Green Initiative Fund (PGIF) awards grants to projects that will improve sustainability on campus. Past projects have included the implementation of a bamboo bicycle program, a used textbook sale, a monthly environmental education workshop for the greater Claremont community, and the hiring of a summer caretaker for our community garden.
- In 2012, Pitzer opened the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability. The Conservancy uses art, media and technology to educate future generations about climate change.
- In April 2014, Pitzer announced it would become the first west coast college to divest its stocks, bonds and investments of fossil fuel companies, in solidarity with the environment. This was Pitzer’s first major accomplishment to fulfill its Climate Action Model. Discover more here!
- Students can participate in any number of our environmental clubs, including A Cleaner Tomorrow (ACT), Beekeeping Club, EcoCenter, Food Not Bombs, Garden Club, the Green Bike Program, Oceanographic Society, Permaculture Club and Terracycle Club.
- Check out these Pitzer students who participated in a climate march against fracking this past spring (video by Ben Cowan, PZ ‘18)
- Every April, Earth Day turns into Earth Week at Pitzer College. Students from all different clubs and organizations come together to host and attend a series of events—speakers, screenings, performances and parties—throughout the week.
