Fashioning A Greener Future Today

Sustainability within the USC Bookstores is defined as meeting our current needs without degrading the ecological, social, and economic systems on which we rely for future needs. By only contracting vendors that meet the same high standards and ideals we champion, we influence the social and economic forces that affect our global work environment.

• Air Conditioning

  Beginning in August 2009, the main campus bookstore's air conditioning will all be drawn from USC's 350 million-gallon chilled water plant under Cromwell field.

  
  

  Impact: We will not have information to measure the impact of this change until the end of the fall semester, 2009.

• Night time security lighting

  We have decreased the amount of after-hours security lighting on the sales floors in the main campus bookstore.

  
  

  Impact: In the main campus bookstore this has decreased lighting energy consumption after hours by 75%.

• Light fixtures

  The USC Bookstores are replacing old lighting fixtures with new energy-efficient fixtures per Facilities Management Services all-campus replacement schedule.

  
  

  Impact: All of the 2x2 light fixtures and cove light bulbs have been upgraded. These decrease between 8% to 25% energy use over the previous lighting, depending on the fixture. We are currently working on replacing all of our MR 16 halogen lights with LED lights which will further decrease our energy consumption.

• Recycling

  All of our buildings have recycling containers for aluminum, glass and plastic. We recycle lighting batteries and ballasts, printer ink cartridges, computer monitors, and cardboard boxes.

  
  

  Impact: Total recycling output not currently measureable for this facility.

• Bookstore shopping bags

  Offering recycled-reusable shopping bags, reducing plastic into our landfills and making all our bags 100% recycled and recyclable.

  
  

  Impact:
  •     We have sold 2387 of our reusable shopping bags to date, keeping at least that many plastic shopping bags from the general marketplace and eventually the local landfills.
  •     Customer demand for our regular plastic shopping bags over the past four years has decreased by half in the small and medium sizes and by two-thirds in the large bags.
  •     None of our plastic shopping bags are made using PVC. They are all made from 100% post-consumer recycled products and they are 100% biodegradable. The inks used for the USC logos is water-based.
  •     All of our plastic shopping bags are manufactured locally.

• Sweatshop-free clothing

  The USC Bookstores, in partnership with the Office of Trademarks and Licensing, have taken the following actions since 1998 to ensure that the products sold in the bookstores are sweatshop-free.

  
  

  Impact:
  •     Issued comprehensive standards for workplace conditions for apparel workers abroad
  •     Joined the International Fair Labor Association and the International Labor Rights Fund
  •     Ensured that the USC licenses' facilities are independently monitored annually by the FLA or by a third-party inspection agency to monitor compliance with the USC Workplace Code of Conduct
  •     Ensured that all vendors selling USC-logoed products sign a license agreement that includes the USC Workplace Code of Conduct
  •     Discontinued doing business with all vendors who could not comply with our USC Workplace Code of Conduct (nearly 100 to date).