January 2006 Newsletter

New Director at the Center | Blueprint for a Green Campus | Energy and Water Program Update | CU Recycling Update | Transportation Update | Environmental Center Programs Update | Upcoming Events | Get Involved | Green Living Tip | Buy Green

New Director at the Center

The CU Environmental Center has begun the semester under new leadership. Dave Newport, a recognized leader in university environmental sustainability and public service, was named Director of the Center in December and began his position January 9.

“Dave brings an incredible breadth of experience in campus environmental sustainability,” said Adam Briggle, co-chair of the UCSU Environmental Board.  “We are all extremely excited to work with someone of his caliber.”  Newport said he too is excited for the move to CU, and hopes to bring his experience to the university’s sustainability programs.  “It is an honor to be asked to serve alongside such respected people in such an accomplished environment,” he said.  “It is a privilege to work with students so caring and capable.”

Newport comes to Boulder from the University of Florida, where he was UF's director of the Office of Sustainability.  There, he researched and published higher education's first sustainability report compiled to global business standards and spearheaded a plan to make the nation's fourth largest university "a global leader in sustainability." At UF, Newport also launched a zero-waste program, which has now become a campus target for all operations.

“Dave’s deep and abiding commitment to campus sustainability is only matched by his practical sense of what can be done today to set the stage for tomorrow’s accomplishments,” said Leslie Paul Thiele, professor at UF and chair of the UF Sustainability Committee.

In addition to his experience at UF, Newport served as a county commissioner in Alachua County from 1998 to 2002.  As commissioner, Newport championed renewable energy and energy conservation efforts.

Prior to his work in public service, Newport was the owner, publisher, and editor of Florida Environments Publishing, Inc., where he published an award-winning environmental news journal and numerous other informative pieces.

Newport is currently a graduate student completing a Masters of Science degree in Energy Resource Management and Policy from the University of Maryland.  Newport holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University with concentrations in Management and Communications, and an Associate of Science degree in Environmental Science Technology from Santa Fe Community College, where he also taught.

Newport said he is excited to enhance the excellence of the Environmental Center to even higher levels of achievement and to showcase the center’s accomplishments globally to highlight CU as a world-class university with “significant positive impact on the planet and people.”  He also said that expanding the Center’s student support base is crucial.  “Clearly we have to broaden our impact into more diverse and minority populations,” he said.  “And that is an opportunity for leadership we shall not shrink from.”

Newport, who is married with five children, is now a Boulder resident, and his family will be moving to Boulder during the summer.  “We have been to Boulder many times over the years, and love the area, its history and values, and its leadership among American communities,” he said.

Newport is an avid boater and fisherman, recumbent bicycler, and combined-driving horse-carriage competitor.  He also plays the pedal steel guitar.

Newport's appointment comes almost a year after the Center's previous director,
Will Toor, left to pursue goals as a Boulder County Commissioner.  Marianne Moulton Martin served as interim director during the national search process.  Dave Newport was selected out of eighty applicants. 

Blueprint for a Green Campus

In 2000, the University of Colorado Environmental Center undertook a major project. With the end goal of making CU-Boulder a national leader in sustainable environmental practices, the Environmental Center drafted a comprehensive action plan called the Blueprint for a Green Campus. The original Blueprint, released in 2000, received acclaim from the campus community, local officials and state representatives as a forward-thinking, practical policy prescription. The 2000 Blueprint also brought about a number of positive changes in CU’s environmental practices. The Environmental Center has sought to strengthen the content and vision of the original document. Additionally, over the past several years, revision to the document has become necessary as environmental programs have advanced and evolved. The Environmental Center also saw a need to address such issues green building, campus food services, and water conservation and quality—all of which were absent from the 2000 version. Thus, in 2004, the Environmental Center decided to overhaul and reissue the Blueprint. 

For the revision process, the Environmental Center formed an advisory committee of faculty, administrators, business leaders, community members, local officials and students to set the topics, tone and structure. Task forces were formed for each of the seven major topic areas and reconstructed each section with a stronger vision, more cohesive voice and greater content.

We at the Environmental Center are proud of the end result. The Blueprint for a Green Campus is a highly comprehensive and practical environmental action plan.  The main tenet of the document is to achieve sustainability on an institutional scale. As the CU-Boulder campus grows and changes, its environmental impacts and additional demands for energy, transportation, and resources can be handled through increased efficiency rather than increased consumption.  The Blueprint shows that CU-Boulder can reduce its environmental footprint without sacrificing quality of education or research opportunities, and while saving financial resources.  The Blueprint lays out realistic goals and actions that will continue to make CU-Boulder a national environmental leader. 

The Blueprint is also seeking to integrate social equity into environmental preservation.  Doing such, the University of Colorado will cement its place in history as the nation’s leading institution committed to serving all people, protecting the planet, and producing a prosperous community.  This true integration of fiscal, social, and environmental benefits is the definition of global sustainability; a goal to which we all must aspire.

Here is a preview at the categories and the vision statements:

Creating a Climate-Friendly Campus: CU will have a zero or positive net impact on the climate by the year 2025 by consistently reducing emissions, improving air quality and implementing sustainable habits and practices.

Creating a Safe and Healthy Campus: The campus creates a safe and healthy learning and working environment through efforts to minimize hazardous waste, advance pollution prevention programs, and minimize exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides. 

Improving Environmental Literacy: CU-Boulder will provide a basic amount of formal education for all students and will promote environmental stewardship and sustainability practices among all members of the campus community.

Greening Campus Purchasing: CU institutes an environmentally responsible purchasing program that stimulates the purchase of cost-competitive products and services.  ERP would have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal of the product or service. 

Waste Reduction and Recycling: CU envisions an increased commitment to a waste-free campus.  This will require CU to continue reducing the amount of waste generated.  This will also require expanding operations and facilities capable of diverting the majority of solid waste from landfills, creating equitable and incentive-based funding mechanisms, and delivering innovative educational programs.

Structural and Financial Issues: CU will identify and promote incentives to overcome institutional and structural barriers to the implementation of economically and environmentally beneficial decision-making and action.

Water: CU will educate every campus user on how and why to conserve, appropriately use, and protect the quality and quantity of water sources.  CU will act on water conservation opportunities to reach our minimum annual goal of a five percent water reduction each year for the next five years and continue to be a national campus leader, setting and exceeding the standard in water conservation and quality efforts. 

Currently, we are in the final phases of the document by seeking final feedback and endorsements.  Later this winter and spring, we will be conducting implementation workshops and publicly rolling out the Blueprint for a Green Campus. 

Energy and Water Program Update

Apollo Alliance recognizes CU

In October, the University of Colorado, Boulder was named as among thirty universities in North America leading the way to reduce global warming pollution, according to a report released by a coalition of youth environmental organizations and the Apollo Alliance.  CU was recognized for its use of renewable energy and for the implementation of a student fees to pay for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The report also marked the launch of an ambitious student led effort – the Campus Climate Challenge - to fight global warming at 500 North American universities, including CU Boulder. To commemorate the launch of the Campus Climate Challenge at CU Boulder, students from the campus COPirg group organized a "Two Thumbs Up For Solar" event, where students dipped their thumbs in paint and put their thumbprints on a large sheet, a colorful way to show support for increased use of renewable energy on campus.  Students from the Environmental Center gave out information about how to support renewable energy and energy conservation on campus and in their homes.

Energy and Environmental Security Initiative

This past fall, we cosponsored the first Sustainable Energy Forum on campus with the Energy & Environmental Security Initiative (EESI) and the Wirth Chair.  Over 80 students, faculty, staff and campus administrators came to learn more about campus goals, research and projects pertaining to renewable energy and energy conservation.  Regent Cindy Carlisle and Provost Susan Avery both spoke about a need for CU to become a leader in sustainable energy and the development of a new Sustainable Energy Institute Research Center at CU.  The CU Decathlon team also gave an exciting presentation on their new design for a home powered completely with solar energy.  The CU Decathlon Team won first place for their previous design in this national competition and took first place again at this year’s international competition to design, build and operate the best, zero-energy solar home. 

Wind power campaign in residence halls

Beginning in January the Environmental Center will be offering its 6000+ residence hall students the option to offset their electricity use in the halls by purchasing wind energy credits directly through the Environmental Center.  Students who participate will receive a gift package from us that will include a certificate that reads "This Room Is Powered By Wind” and other donated items from local businesses.  Participants will also get their name entered into a raffle for larger prizes. 

Save Energy!

Due to high natural gas prices, CU is beginning to purchase more electricity generated from coal.  Unfortunately, this significantly increases the campus's emissions.  Therefore, doing your part to save energy is more important than ever in order to reduce our environmental impact.  Please contact the Environmental Center if you would like a presentation for your office or tips about how you can save energy.

CU’s 04/05 energy usage

The results are in! In FY 04/05, CU decreased electricity use by 5%, steam use by 9%, potable water by 20% and chilled water by 12%.  This saved the University almost $2 million! Thanks to everyone for working to conserve resources on campus and at home.
As always, to report energy and water waste, please contact
303-735-6202 or energyconservationhotline@fm.colorado.edu.

Water Conservation Program Update

The water conservation program this year started off with a Boulder Creek Clean-Up to provide students with a hands-on opportunity to protect our water quality.  In conjunction with the completion of the new Blueprint for a Green Campus and all of the ideas and input we received during that process, we have a variety of new goals and action items to conserve and protect our campus water supplies.  Among other items, the Environmental Center will initiate more xeriscaping on campus, increase water conservation education, work with the city water program, and explore other opportunities for decreasing water consumption and pollution.

Upcoming this Spring:

Sustainable Energy Forum February 7, from 12:00 – 1:30 featuring Al Weimer, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering with a presentation on his research into the production of hydrogen from water using solar power.

New Wind Campaign in Housing (described above), look for tables in the Residence Dining Halls and the University Memorial Center from January 23-March 1. For more information go to www.colorado.edu/ecenter/energy/wind.

CU Recycling UPDATE

RecycleMania 2006 Januray 29th through April 8th

It’s time to gear up for RecycleMania 2006!  This ten-week competition between colleges and universities across the country determines which campus diverts the most waste from the landfill by recycling.

Last year CU finished 9th with a diversion rate of 30.37%, CSU placed 7th with a diversion rate of 31.64%.  This year we want to beat CSU and place in the top five.
 
There are lots of ways for students, faculty and staff to become maniacs.  First, recycle as much as you can.  Second, reduce your use of disposables and excess waste. We’re also working to get 10% of the campus community to fill out our pledge to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Look for us tabling or sign up online.  There will also be public tours of our campus recycling facility, and the Boulder County recycling facility. 

The best way to find out more is to come to our Volunteer Kick Off meeting on February 1st in UMC 247 at 6 pm. 

For more information check out www.colorado.edu/recycle.

CU Concludes Dell Computer Project: Computers Donated to Area Non-Profit

CU Recycling recently concluded an effective computer recycling project by donating over 2.5 tons of computer equipment to several non-profit groups in Colorado.  Dell Computer provided partial funding for the event as part of its Higher Education Recycling Leadership Award to CU-Boulder. 

Over 650 people participated in CU’s first Computer Round-Up, bringing in 19.9 tons of computers and peripherals and keeping toxic chemicals like lead, mercury and arsenic out of landfills. 

In addition to the computers recycled, dozens of computer components were “up-cycled”.  This involved testing each component.  Hard-drives were erased and bundled with monitors and keyboards to form perfectly functional computer systems ready to be reused in the community.  Among the beneficiaries was the Jared Polis Foundation whose Community Computer Connection provides computers to schools, nonprofits and communities throughout Colorado.

A full report is available at http://www.colorado.edu/recycling .

New Ink Jet Refilling Service saves money and the environment

CU Recycling has teamed with Island Ink-Jet, a company with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and one of the highest ratings in the industry to spread to word about the ink jet refilling services at CU-Boulder.  Ink jet cartridges can now be refilled in the UMC at half the cost of a new cartridge. Some cartridges have been re-filled ten times before needing to be replaced with a new one  Compatible and new cartridges are also sold.  Remanufactured toner cartridges for laser printers are available at a 25-40% savings.

To learn more about this exciting new service visit http://www.colorado.edu/recycle

CU's championship Solar House Features Vermiculture, Composting and Recycling

The University of Colorado's international champion Solar Decathlon house included many waste-reduction features, including the use of vermicomposting, recycling, a composting toilet and biodegradable cornstarch and bamboo dishes.   The zero-energy, solar powered home – named BioS(h)IP – featured an area for recycling, composting and trash built into the kitchen cabinets.  Three large recycling bins were also placed outside the home.  CU Recycling Development Director Jack DeBell worked with students to “design for recycling,” making recycling as easy and convenient as traditional trash disposal.  

CU was one of 18 universities competing in the Department of Energy's annual Solar Decathlon, which challenged students to design, build and operate the most attractive, efficient and comfortable solar home.  CU picked up the first-place trophy at the Washington,  D.C. competition for the second year in a row.  The home is currently on display on the Boulder Campus.  For more information or to arrange a tour, visit: http://solar.colorado.edu/

Transportation Update

NextBus Update:

NextBus Information Systems, Inc. which provides real-time transit information via its website, www.nextbus.com, and 39 signs throughout the US36 corridor, Boulder and the CU campus has completed its wide-scale upgrade to its wireless network. This upgrade is expected to improve reliability and allow faster updating for the sign displays. The signs use the Cingular wireless network, just as mobile phones do, and are thus subject to occasional outages. When a sign is connecting or searching for service, it will display the message “Updating…” and then return to displaying transit arrival times. If you notice a sign displaying the “Updating” message too often, or not returning to transit predictions, you are encouraged to contact the CU liaison at 303-492-6486.

Bike Parking Update:

In 2005, 56 new CORA bike racks were added to the CU-Boulder campus. These racks will replace and increase inventory around campus, including Porter Biosciences, Guggenheim, IMIG Music and more. The CORA rack is designed to maximize efficiency and layout with the most ease of use. Each rack holds up to 12 bicycles. The Environmental Center contributes funding each year to continue removal of broken or old racks and addition of new sites and capacity.

Bike Station Update:

The bike station completed its third year of operation, now housed in its new kiosk, allowing for a wider offering of facilities and hours of operation. Fixing flats has become the staple operation of the station, which offers free patches, compressed air, tools and staff assistance.

The Buff Bikes have been checked out a total of 554 times since the beginning of the program, with 303 rentals just last year! The program has enjoyed a history of zero-loss maintaining its fleet of 18 bicycles with minimal maintenance costs.

CU Cycling members volunteered in fall 2005 to help visitors to the bike station with minor maintenance needs. During the lunch hour, students, staff and general public were invited to bring their bicycles in to discuss maintenance concerns, fix flats and make adjustments. The bike station hopes to continue this relationship into future seasons.

Student Bus Pass Update:

Ridership continues to grow beyond expectations on local and regional routes. In the past four years, ridership has increased an average of 13.8% annually. Student ridership is up 532% from the beginning of the program in 1991.

Figure 1: Annual Student Ridership on RTD routes. Source: RTD Key-5 data.

The new STAMPEDE route has experience unparalleled success, achieving 190% growth in just three years to become the third most student-ridden bus in the RTD system.

New in 2005, the Bike Station has added a wall-sized display that will house transit system maps for ease of route finding. For those who lost their bus pass sticker, replacements are available from the bike station as well.

Environmental Center Programs Update

Announcing the Department Eco-Rep program!

Education and outreach are the most effective strategies in creating an environmentally literate and sustainable campus.  A substantial portion of the outreach conducted by the Environmental Center focuses on students, however our efforts must not overlook the needs of faculty and staff.   Faculty and staff make up a large part of our community, are the knowledge keepers over time in a university setting, and work closely with students. Increasing staff and faculty awareness of environmental policies, operations, resources at the university will maximize participation, reduce resource consumption and save money, and provide practical knowledge to pass along to students.  As the employer of over 7,000 faculty and staff, CU-Boulder has a tremendous impact on the community. 

Last year, the Environmental Center initiated the first year of a more formal faculty and staff Environmental Liaison Program.  Over 20 building proctors, office managers, and department heads attended brown bag lunches on conservation topics tailored toward office practices and received a monthly e-newsletter. Prior to that, student staff visited each and every campus department with a green office checklist and issued recommendations.  This spring semester, we are expanding and formalizing these efforts into a Department Eco-Rep program which will establish an eco-representative for each department and commence a Green Office Certification process. 

The program is not intended to place undue demands on staff’s valuable time, but to create educational avenues for recycling, energy, transportation and purchasing programs.  The responsibilities are very straight-forward and have full support of Vice Chancellor Paul Tabolt. It is our hope that this program will build a community and culture of support for resource conservation on campus resulting in financial and environmental benefits. 

To learn more about the program and to sign up to serve as your department’s eco-rep, contact laurel.kalish@colorado.edu or call 303-492-8308. 

Earth Education Update

Earth Education has wonderful volunteer and internship opportunities available this Spring Semester.  A 2-credit internship is being offered this spring semester, which allows undergraduates the opportunity to create a positive impact on future generations by teaching environmental education to local students in the Boulder area.  We also have numerous volunteer teaching opportunities as well!  Please contact earthed@colorado.edu or visit our website at http://ecenter.colorado.edu/earthed/internship.html for more information.

Sustainable CU funds first-year projects

This fall, the UCSU Environmental Board accepted the first round of proposals for Sustainable CU: The Environmental Improvement Initiative.  In the spring of 2005, students voted on the Sustainable CU Referendum which dedicates $2.80/student/semester to implement on-campus projects incorporating renewable energy, energy efficiency, recycling and waste reduction, and other innovative projects to reduce the campus’ impact on climate and environment. Sustainable CU funds are specifically for the following: capital investment, the purchase of infrastructure necessary for the initiatives, installation of capital projects, educational displays related to the capital projects, and any other non-staff operating costs associated with the initiatives.

In reviewing proposals, the Board paid particular attention to initiatives created and led by students thereby enhancing student opportunities. The Sustainable CU fund is administered by the UCSU Environmental Center and approximately $157,000 (depending on enrollment) is available annually through the 2008-09 academic year.

The projects that received funding are:

• Design and construction of a solar canopy
• Design and construction of a solar thermal collector
• Recycling program charge rate study and facility planning
• Recycling cabinets in the residence halls
• Food security initiative

Green Living Tip

Set your thermometer to 68 degrees in the winter and turn it down when you are asleep or away.  Keep your refrigerator at 38-40 degrees and your freezer at 5 degrees.

Buy Green

When restocking your copy/computer paper for the Spring semester remember to purchase 100% Post-Consumer waste Recycled paper. The prices are comparable and you are saving trees!  Remember to print double-sided and reuse paper for less important documents.  A few companies who are suppling non-virgin paper are: Grays Harbor, Eureka and Xerox all of which can be purchased at the CU Bookstore or Distribution Center.