Caltech Sustainability Advisory Council

The council learned, analyzed data, discussed possibilities, and prioritized actions to create Sustainable Caltech: A Plan for a Resilient Future.

The council then shared the plan with Caltech President Thomas Rosenbaum, who approved it and shared it with the campus community in November 2024.

The sustainability advisory council will now focus on the plan's implementation, tracking, and evolution, the third of its three responsibilities:

1. Assess the state of Caltech's current footprint.
2. Prepare a plan by summer 2024 that sets measurable goals and identifies initiatives and resources to achieve further sustainability in the areas of energy, water, materials, waste, land use, mobility, and emissions.
3. Coordinate and oversee the plan's implementation, tracking progress toward stated goals, and the continuing evolution of sustainability initiatives and programming.

Please click here to share a comment with the council.

The council reports to Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics. Its members include:

• Sophia Elam, undergraduate student and president of Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology
• Neil Fromer, executive director of programs for the Resnick Sustainability Institute
• David Kang, associate vice president of Facilities
• Charlie Lane (co-chair), vice president and chief operating officer
• Ryan O'Connor, assistant vice president for finance and operations in Student Affairs
• Jonas Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute
• Elena Priesen Reis, graduate student in materials science and sustainability chair of the Graduate Student Council
• Alex Sessions, Nico and Marilyn van Wingen Professor of Geobiology
• Angelike Stathopoulos, professor of biology
• David Tirrell (co-chair), provost, Carl and Shirley Larson Provostial Chair, Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Paul Wennberg, R. Stanton Avery Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering