San José State has joined the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative (SC4), a network of groups across the region working to combat climate issues.
The Climate Collaborative is a multi-sector network focused on getting public agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit and community based organizations to work together to find solutions to climate change, according to the SC4 webpage.
San José State is now joining universities like Santa Clara University and Stanford University in providing academic help to support the collaborative, according to the organizations’ website.
Eena Sta Maria, a senior sustainability analyst for Santa Clara County, said when universities join the collaborative, they often choose one work group to focus its efforts on.
There are six total work groups, consisting of Heat and Air Quality Resilience, Equity in Community, Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, Santa Clara Valley Urban Forestry Alliance, Flooding and Sea Level Rise and Resilience Hubs, according to the SC4 website.
San José State’s involvement means the university can focus its research and contributions into work groups.
Sophie Kelmenson, an assistant professor of urban and regional studies at SJSU, said the initiative is exciting because it brings together different voices, sectors and expertises to work toward shared climate solutions.
“Right now, my main goal is learning where San José State can contribute most effectively and building connections with partners across the region,” Kelmenson said. “To start though, I’ve joined the Resilience Hubs Working Group and the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants work group, which focus on both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping communities prepare for climate impacts.”
SJSU was awarded to the Princeton Review’s 2026 Green College Honor Roll, earning a perfect 99 out of 99 Green Rating for its sustainability efforts, according to an article on SJSU NewsCenter website. The recognition puts SJSU as one of 37 universities nationwide to achieve this score.
Kaili Mallari, a fourth-year environmental studies student and director of the Environmental Resource Center, said that she is interested to see how SJSU will participate in SC4 and is hopeful that this collaboration will provide students with more initiative to get involved.
“I think this collaboration can help students see the environmental issues in our community firsthand and hopefully learn what they can do to help and care even more for the area that they live in,” Mallari said.
The Environmental Resource Center is a student-led organization thatto promotes environmental education through peer connection and community projects, according to its Instagram page.
Kelmenson said this partnership is an opportunity for SJSU to strengthen its role as a public university that serves communities of a broader region.
“Because the collaborative brings together governments, nonprofits and universities, it opens the door for students to engage through research, internships and community partnerships,” Kelmenson said.
SJSU also conducts environmental research through programs such as Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, a marine research facility that trains graduate students in marine science through hands-on field experience in marine environments, according to its website.
Sta Maria said student involvement is what makes SC4 excited to have SJSU joining.
“We invite students who are interested in research questions that would have an impact on our local community,” Sta Maria said.
Leading concerns about climate change in Santa Clara County involve sea level rise, threats from heavy rainfall events, wildfire and threats from extreme heat, according to the County of Santa Clara Office’s website.
“I can share what folks are most concerned with, based off a survey we had done in our last October meeting, which is (about) extreme heat and wildfire,” Sta Maria said.
There is expected to be an increase of up to 13 extreme heat days and 55 warm nights by the midcentury and wildfires are already increasing in duration and range, according to the same website.
SC4’s partnerships with universities allows for focus on finding solutions for climate problems.
“We’re able to connect and find research questions that are very relevant and very applicable to Santa Clara County specifically,” Sta Maria said.
Sta Maria said universities often join the Heat and Air Quality Resilience Work Group.
The Heat and Air Quality Resilience Work Group is a network of jurisdictions, community-based organizations, academia partners and environmental stakeholders focused on sharing research and coordinating projects to increase the county’s resilience to excessive heat and poor air quality, according to the SC4 website.
Research at Santa Clara University is looking into the possibility of creating neighborhood resilience hubs in Santa Clara, which could include cooling centers, disaster assistance resources and climate preparedness programs, according to the Sustainability & EJ Symposium Archive.
At Stanford University, there are studies looking into wildfire smoke and air pollution using AI models and other tools that help scientists track exposure and identify solutions, according to a Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability article.
Some solutions include clean air shelters, controlled burns and home filtration strategies to reduce healthy risks.
Akira Nishikawa, a fourth-year environmental studies student, said he is happy to see SJSU taking initiative to address environmental issues by joining this collaboration.
“I think SJSU has taken many actions to implement sustainability as a part of the campus, such as single stream, recycled water, water filling stations and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings,” Nishikawa said. “At the same time, I think we still have potential to grow our efforts.”
With SJSU joining SC4, those efforts will grow.
“An advantage of having this network is that now organizations are able to work more in partnership and more collaboratively,” Sta Maria said.
The SC4 2024-2026 Strategic Plan outlines how the groups will prioritize projects and funding efforts. The plan highlights a long-term vision of improving resilience through coordinated work on climate challenges like reducing emissions, addressing extreme heat and air quality threats, and preparing for flooding risks, according to the SC4 Strategic Plan.
Mallari said she is hopeful that students will want to be a part of these climate initiatives.
“They just don’t know where to get started,” Mallari said. “I also think students would be more likely to be involved if these initiatives directly helped or improved their own lives.”
