Employee of the Month - March 2021
Holli Fajack, Sustainability Coordinator
Awarded Wednesday, March 24, 2021 via Zoom Virtual celebration. Holli was joined by President Jane Close Conoley, DAF Vice President Scott Apel, Associate Vice President Tony Malagrino, numerous Beach Building Services and campus colleagues, systemwide colleagues, and family members.
Holli Fajack is CSULB’s Sustainability Coordinator. In this position, one of her responsibilities is to run and coordinate a large number of events for Earth Week at the Beach, an annual program held each April to celebrate international Earth Day. Holli is tasked with engaging our campus and Long Beach community in educational, fun events designed to raise awareness about the university’s and our many partners’ sustainability efforts.
Holli leads the Earth Week Planning Committee, consisting of representatives from the Office of Sustainability, ASI Beach Pride and Sustain U, Sustainable Transportation Program, the 49er Shops, the Japanese Garden, Environmental Science and Policy department, and various student organizations.
Before COVID-19, Holli and the committee had planned a dynamic and engaging week of events scheduled for April 20 – 24 of 2020, including the 9th annual Green Generation Mixer and Sustainability Project Showcase, which was due to take place on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day international.
Due to the pandemic, all physical and in-person Earth Week events were cancelled. Holli envisioned moving to a virtual Earth Week, by collaborating with many partners across the university, the CSU system, and higher education institutions across the state (including UCs, community colleges, and private colleges). The result of this effort was a new line-up of virtual Earth Week events: guest speakers, a digital film festival, meatless menus cooking demos, virtual Sustainability Project Showcase, and daily eco-challenges.
Christine Whitcraft, professor in Biological Sciences, and Chair of the President's Commission on Sustainability at CSULB, shared, “In the face of this challenge, Holli kept programming going, increased student engagement in diverse ways, and maintained a cheerful approach. This is just one example of her leadership that advances the mission of CSULB while upholding our commitment to student engagement and sustainability.”