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| DID YOU KNOW? |
The 2007 Sustainability Conference has grown more than 1,150 percent since its inception in 2002
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| EVENT NEWS |
Wednesday, January 16
LACCD Sustainability Collaborative Brown Bag Lunch
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. Location: 770 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90017 (Corner of Flower St. & Wilshire Blvd.)
Fee: Free, open to all
Bring your own brown bag lunch
Topic:
Update from City of Los Angeles' Green Building program, with a focus on their Construction Waste Recycling Program
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Wednesday, February 20
LACCD Sustainability Collaborative Brown Bag Lunch
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. Location: 770 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90017 (Corner of Flower St. & Wilshire Blvd.)
Fee: Free, open to all
Bring your own brown bag lunch
Topic:
Sabrina Drill from UC Cooperative Extension, sharing their programs for Sustainable Landscaping and Fire Prevention
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Wednesday, March 19
LACCD Sustainability Collaborative Brown Bag Lunch
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. Location: 770 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90017 (Corner of Flower St. &Wilshire Blvd.)
Fee: Free, open to all
Bring your own brown bag lunch
Topic:
Sustainability in Mongolia by Dr. Woodrow Clark, Consultant to the Mongolian government
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| A Year in Review |
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Looking Forward as We Take a Look Back at ‘07
As 2007 draws to a close, we’re taking an opportunity to review the significant progress the Bond Construction Program made this year. We garnered some very prestigious awards for environmental stewardship while making construction progress at every one of our nine campuses. Here’s an overview of the best of 2007.
AWARDS
The District was honored to receive recognition from two distinguished and important organizations this year. In October, the LACCD was honored by the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) for its innovative green building program and was chosen as one of only eleven CCI partners to launch a pilot program to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Former President Bill Clinton made the announcement at the GreenBuild 2007 Conference in Chicago where he acknowledged Larry Eisenberg, LACCD’s Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Development, during his keynote address. The goal of the program is to serve as a model for other college campuses striving to reach climate neutrality.
Two weeks later, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the state’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor to the District. The 2007 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) was presented during a ceremony at the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Headquarters building in Sacramento on November 20. The award recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable contributions in conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public-private partnerships. For more information on these and other awards the District has received visit www.laccdbuildsgreen.org.
MILESTONES
 Los Angeles Valley College marked the placement of the last piece of steel onto their new $46 million Allied Health and Science building in January. The event signified the end of the framing stage of construction for the new three-story, 98,000 sq. ft., LEED™ certified building located on the Southeast corner of the campus.
East Los Angeles College officials officially welcome spectators to their new baseball field and stadium. The newly modernized facility includes dugouts, barrier-fence, state-of-the-art training center which houses a fully equipped locker room, rehab training room, announcer’s booth and coaches’ offices.
Los Angeles Trade-Tech College kicked off its construction program this year with a groundbreaking for its new Parking Access Ramp which officials labeled as the “key building block” on its multi-million dollar effort to reshape the southern-end of the downtown campus. The “F Ramp” groundbreaking kicked off an important step to clear the area for the college’s South Campus project which will create a new college entrance with two new classroom buildings, an athletic field and subterranean parking garage.
The surge in construction continued at LATTC as it jump started the college’s largest project to date. Set to be LEED™ silver certified, the South Campus project consists of two new five-story buildings will house: technology classrooms (approximately 66,228 sq. ft.), student services (approximately 56,302 sq. ft.); feature extensive landscaping and a 1,800 sq. ft. utility building.
Additionally, the college opened up its six-level, 250,000 sq. ft. Olive Street Parking Structure which provides 805 additional parking stalls located adjacent to the college.
 Los Angeles Mission College held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new $9.1 million Child Development Center (CDC). Children from the college’s Child Development program assisted college and District officials during the event. The two-story complex will provide approximately 27,000 sq. ft. of space consisting of classrooms and offices.
Thanks to a newly completed $20 million four-level, Parking Structure A, the college has taken a major step toward helping meet its current and future parking needs. The new state-of-the-art, 376,834 sq. ft. structure includes 1,227 parking spaces, lighting and security system and accommodations for the disabled. As construction progresses, it will also include a photovoltaic farm on the roof of the structure which will provide shade for cars and will generate 178kW of solar power, enough electricity to power the entire structure.
The college also celebrated the groundbreaking of its new $34 million Health and Physical Education Fitness Center. The new LEED™ certified 90,000 sq. ft., two-story facility will be located on the east side campus next to El Cariso Golf Course. The project will include a three-court gymnasium, an elevated three-lane jogging track, a weight-fitness and cardio area, five classrooms each with a capacity of 60 students, three multipurpose rooms, a training and hydrotherapy room, locker rooms and offices. The estimated completion of the facility is expected in fall 2008.
 In May, children from Los Angeles City College’s Child Development program serenaded the college’s guests with a sweet rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” sung in English, Spanish and Armenian during the college's groundbreaking ceremony for their new 26,000 sq. ft. - $13 million Child Development Center (CDC). The Center will provide the college with classroom space and expand its current preschool capacity from 66 to 90 children. Completion on the structure is scheduled for the second half of 2008.
Los Angeles City College’s (LACC)
science and technology students and professors celebrated the groundbreaking of their new $38 million Science and Technology Center this month. The new three-story LEED™ certified building will provide state-of-the-art facilities for several of the college’s science departments. The new 85,000 sq. ft. structure will include: 25 new classrooms and four lecture halls; 36 private offices with 30 open area workstations and two new computer labs. The building will also be equipped with computerized human patient simulators for nursing, a CAD/CAM milling machine for dental technology, a Gas Chromatograph and a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance machine for chemistry.
 Students, and community members joined officials from West Los Angeles College as they celebrated the grand opening of the newly modernized Heldman Learning Resource Center (HLRC) in May. The library was dedicated in 1985 and recently received a $1.5 million make-over to incorporate state-of-the-art technology such as high-speed internet research lab, and laptop checkout.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, officials from Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC), LACCD representatives and more than 200 guests celebrated the grand opening of the college’s new $23 million Child Development Center and Education Complex, and its 40th anniversary. The children from the college’s CDC assisted officials with the ceremony by crafting a colorful paper chain ribbon for the occasion.
 Thanks to a $5.3 million makeover, Los Angeles Harbor College's aging soccer/track, football facility opened with a ceremonial pre-game ribbon cutting ceremony in September (just in time for the first home game of the football season). Harbor’s newly completed “field of dreams” includes an eight-lane synthetic Mondo track and a NCAA-regulation artificial turf field for both football and soccer. The 10,000 sq. ft. grandstand has been expanded to seat 1,500 spectators, and includes a new concession stand, press box, bathroom facilities, and new softball and stadium field lights.
At Pierce College, District and college officials, together with community representatives, marked a major milestone for the college's construction program this year. A groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the start of two significant buildings, the Center for the Sciences and the Student Services Center. Together, they are budgeted at $64 million and promise to reshape the college's footprint.
 The new $46 million Center for the Sciences will be a two-story 100,000 sq. ft. courtyard building, and will house several departments, including Life Sciences, Nursing, Chemistry and Physics. The new building will be built to the US Green Building Council's LEED-Silver rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The $18 million Student Services Center will be a three-story, 49,775 sq. ft. u-shaped mission-styled building, consistent with the college's overall architecture and will house the college's career/transfer center, plus financial aid, counseling, and health services.
September saw the grand opening of the second phase of the S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden. The 80,300 sq. ft. "living classroom" received a nearly quarter million dollar upgrade and now features drought-tolerant plants that demonstrate the beauty of living where water is scarce. Some plants are native to California; others come from countries as distant as Australia and South Africa. One of the rare pines from Australia was, until recently, thought to be extinct. In addition to using bond construction monies, the renovation and new construction for the Botanic Garden was funded by a $75,000 grant from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and funds from the Mark S. Taper Foundation.
For more information on these or other events please visit www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org.
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2007 Sustainability Conference a Success |
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 On November 30, over 500 guests attended the Los Angeles Community College District’s (LACCD) Sixth Annual 2007 Sustainability Conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA. Renowned literary and political figure Gore Vidal, in addition to leading environmental leaders, spoke at the conference which educated the community on sustainable building practices and global warming issues.
"This year's conference was compelling and timely because it dealt with the various social and economic challenges we as a global community have faced for decades," said Larry H. Eisenberg, Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Development, LACCD. "The conference took a multidisciplinary approach on incorporating social responsibility and sustainable development into opportunities and growth."
Participants included: Rick Fedrizzi, Founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC); and Andy Lipkis, Founder and President of TreePeople, a 34-year old LA-Based non-profit organization.
Topics included transforming industries, environmental protection efforts in China and methods for inspiring people to participate in making Los Angeles and the world healthy and sustainable. The event also featured Former President Jimmy Carter's Work Project for Habitat for Humanity International that focuses on the importance of affordable housing.
For more information on the District's sustainable construction practices or policy, visit www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org.
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| Student Voice - Positive, Resourceful and Beating the Odds: Gwendolyn Maris |
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The Student Voice is a feature that provides a student perspective on the Proposition A/AA program.
 By all accounts, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Maris, Associated Student Organization (ASO) president at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) is Super woman. As a single mother of seven and a widow, she was motivated to enroll in LASC’s summer school to set an example for her daughters and to get a new start on her own life.
And indeed, after the summer session and an appointment as ASO Treasurer, Gwen showed her daughters that getting “good grades” and being active on campus was possible.
Things have always been that way for Gwen: active in the community and having to beat the odds to succeed. With three of her daughters in college (her youngest is 13), she’s a member of her church’s choir and the Sign Language ministry, and a poet.
In fall 2006, Gwen joined her daughter at LASC and enrolled as a full-time student to pursue an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in Business Management. She quickly joined ASO and was elected president. As part of her work study program, “Mama Gwen” as she is affectionately called, manages students who work in the department. She is also active in several other student organizations including the Outreach Committee which recruits students through its “Street Team.”
“As president, I am able to focus on the things students need, and make sure that they have representation on campus,” she shared.
Gwen sees the LACCD’s construction program as a positive step in the right direction to reshaping LASC and preparing students for future jobs.
“I can see the construction from my window,” she said. The bond construction program is making a difference at Southwest. Our construction projects are moving rapidly along, and the new facilities will help students get the training they need for today's jobs.”
While she’s looking forward to graduating in June 2008, Gwen wishes she could stay on campus two more years just to see the last construction projects finished. For more information on Southwest College's construction program, visit www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org.
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| 2007: A Year of Opportunity and Growth |
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A message from Larry H. Eisenberg, Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Development
 The Los Angeles Community College District’s (LACCD) Bond Construction Program had an exceptional year with all nine colleges experiencing tremendous growth. Between starting new infrastructure upgrades, commemorating milestones, or receiving recognition from notable and influential organizations, there were plenty of opportunities to celebrate.
The District was honored to be acknowledged for its sustainability efforts, and to receive personal kudos from Former President Bill Clinton at the 2007 GreenBuild Conference. These accolades and those from the sustainability community is a true testament of our steadfast dedication and leadership to building green. Among the most important of these other honors was having our program selected to receive California’s most prestigious environmental honor, the 2007 Governor’s Environmental Energy Leadership Award (GEELA) for Sustainable Practices or Facilities.
We’ve now completed two - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) certified projects and have 19 new buildings under construction with 23 on the way. Again, this is an example of the District’s focus and commitment to completing each construction project that has enabled our colleges to plan, design and execute state-of-the-art buildings to serve our students and the community.
I’ve mentioned our Furniture Procurement Program in the past, but I am mentioning it again because we are recommitting to making sure that our colleges and other organizations take advantage of the furniture and flooring available through the program. The program provides the colleges with access to quality, sustainable furniture and products with great warranties at a reasonable price. The District was able to secure carpeting made from recyclable materials with a guaranteed lifespan of at least 30 years without spending more than what would be spent for regular carpet. That’s a substantial cost and environmental savings worth noting.
Together, we are making a difference - one project and one student at a time. We invite you to visit any of our nine campuses and see for yourself the progress we have made to improve the lives of the communities in which we serve. On behalf of the LACCD and the BuildLACCD team, Happy Holidays and we wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!
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| LATTC Hosts Campus Wide Rally in Support of National Recycle Day |
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Supervisor Burke Lends Support by Proclaiming November 15 as Recycle Day for County of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) joined LA County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, officials from the Department of Public Works and the Los Angeles Conservation Corp. on November 14 to spread the message of recycling and preservation to students, faculty and District officials during a pre-Recycle Day campus rally at the college.
“We are excited to partner with County Supervisor Burke and the various other county agencies to help raise awareness about the importance of recycling,” said Dr. Roland "Chip" Chapdelaine, president of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. "Through the Los Angeles Community College District’s Proposition Bond A/AA Program, our green curriculum is training students to become good stewards of the environment through recycling, and training highly-skilled, eco-friendly workers for the new green economy. We encourage students and faculty to do their part to help conserve our natural resources."
Additionally, Supervisor Burke proclaimed November 15 as National Recycle Day for all of Los Angeles County and the Department of Public Works collected pledge cards from participants who pledged to conserve, recycle and buy recycled goods. In exchange for their commitment attendees received reusable bags to help reduce waste.
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| Photo of the Month |
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Dressed in lab coats: L.A. City College Science and Technology Department Chairs join Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Marshall Drummond during groundbreaking ceremonies for the college’s new $38 million Science and Technology Building on December 12. From left are Drummond; Dental Technology Chair Arax Cohen; Chemistry and Geophysical Sciences Chair John Freitas; and Nursing Chair Betsy Manchester.
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