Accomplishments

2006: Clean Energy Victory! On May 26, the CALPIRG Student Chapter at University of California Santa Cruz officially won their campaign to bring 100% renewable energy to the campus. Over 70% of the student body voted to assess themselves a $3 fee per quarter to pay for any added costs of buying all of their energy from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar power. The CALPIRG Student Chapter helped to write and put the question on the student ballot, and then did aggressive outreach to encourage students to vote for the measure. Only a handful of colleges in the country currently buy all of their energy from clean sources.

2006: UC-Irvine CALPIRG students joined with ASUCI and other groups to make sure that students voted in favor of a plan to upgrade the campus buses to biodiesel and add more routes on campus.

2006: After a year long campaign by CALPIRG students in coalition with groups from across California, Governor Schwarzenegger petitioned the Bush Administration to protect all 4.4 million acres of National Forest in CA from development. CALPIRG students gathered over 1000 public comments, signed on faculty to a letter and generated media including a concert at UCSB that drew approximately 300 people.

2006: The California Public Utilities Commission approved a $3.2 billion solar program that will create a million new solar homes and businesses over the next ten years and make California the world leader in solar power. CALPIRG students played a vital role in generating thousands of comments, signing on approximately 60 faculty experts to a letter, generating media through educational events and convincing key legislators through direct advocacy.

2005-2006: CALPIRG students working with groups across campus organized different responses to Hurricane Katrina and Rita. UCSD CALPIRG students organized a trip down to the gulf over spring break for 32 students. CALPIRG students from UCSB and UCR also joined trips to the gulf. On campus, CALPIRG students organized fundraisers and educational events including Dodgeball tournament fundraisers at UCLA and UCB that raised $7,000.

2003-2006: CALPIRG released groundbreaking reports on how the textbook publishing industry is ripping-off students. CALPIRG students surveyed hundreds of professors and bookstores and our research led to approximately 400 news stories across the country. In addition, Congress called for an independent study by the GAO. After our reports, Pearson announced an online textbook that is 50% cheaper than the paperback version and the UCLA Math department negotiated a 20% cheaper Thomson Learning textbook.

2005: GAO study on textbook prices supports CALPIRG’s previous conclusions that textbook publishers’ practices are driving up the costs of textbooks. The GAO report received attention from press across the country including USA Today.

2005: CALPIRG worked in a coalition to raise $90,000 for tsunami relief efforts.

2004: CALPIRG students join with students from across the country to get 500 Math and 200 Physics professors to call on the textbook industry to change their practices.

2004: CALPIRG worked in a huge coalition which included UCSA and CSSA to register 40,000 students to vote.

2004: In response to CALPIRG students’ research, California passes AB2477 calling on textbook publishers to change their practices and universities to come up with ways to drive down the cost of textbooks.

2004: CALPIRG students helped to stop Congress from cutting thousands of families from low-income housing programs.

2002: In the wake of the energy crisis, we convinced legislators to adopt the California Clean Energy Law in 2002. The law—the nation’s strongest such law—requires investor-owned utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from clean sources by 2017.

2001: CALPIRG reporting helped show that half our national forests were rapidly disappearing due to destructive activities such as logging, road-building, and mining. This prompted CALPIRG to play an important role in convincing the Clinton Administration to move to protect 60 million acres of National Forests from such activities. CALPIRG is now working to ensure that the Bush administration implements the plan.

2001: CALPIRG's research has consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of energy efficiency, conservation and renewable power as clean solutions to meet our energy needs. In April 2001, CALPIRG helped to write and pass a series of laws that will allocate $1 billion in urgently needed funds to conservation and renewable programs.

1999-2000: CALPIRG helped uncover serious air pollution problems stemming from heavy, diesel-running vehicles and Sports Utility Vehicles. This research and other activities helped CALPIRG and other groups successfully make the case for tough new emissions standards for diesel-burning trucks and buses, as well as to Governor Davis to preserve clean alternatives such as California's Zero Emission Vehicle Program.

1999: A CALPIRG report documented that California's regional water boards were grossly under-enforcing the Clean Water Act, allowing thousands of violations to occur. In response to this data, CALPIRG wrote and helped pass the Clean Water Enforcement Act, now the country's toughest clean water law.

1999: CALPIRG led efforts to pass policies restricting the practice of charging excess ATM fees in San Francisco and Santa Monica, prompting massive national media attention and similar efforts in cities around the country. Since then, Washington Mutual has eliminated the practice.

1998: CALPIRG researchers found that over 87% of school districts widely used pesticides with chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive damage and developmental problems. As a result, CALPIRG helped to write and pass the Healthy Schools Act. The new law will provide parents with the right to know about harmful pesticides used in public schools.

1995-present: With assistance from AmeriCorps and the S. Mark Taper Foundation, CALPIRG volunteers and interns have removed over 100 tons of trash and debris from local waterways, replanted tens of thousands of native plants, and educated hundreds of elementary school children about local waterway issues. Between 1999 and 2001, Los Angeles area students organized over 30 river cleanups that removed over 12,000 pounds of trash from local rivers, and made over 120 elementary school presentations about water pollution.