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News from the CU Environmental Center January 2007
CU to Host 2007 Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit | CU swings into action as Recycle Mania 2007 kicks off | CU-Boulder student government commits to carbon neutral | Sustainable Transportation Update | Director's Corner | What's Happening: Upcoming Events | Green Living Tip

Enjoy the monthly update from the CU Environmental Center.  Please let us know if you have ideas, input, feedback or news.

Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit  

CU to Host 2007 Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit

Two-day event will showcase regional campus sustainability solutions and strategies

On February 22-23, representatives from college campuses across the country will meet at the University of Colorado at Boulder for the 2007 Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit . Sponsored by the CU Environmental Center and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the summit will address environmental issues facing institutions of higher education and explore ways of improving campus practices and policies with the ultimate goal of boosting the triple bottom line of environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Institutions of higher education have a crucial role to play in advancing sustainable living through both research and education. Successful efforts to increase sustainability at colleges and universities can have a large impact on the conservation of both natural and financial resources and provide an example for the larger community through the values and behaviors instilled in their students.

“By sharing success stories, networking, and exploring opportunities for collaboration, the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit aims to make the region's colleges and universities national leaders in campus sustainability,” said Marianne Martin, associate director of the CU Environmental Center.

“The Summit will help students, faculty, staff, administrators, community members and state leaders model successes and innovate new programs. Past summits have had real results such as establishing campus wind power purchases, starting recycling programs, and creating sustainability plans,” said Martin. “Dozens of campuses from the Rocky Mountain region and beyond will attend. The ideas and information that they get at the Summit will be taken home and hopefully be put into action and make a real difference.”

Through multiple sessions, workshops, feature presentations and panels, and networking, the 2007 Summit will address topics such as institutionalizing, operationalizing and creating a culture of sustainability along with many other cutting edge issues.

The Summit will feature a number of notable speakers. Those confirmed include Arizona State University President Michael Crow, University of Florida Vice President Ed Poppell, Elise Jones of Colorado Environmental Coalition, Patricia Limerick of Center of American West, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Senator Gary Hart, David Orr and Hunter Lovins. An invitation is pending with Gov. Bill Ritter.

The event will also include a Green Products Expo as well as a pre-Summit workshop on “Fostering Sustainable Behavior” with Community Based Social Marketing expert Doug McKenzie-Mohr.

The deadline to register for the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit is February 12. A call for posters is underway and booth space is still available at the Green Products Expo. For additional information and to register online visit http://ecenter.colorado.edu/rmss2007/.

Recycle Mania 2007 kicks off  

Over 125 schools to compete in this year’s waste-reduction competition

Me, tree…me save a tree? How can that be? It’s spring time again, which means it’s time for CU to gear up to win Recycle Mania, an annual 10-week waste-reduction competition between over 125 colleges and universities across the United States.

In 2006, CU finished 12th in the competition, and this year the goal is to place in the top-10 in recycling, as well as improve its diversion rate and increase awareness of recycling. To win, CU must increase campus-wide recycling rates while decreasing overall waste at the same time. A school’s ranking is determined by its overall diversion rate. Last year, CU’s total diversion rate was 32.5 percent , indicating the total percentage of the university’s garbage that was diverted from landfills.

A Dr. Seuss-themed campaign (hence the rhyming) has been launched by the CU Recycling Outreach team , encouraging students and university staff to remember to be conscious of the fate of their recyclables. The team hopes that the campaign will raise awareness about the importance of recycling, as well as how to recycle correctly. The group has a variety events planned over the next 10 weeks to achieve these goals.

To help kick off Recycle Mania 2007, CU Recycling is hosting the Recycled Art and Products Extravaganza, featuring a variety of gifts and everyday items made from recycled materials. The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on February 7 in the Glenn Miller Ballroom.

Vendors such as Bead for Life, Silvertree Glass and CRAGgear will be present, promising to make the extravaganza a booming success. Jewelry, purses, skateboards, picture frames, belts, clocks, clothing, collages and other great products and artwork will be for sale or on display. All of the products will be made from recycled or reused materials. In addition, each extravaganza visitor will be eligible to win a variety of door prizes donated by the vendors. The extravaganza is intended to remind the campus community that through recycling there is indeed a second life for many everyday materials.

In March, the Recycling X-games will be hosted as a joint effort between CU Recycling and the Freshman Council. For the past two years the games have attracted students and staff alike to participate in events such as the Dumpster Dive, Pizza Box Throw, Phone Book Shot-put, Re-Ball and a recycled art contest. Great prizes donated by local business maintain the competitive vibe throughout the event, but in the end contest participants leave happy and perhaps a little more inclined to think about where to toss their recyclables.

Also, once again this year, a competition will take place to determine which CU residence hall reaches the highest diversion rate during Recycle Mania, with the winning dorm receiving a grand prize of a sandwich party in their hall. Last year, the students of Aden Hall were rewarded for their outstanding recycling effort with a party in the Sky Box at Folsom Field.

“Catch the Mania,” a campus wide contest, will be held as well, in which students and staff are presented with recycling related questions. Those who return the most innovative responses will receive prizes from green businesses and artists. A question will be presented every two weeks, and can be accessed through the Environmental Center website or at the Center promotions table in the UMC. Everyone who participates in the “Catch the Mania” contest will also be entered into a grand prize drawing at the end of Recycle Mania.

Throughout Recycle Mania there will be several volunteer opportunities including tabling, button or banner making, postering and more. Volunteers can also participate by attending “dorm-storms,” an event in which the Recycling Outreach Team visits dorm rooms to chat with students and collect their recyclables. To get involved, stop by the Environmental Center in UMC 355, check out the website at http://recycling.colorado.edu, or give the Environmental Center a call at 303-492-8307.

So, don’t forget that Recycle Mania is off to a start. Recycle that can to do your part!

CU-Boulder commits to carbon neutral  

Represents the first student government in the nation to do so

On January 18, 2007, the University of Colorado Student Union (UCSU) voted unanimously for final approval of a measure making CU’s student government the nation’s first such carbon-neutral organization.

The bill, passed by student legislators, directs the CU Environmental Center to plan how and by when the three large UCSU facilities—the University Memorial Center, the student recreation center, and the student health care building—could attain carbon neutrality.

Carbon neutrality means there are no net releases of climate-harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These so called ‘greenhouse gases’ (GHGs) are typically released by the production of electricity derived from fossil fuels such as coal.

“CU-Boulder students have been leaders on environmental and climate issues for decades,” said Scott Mceachron, sponsor of the Legislative Council Resolution. “This step is expected and consistent with CU students’ legacy of global climate leadership and positive social change.”

UCSU is among the nation’s largest and most active student government organizations with an approximate budget of $35-million made up almost entirely of student-approved fees. CU students have been responsible for funding and directing the nation’s first student-led environmental center (1970), recycling program (1976), bus pass program (1991), and wind energy purchase (2000). These historic measures were all approved by wide margins with strong student-voter turnout.

The student wind energy purchase is already allowing UCSU buildings to reduce their net carbon emissions by buying renewable energy credits from wind turbines in eastern Colorado and elsewhere. UCSU has also funded on-campus renewable projects and extensive conservation and efficiency programs.

Although UCSU facilities are responsible for about 8 percent of the Boulder campus’ total GHG emissions, this is mostly offset by the student-funded wind energy credits.

A number of other innovative concepts will also be employed to help UCSU attain its goal, such as students helping low-income residents reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions in the community.

“CU students have found ways to partner social justice and environmental protection efforts that save money and help people,” said Ashley Nakagawa, UCSU tri-executive and bill co-sponsor. “This historic initiative will reaffirm CU students as global leaders and pioneers on the leading edge of social and climate action.”

Students from the UCSU Volunteer Clearinghouse (VCH) and the Environmental Center may also partner with local schools in tree plantings, energy projects, and education projects designed to reduce, offset and conserve energy.

UCSU has also set up a energy efficiency fund that allocates money for energy conservation and renewable energy projects in the three UCSU buildings.

In addition, UCSU’s innovative “Sustainable CU’ fund has supported several direct renewable energy projects on campus. For example, this spring, construction of the Recreation Center’s new solar canopy should begin, which will provide solar power for the facility.

UCSU’s carbon-neutrality initiative is consistent with strategic plans envisioned in the 2006 Blueprint for a Green Campus—a broad-based guide to campus sustainability at CU authored by the Environmental Center with input from many campus and community partners. UCSU approved that plan last year. In addition to other issues, the Blueprint calls for the entire CU campus to strive for carbon-neutrality by 2025.

The UCSU resolution directs the Environmental Center to prepare a detailed plan for carbon-neutrality and return it to the student government for approval. The resolution mirrors a national campaign led by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Presidential Climate Commitment.

That campaign seeks to enlist 200 college and university presidents’ support of carbon-neutrality for their campuses. To date, over 30 institutions have signed on, with others following suit every week. UCSU is the first student body to match the commitment made by university presidents.

The current list of presidents and chancellors committed to carbon neutrality is at:

www.aashe.org/presidentsclimatecommitment.php

The Blueprint is available at

http://ecenter.colorado.edu/blueprint06/

Sustainable Transportation Update  

Buff Bikes, Ski Bus, NextBus and more!

Public transportation ridership continued to grow in 2006. Total ridership on RTD buses increased 1.5 percent over 2005 numbers. While local ridership within Boulder decreased 1.7 percent, regional ridership (B, G, S, etc.) routes increased 12.9 percent and SkyRide ridership increased 5.2 percent. Total ridership last year, not including the HOP route, was 1,973,999. The HOP line has returned to serving 29th Street, now traveling directly through the new 29th Street Mall. 

The CU Ski Bus is once again providing a convenient and environmentally friendly transportation alternative for campus community members heading to the slopes. Departing from Williams Village and the corner of Regent Drive and Kittredge Loop, the Ski Bus travels to Keystone or Breckenridge every Saturday and Sunday and will run until March 18, 2007. For more information and a detailed schedule, visit http://www.colorado.edu/rec-center/programs/skibus/index.html.

During the summer of 2006, major upgrades were completed on the 12 bus stop real-time displays powered by NextBus that improved the consistency of the communications between the signs and the network. NextBus uses Global Positioning System satellites to provide passengers with vehicle-arrival information and maps both online and at several bus stops. These necessary upgrades will eliminate outages where signs have no real-time broadcasts. Also in 2006, RTD began a series of renovations to be completed in January 2007 that improve the reliability of buses reporting their location information to the system . These two factors will significantly improve the consistency and reliability of the NextBus prediction system .

Enjoying continued success, the Buff Bikes fleet doubled in 2006, adding 15 new bicycles to the pool that is available for checkout. Over the 2006 summer, more than 95 percent of the total fleet was rented each day. The bike station has also added tools and supplies and is now better prepared to maintain visitor’s bicycles in addition to the Buff Bikes. In addition, 2006 saw the second season of a weekly instructional maintenance clinic that covers a range of topics from basic flat tire repairs to complete overhauls. The bike station reopens in March and will again offer a clinic in late Spring 2007.

Director's Corner  

The Colorado Promise

Colorado’s new governor, Bill Ritter, has hit the ground running—and he’s taking a lot of the Environmental Center’s friends along for the ride. After just his first month in office, Gov. Ritter has already appointed several leading Boulder experts on energy, climate and environmental protection to top posts in his cabinet.

The Blueprint for a Green Campus , our strategic plan for a sustainable CU, has several supporters among the governor’s new staff. David Skaggs, now secretary of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, said the 2000 Blueprint “presents CU-Boulder with both an inspiration and a challenge—and then kindly offers a thoughtful pathway to meet the challenge.” We look forward to working more closely with David Skaggs on the Blueprint’s energy and climate leadership positions for CU.

Tom Plant, former director of Boulder’s Center for Resource Conservation, worked hard on the task force which wrote the 2006 Blueprint—including sections that detail a potential pathway toward climate neutrality and enhanced renewable energy. Tom Plant is now the director of the governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation.

On a parallel front, the Colorado Climate Project has assembled a broad-based panel of stakeholders to study and recommend potential state climate-change action policy to Gov. Ritter. I have been asked to participate in those deliberations, which have up to this point included discussions with far-reaching and innovative content. It’s clear the panel wants to bring studied, practical, and effective contributions to the governor in support of his plan to make Colorado a national leader in renewable energy.

Nationally, the campaign to sign 200 college and university presidents/chancellors to a climate-neutral commitment is proceeding well. As of this writing, 52 colleges and universities have committed to this goal (for a current list, see http://www.aashe.org/pcc/signatories.php). We know of more that are close and we fully expect to have a major event this June when 200 presidents gather for a national signing ceremony.

However, the best news is closer to home. As discussed above, our own student government, the University of Colorado Student Union (UCSU) has joined with the nation’s college presidents and committed CU-Boulder’s student run facilities to a climate-neutral course. UCSU has thus become the nation’s first student government to begin a transition to a climate-safe future.

It won’t be easy, though. UCSU facilities emit about 8 percent of CU’s overall carbon emissions. While CU students currently purchase wind energy credits to offset most of those emissions, the long term goal is to phase in direct renewables while conserving energy and using it more efficiently. Developing a plan to facilitate this is the E-Center’s job for the next two years.

We hope we can dovetail our efforts with the administration through the course of all these major strategic and practical opportunities for our university, the community and the planet. The potential synergies between UCSU and administration efforts on climate, energy and fiscal responsibility are enormous. Working together, we can fulfill Gov. Ritter’s and Colorado’s promise.

What's Happening: Upcoming Events  

February 1 - Environmental Center Volunteer Interest Meeting - 5:00 p.m., UMC 415, CU-Boulder

February 6 - Monthly Bioneers Screening - 6:00-7:30 p.m., Humanities 250, CU-Boulder

February 7 - Recycled Art and Products Extravaganza – 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., CU-Boulder, Glenn Miller Ballroom

February 8 – CU WILD presents Tales from the Field with Jeff Corwin - 7:00 p.m., Glenn Miller Ballroom, CU-Boulder

February 21 – Fostering Sustainable Behavior: Community-Based Social Marketing Workshop - 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., UMC, CU-Boulder

February 22-23 – Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit: Forging Solutions at Colleges and Universities – various times, UMC, CU-Boulder

February 22 – Senator Gary Hart - “The New Security in the 21st Century” followed by the plenary panel “Campus Leadership for Climate Action” with several campus leaders – 9:00 a.m.-11.30 a.m., Glenn Miller Ballroom, CU-Boulder.

February 22 – “Cutting Edge Sustainability” – A dialogue with David Orr and Hunter Lovins – 6:00-7:45 p.m., Glenn Miller Ballroom, CU-Boulder

February 23 – Green Products Expo – 10:00 a.m.-4:00p.m., UMC, CU-Boulder.

To view the complete events calendar, click here

  Green Living Tip

Recycling isn’t just for cans, paper and plastics. Boulder’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHARM) offers an earth-friendly alternative for those looking to get rid of items often overlooked when it comes to recycling or reuse. For more information on the materials accepted by CHARM, visit http://www.ecocycle.org/charm/.

Enjoy the monthly update from the CU Environmental Center. Please let us know if you have ideas, input, feedback or news.

Contact the CU Environmental Center

email: ecenter@colorado.edu phone: 303-492-8308 web: http://ecenter.colorado.edu
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