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Board reviews climate action data plan, backs microgrid pilots and AASHE reporting support
Summary
The Board received an update on implementation of Vision 2030 climate goals, including a primer for systemwide data collection, AASHE STARS reporting help through climate fellows, and pilot microgrids at select colleges aimed at emergency resilience and workforce development.
The Board of Governors heard a systemwide update on climate action on May 19, 2026, focused on building consistent data collection, expanding technical support to campuses, and advancing pilot microgrid projects to strengthen campus and community resilience. Carla Grandy, senior advisor for climate, and David leadman, sustainability and energy programs manager, described a climate action reporting primer to standardize benchmarks and low-cost data submission platforms to improve systemwide tracking.
Why it matters: Board leaders said consistent baselines are needed so colleges and districts can compare greenhouse gas inventories and measure progress toward Vision 2030 targets. Grandy said only about a third of campuses currently have staff in sustainability roles and highlighted partnerships with nonprofit providers to build capacity.
What the Chancellor's Office presented: The primer includes templates (for example, a sample transportation survey) and guidance on where campuses can find existing data. The plan pairs technical support with a climate fellows program and nonprofit partners Strategic Energy Innovations and AASHE to assist colleges with AASHE STARS reporting, greenhouse gas inventories, and establishing institution-level baselines.
Microgrids and workforce connections: Presenters described five colleges that completed feasibility assessments for campus microgrids; Chabot-Las Positas representatives explained three operating microgrids that support emergency operations centers, Red Cross partners and local 911 dispatch. Chabot-Las Positas noted the projects also provide student internship and apprenticeship opportunities in trades such as advanced manufacturing and electricians—a direct workforce pipeline.
Board members asked for clearer benchmarks and a stronger sense of where the system stands today. Member Tom Epstein pressed for percent-completion baselines; staff said roughly 10 districts have complete greenhouse gas inventories and emphasized that the new work focuses on building capacity so more campuses can report. Several governors urged pairing the pilot work with advocacy for Proposition 4 climate funds to finance microgrid construction on campuses that serve as community resilience hubs.
Next steps: The Chancellor's Office will distribute the climate action reporting primer, expand technical support via climate fellows and core fellows, advance the microgrid pilots and pursue alignment with state funding streams to scale projects and support workforce training. The Board signaled support for continued emphasis on data collection and for advocacy to secure construction funding for pilot sites.
