Office of Communications » Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability
Press Releases
Pitzer College Receives $1.8 Million to Research Regenerative Farming and Solar Energy
Claremont, Calif. (August 18, 2023)—Regenerative farming and clean energy together have the power to revolutionize Southern California’s landscape. To explore how this agricultural approach can improve regional food systems, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is awarding Pitzer College $1.8 million to study agrivoltaics—regenerative farming soil practices paired with solar energy production on the same land. This is the first FFAR Seeding Solutions grant for a project in Southern California.
‘A Region in Crisis’: Redford Conservancy and Other Groups Spotlighted by Media as They Seek Governor’s Help
If you order anything online for home delivery, there’s a good chance that it will come to you via the distribution hubs of the Inland Empire. Thanks to relatively inexpensive land compared with surrounding areas, the IE is home to a billion square feet of warehouse space with at least another 200 million in the
[Read More...]Seed by Seed: Pitzer Students Preserve a Rare Ecosystem on Campus
What did Claremont look like 100 years ago? One parcel on Pitzer College’s campus gives us a glimpse: the Outback Preserve. Home to alluvial sage scrub—one of the rarest ecosystems in the world—the Outback is a 3.4-acre living-learning laboratory for students to engage in hands-on science with California’s indigenous plants. Pitzer students and environmental analysis majors Tommy Shenoi ’24 and Zoë Wong-VanHaren ’25 have made the Outback a passion in action with the California Botanic Garden and Pitzer’s Robert Redford Conservancy's help.
Pitzer & Adelanto Community Members Organize to Bring Water Justice to the City
Imagine turning on a faucet and brown water coming out. This is what happened to residents of Adelanto. They wanted to know more about the origins and safety of their water, so a coalition of Pitzer College and community organizations has joined forces with residents to answer these questions. Discover how Pitzer’s Community Engagement Center, Robert Redford Conservancy, Keck Science, and CASA Pitzer collaborate in science and activism with students, faculty, and local partners. "I have engaged not only as a student but as an organizer who is passionate about these issues," said Pitzer senior Olivia Rosenberg-Chavez '23.
Pitzer Alumna Pursues Social Justice Through Black Radical Farming
Pitzer alumna Yaquana Williams ’21 described how her study abroad and environmental advocacy experience at Pitzer equipped her to support healthy nutrition in her hometown. For her senior thesis in Africana Studies, Williams examined how Black farming collectives across the African Diaspora nurture the land and local communities. She was inspired by Black farmers in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey. “The farm spaces not only serve as places to get food but also community hubs. People can gather, be in tune with nature, and reclaim those spaces.”
Transformative Gift to the Robert Redford Conservancy Invests in a Sustainable Tomorrow
As it approaches the 10-year anniversary of its founding in 2012, Pitzer College’s Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability has a vision for its next phase—and the future of the planet. Inspired by the program and Pitzer’s vision, Trustee Harold A. Brown and his wife, Eileen, donated a transformative gift to the Conservancy last year.
"Measure Q backers outspending opponents of Upland parkland deal: San Antonio Regional Hospital bankrolling 'Yes' campaign, environmental groups oppose"Inland Daily Valley Bulletin, 10.19.20
Press Releases
Redford Conservancy Director Brinda Sarathy Awarded Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship
Pitzer College Professor of Environmental Analysis and Director of the Director of the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability, has received a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship to conduct her research “Best Practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Case Study from Kodaikanal, India” over the 2020-21 academic year.
Redford Conservancy Is First Higher Ed Building in California to Earn Zero Net Energy Certification
The Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability at Pitzer College has won the first higher education building certification in California for using Zero Net Energy. The certification from the International Living Future Institute is highly sought after and challenging to achieve. The International Living Future Institute’s mission is to lead the transformation toward a civilization that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative.
Writer Mark Arax Explores California Water Issues in Pitzer College’s 2019 Sullivan Lecture
Claremont, Calif. (January 23, 2019)—Award-winning journalist and California water historian Mark Arax will deliver the 2019 John D. Sullivan Memorial Lecture at Pitzer College on February 15. Drawing on his forthcoming book, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Dust and Water Across California, Arax will explore California’s complicated relationship to water, ranging from the state’s century-old water
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