Beyond LEED Platinum: Sustainability Lessons from Award-Winning Buildings at San Bernardino CCD

Date: September 16, 2026
Time: 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
Ballroom F

San Bernardino Community College District is advancing campus sustainability through a practical mix of clean-energy planning, energy dashboards, and sustainable site strategies. This session uses San Bernardino Valley College to show how sustainability goals are being applied across multiple projects rather than one isolated building. Panelists will discuss the Technical Education Building, a LEED Platinum and Zero Net Energy facility supporting hands-on workforce training, along with Career Pathways 2 projects including the Health Science and Aeronautics buildings. The session will explore how high-performance design strategies, decarbonization planning, daylighting, solar integration, efficient building systems, and operational considerations are shaping the next generation of learning environments. The discussion will highlight Southern California Edison’s role as a utility partner supporting incentive opportunities, energy planning, and emerging technology evaluation. Attendees will hear what worked, what was challenging, and what the team would approach differently to make sustainable campus projects fundable, buildable, visible, and operable.
California campuses must reduce emissions, manage operating costs, and prepare students for clean-energy careers. This session offers practical lessons from SBCCD’s award-winning sustainability program, including what worked, what was challenging, and what other institutions can apply to make sustainable facilities more fundable, operable, and connected to student learning.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Attendees will be able to:

• Identify how San Bernardino Community College District is applying sustainability strategies across multiple facility types, including technical education, health science, and aeronautics facilities.
• Explain how high-performance design strategies and emerging technologies can improve long-term building performance and support campus sustainability goals.
• Describe how utility partnerships, including Southern California Edison’s role, can support incentives, energy planning, technology evaluation, and project implementation.
• Evaluate lessons learned from planning, funding, delivering, and operating sustainable facilities, including operational impacts, maintenance considerations, and opportunities for improvement.

Speakers:
Farrah Farzaneh, Executive Director, Facilities Planning, Sustainability & Construction, San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD)
Keith Bacon, Vice President, Administrative Services, San Bernardino Valley College, SBCCD
Abel Favela, Associate Director, Bond Program Planning & Construction, SBCCD
Yash Patel, Associate Director of Facilities, Planning, Sustainability & Construction, SBCCD
Lisa Hannaman, Senior Advisor, Account Management, Southern California Edison