Peralta can be proud of key contributions in the world of environmental sustainability:
By Board Policy, every new building in the Peralta Colleges must meet LEED standards— including the new LEED Gold Berkeley City College expansion now under way.
Peralta students receive AC Transit bus passes at an 85% discount- just $43 for a six month pass!
Laney College’s Environmental Controls Technology program trains students for well-paying jobs designing and installing energy saving heating and cooling systems for homes and buildings.
Laney’s Carpentry program has innovated with green construction techniques for years and has led the way in building tiny houses to provide shelter for the unhoused.
Merritt College Environmental Management and Technology program, located between two wildland watershed open spaces in the Oakland hills that serve as a field class, trains students with hands-on projects that lead to certificates and careers in such areas as Greening the Urban Environment and Urban Agroecology.
The Peralta Board of Trustees voted to divest the District’s $100 million+ stock portfolio from carbon intensive investments, oppose the transportation of oil and coal on local train lines, make environmental sustainability a core aspect of Peralta’s Mission, Vision and Values statement, and keep banking local to grow a more resilient and sustainable economy— all initiatives that Nicky led.
Nicky founded and then chaired Peralta’s Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability for 8 years; he led Peralta’s collaborative process to develop one of the most progressive community college Environmental Sustainability board policies in the state, including the LEED building standards and solar projects mentioned above. As an instructor, environmental sustainability and responding to our climate crisis is central to every course he teaches.
Environmental justice also means protecting the public interest and giving voice to the concerns of the most vulnerable members of our community. Nicky has stood firm against every attempt to sell off Peralta’s land to for-profit developers more interested in lining their pockets than serving Oakland’s downtown and Chinatown residents.
Nicky is also an enthusiastic proponent and user of bicycles, a fabulous and virtually carbon-neutral tool for transportation, mental health, and physical fitness.
