Chevron Energy Solutions and California State University, Fresno, announced last week the completion of a large-scale solar power installation at Fresno State that will supply 20 percent of the university’s annual power needs.

The 1.1-megawatt solar system—the largest photovoltaic (PV)-paneled parking installation at a U.S. university—is expected to save Fresno State more than $13 million in avoided utility costs over its 30-year lifespan.

The 10 structures, which provide the only shaded parking on the campus, comprise 3,872 photovoltaic panels mounted on top of more than 700 carport stalls constructed in parking lots on the southeast side of campus. The renewable energy system is expected to generate more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours of power each year, offsetting the production of about 950 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions—equivalent to planting more than 24,300 new trees or removing more than 200 cars from the road every year.

What’s interesting about this?

Three things. One, At the ceremony, CSUF President Welty declared “This project is just one of the university’s ‘green campus’ initiatives.” - not just a single, one-off solar project.

Two, he also signed the Talloires Declaration. What is the Talloires Declaration? I thought you’d never ask:

The Talloires Declaration:
University Presidents for a Sustainable Future

We, the presidents, rectors, and vice chancellors of universities from all regions of the world are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources. Local, regional, and global air pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of “green house” gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. These environmental changes are caused by inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world.

We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. Stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration are crucial elements in creating an equitable and sustainable future for all humankind in harmony with nature. Universities have a major role in the education, research, policy formation, and information exchange necessary to make these goals possible.

In essence, any University that signs it is committing itself to a 10-point action plan to incorporate sustainability and environmental literacy into teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It has been signed by more than 350 university presidents and chancellors in 40-plus countries.

Three, the project was financed in part by a $2.8 million rebate from the State of California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, but the rest was financed by MMA Renewable Ventures. Fresno State is merely providing the space for the project, and MMA owns the PV panels and the power they generate. Fresno State will then buy back the power at a competitive rate under a 20-year contract.

This is fairly new business model that is being fast adopted by solar installation companies that are now financing their projects to bring down the upfront costs of solar power, especially in California where there are ample local, state, and federal rebates available for solar installations. This has created a boom in the solar installation market, and we’ll be covering this topic in greater depth in the future.

Karla and I are going to experiment with getting produce from a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture farm. I picked one that works best for us since it has a pickup site just a few blocks away from us in the Bank of America building at 5th and Capitol. That way, I can stop by on my way home from work or walk there (I’ve walked a few times).

The basic deal is, 100% certified organic produce, grown year round at a local farm, put in a box, delivered to a pickup site every week near where you live or work. About $5 per person per week gets you a box of whatever is in season, just pick a box size that is right for how many people you are cooking for. The farm I picked is called Terra Firma Farm, over in Winters. There are other CSA’s around Sacramento, here is a list so you can check them out yourself!

Along with the box you pick up is also a weekly newsletter - you get a recipe of the week to best make use of the different fruits and veggies that were harvested and also how the recent weather affected the farm and YOUR produce. Also, there are often discussions of water, agriculture, and other topics and responses to subscriber emails. It’s pretty freaking sweet, and a great way to support local farmers and reduce your carbon footprint (it takes a lot of energy to power those hot house lights and then truck in those Safeway veggies).

The first box we got contained carrots, salad mix, potatoes, basil, apples, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, spinach, and eggplants. The newsletter discussed the local region weather patters and how it affects growing seasons, very interesting to learn about. Pablito at Terra Firma writes:

This fall is as different as all the others we’ve had: heatwaves at the wrong time followed by pounding rain. But overall, we are getting numerous indications that winter is coming early. Nights are chilly and many fall crops are growing slowly after being stunted first by a late August heatwave. So here we are, after ten plus years of growing fall vegetable crops in the Sacramento Valley, and we still haven’t gotten it figured out. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a good reason more farmers here don’t do it.

You can read the full newsletter for that first week, or browse the whole archive.

Today I’ll be picking up our third box, and while I can go read the newsletter for this week online and find out what will be in it, it’s much more of a surprise to just open it and discover what you’ll be eating for the next week.

And did I mention, while organic produce may look a little funny, it tastes WAY better than what you’re probably used to!

Karla also wrote a post about our CSA adventure and the Urban Family Dinners we started because of it! Read her blog at www.mesohungie.com.