Austin Eriksson: Director of Energy & Sustainability
Austin Eriksson became CSUN’s first Director of Energy & Sustainability in September of 2014, after graduating with a B.S. in Environmental Studies from CSU Channel Islands. He worked with the Institute for Sustainability to draft CSUN’s Climate Action Plan and serves as the chair of five of CSUN’s ten sustainability working groups. In his time at CSUN, Austin has engaged faculty, staff, and leadership across campus to drive sustainability initiatives in all aspects of campus operations. Some of these initiatives include:
- Helping CSUN save over 55 million gallons of water each year through drought-tolerant landscaping and irrigation efficiency.
- Increasing the campus waste diversion rate from 30% to over 50%.
- Ensuring that over 90% of CSUN’s cleaning supplies have sustainability certifications Achieving a Gold rating on CSUN’s sustainability assessment through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
- Switching to reusable pallet wraps for supply distribution across campus.
- Replacing hundreds of light fixtures and thousands of lamps (light bulbs) across campus with more efficient LED alternatives.
Rachel Singleton: Energy and Sustainability Analyst
Aspen Coty: Sustainability Zero Waste Coordinator