Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the University of California, Merced, has won California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor — the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award.
UC Merced earned an award in the comprehensive land-use planning category for the campus’ 2009 Long-Range Development Plan. The 136-page document guides the campus’ physical growth, development and land-use priorities.
The university was one of 15 recipients honored during the Governors’ Global Climate Summit 2, a conference in which local government leaders from around the world discuss climate change.
Campus planners use the long-range plan when deciding the locations of future buildings, structures, plazas, parks, roads, infrastructure and natural undeveloped areas. The document also addresses how students, faculty, staff, visitors and vehicles will navigate the campus as it grows to accommodate about 25,000 students in the next 30 years.