City of Riverside Names Fortino Morales III Sustainability Manager
Published: 5/21/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 21, 2024
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
City of Riverside Names Fortino Morales III Sustainability Manager
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Fortino Morales III has been named Sustainability Manager for the City of Riverside, where he will support efforts to ensure the Inland area’s largest city remains at the forefront on clean energy, water quality and recharge, usage and waste reduction, local food system vitality, air quality and climate resiliency, and greening facilities, fleet and systems. He starts June 7.
Morales III comes to the City from the University of California, Riverside, where he most recently served as Sustainability Officer, a post he held since 2018. He previously served as the founding director of R’Garden, a seven-acre campus garden and experiential learning space for students and the surrounding community.
“Fortino has a deep understanding of the sustainability issues facing Riverside,” City Manager Mike Futrell said. “His expertise will help the city move forward with a new climate action plan and take on a leadership role in sustainability as one of the largest cities in California, benefiting our residents and businesses alike.”
While at UCR, Morales III led the re-launch of the university’s campus-wide Office of Sustainability and directed efforts toward meeting the UC system’s goal of carbon neutrality through partnerships with many operational units on campus, research faculty and student advocates.
His approach to adhering to the UC Policy on Sustainable Practices included specific goals and targets for green buildings, clean energy, climate protection, transportation, laboratory operations, zero waste, procurement, food services, water systems, and environmental justice. He collaborated with peers across the UC system as systemwide co-chair of the Green Labs Working Group.
Morales III worked closely on grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from the California Climate Action Corps program and the California College Corps Fellows program. He also worked with the School of Public Policy, where he co-led the Inland Southern California Climate Collaborative (ISC3), a network of agencies, organizations, companies, and institutions working together to advance equitable solutions to create a resilient and thriving Inland Southern California in the face of climate change.
He was recognized by the UC Global Food Initiative's 30 Under 30 as one of 30 young pioneers and innovators trailblazing to solve the global food crisis by making extraordinary contributions in a wide array of food-related fields. The Riverside Land Conservancy recognized him with the Environmental Leadership Award: Young Environmentalist award.
“I’m excited to further my longstanding passion and interest in leading institutional and community-scale change around these critical issues,” Morales III said. “The City of Riverside has long held a deep commitment to sustainability, and I look forward to further develop that tradition of excellence.”
Morales III earned a Master of Public Policy from the Graduate School of Public Policy at UC Riverside in 2018. He had previously received a Bachelor of Science degree from UCR in Environmental Science in 2011.
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