March 11, 2010

CSU Monterey Bay has received a $2,000 grant to provide training in green building for one of its staff members. Director for Campus Planning and Development Kathleen Ventimiglia has been selected to attend the training sessions.

As part of the Advancing Green Building in Higher Education Program, Second Nature, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, awarded grants to 15 colleges and universities. The program's goal is to help budget-strapped schools build "green" on their campuses.

Ventimiglia (pictured at left) will choose from among workshops, webinars and online classes. She's interested in courses that deal with new construction built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

Second Nature is the lead support organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. CSU Monterey Bay President Dianne Harrison signed the Presidents' Commitment in June 2007. As a result, the university will work toward climate neutrality, educate students about the issue and support research into ways to reverse climate change. The combination of climate neutrality, research and education is what makes the initiative unique. To read more about the Presidents' Climate Commitment at CSUMB, visit csumb.edu/green.