As any number of CSU Bakersfield students could attest, the university is often slow in making decisions. From eventually deciding to switch from a quarter-to-semester system (CSUB is one of six schools in the system still operating on a quarter schedule) to receiving responses to our grad checks, CSUB is often behind-the-curve in implementing systemic policies or responding to students.
However, when it comes to responding to California’s worsening drought, the same cannot be said.
In an interview with The Runner, Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Patrick Jacobs said CSUB is pursuing a number of solutions to reduce its water consumption by 25 percent this year, an amount mandated by an executive order issued by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Those solutions include: reducing irrigation throughout campus, removing patches of turf in areas that are unused or difficult to water, installing more water-efficient faucets and motion-sensors for sinks, and killing off grass to plant low-use vegetation.
Some of these are already being implemented. In areas on campus, grass has been replaced with both artificial turf and plant materials, removals that are resulting in water savings in excess of 10,000 gallons.
Given the dire water crisis California is facing and the need for consumers to immediately conserve water, we commend CSUB for both its comprehensive consideration of varied solutions and immediate action toward reducing its water use.
While the drought and irrigation reductions will inevitably strain vegetation and create a potential fire hazard in some areas, the need to preserve water transcends concerns about our campus aesthetic.
We similarly applaud the university for actively seeking student feedback regarding aesthetic changes that are being made.
In the same interview, Jacobs said that feedback regarding the use of artificial turf or mulch in areas of campus would be used to determine which of these alternatives to grass would be installed on campus next winter.
Since a university’s aesthetic inherently makes a statement about a campus’s values and personality, we appreciate that university administrators are encouraging students to contribute to decisions regarding CSUB’s future appearance.
For more information on CSUB’s solutions to the drought and how to reduce water use on campus, as well as how students can get involved with providing feedback, see our news coverage.
The Runner editorial board consists of Josh Bennett, Robin Gracia, Steven Barker, Michael Wafford, Heather Hoelscher, Esteban Ramirez and Richard Garibay.
