At CSUN’s Institute for Sustainability, we believe in a world where communities are strong because we work together, embracing the imagination, the skills and the cultures already in our neighborhoods to build community and strong economies.
Through our Sustainable San Fernando Valley Initiative, we are preparing students and residents with resilient pathways to employment that gives them food and housing security – future-secure – and in demand workforce skills tied to the green economy.
Our work focuses on workforce development, geospatial storytelling, and community-based programs that address urgent regional challenges—from wildfire resilience and green building to sustainability in arts and culture.
Support the Initiative
We want invite you to support our work through donations and getting involved as a community partner and/or mentor for our students.
When you donate you are helping to build the future for our students at CSUN and are contributing to creating a sustainable San Fernando Valley.
There are many ways to support our CSUN Institute for Sustainability:
- $5 — Honors the 5 acres of our campus orange grove — land that brings students and community together.
- $23 — Celebrates 23 orange picks serving our neighbors since 2009.
- $40 — Fills one 40-lb box of fresh oranges for local families.
- $50 — Places gloves and tools in students’ hands for real, hands-on sustainability work.
- $80 — Represents 80 tons harvested and shared with the community.
- $100 — Expands sustainability education and community outreach.
- $175 — Powers the 175 volunteers who show up to serve at each orange pick.
- $200 — Sponsors a student’s semester-long sustainability research project.
- $300–$500 — Sends students to conferences to share CSUN’s sustainable innovations and community stories.
- $500+ — Fuels hands-on workforce development, launching students into meaningful green careers.
- $550 — Equips a student with practical sustainability skills and community leadership experience.
- $600 — Supports immersive, project-based training solving real environmental challenges.
- $700 — Fully sponsors a transformational sustainability experience — empowering a student to lead, serve, and tell powerful community stories that inspire change.
On Giving Day, your gift doesn’t just support a program — it grows leaders, strengthens communities, and builds the green workforce of tomorrow.
Other ways to get involved:
- Mentorship & Networks – Share your experience and sign up to a CSUN Sustainability Mentor to our students. Participate Here
- Custom Partnerships – Co-create programs that align with your mission
Contact: Dr. Sheila L. Steinberg can be reached at sheila.steinberg@csun.edu - Read this CSUN Today article highlighting how the Institute for Sustainability is building a community of preparedness around wildfire prevention.
Over the next several years, we aim to advance wildfire resilience and workforce pathways, implement student-centered and community programs such as internships and micro-certificates, strengthen our regional impact, and secure sustainable funding. Through your support, you can ensure that students gain a host of experiential learning opportunities while we position CSUN as a hub for sustainability, resilience and innovation in the San Fernando Valley.
Click the “Donate” button above to support the CSUN Institute for Sustainability.
