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Building Careers in Sustainability: Highlights from CU Boulder’s First Career in the Environment Fair

Liz Holland — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:28:42 +0000

Building Careers in Sustainability: Highlights from CU Boulder’s First Career in the Environment Fair Liz Holland Mon, 03/17/2025 - 11:28

Two Fridays ago, the �� Department of Environmental Studies (ENVS) hosted its first-ever Career in the Environment Fair, an exciting and impactful event designed to connect undergraduate and graduate students with professionals working in environmental science, sustainability, and conservation. The event provided a unique opportunity for students in ENVS and the Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program to engage with industry leaders, gain valuable career insights, and explore internships and job opportunities in the growing field of environmental sustainability.

State of the Field Panel: Insights from Industry Experts

The day kicked off with an engaging State of the Field panel discussion, where students heard directly from top professionals working across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The panelists included:

Carlos Fernández – Colorado State Director at The Nature Conservancy
Erin Decker – Director of Renewable Energy at Schneider Electric
Jennifer Gimbel – Senior Water Policy Scholar at Colorado Water Center
Matt Abbott – Corporate Sustainability Senior Manager at VF Corporation (Apparel and Footwear)
Sarah R. Horn – Senior City Planner at the City of Boulder

These industry leaders tackled important questions from students, such as:

How has the environmental field evolved over the past decade?
What skills are essential for a career in sustainability today?
How do professionals manage self-care and prevent burnout while working on urgent environmental challenges?

From climate policy and corporate sustainability to renewable energy solutions and urban planning, each panelist shared personal experiences, career advice, and insights on navigating a constantly evolving field.

Career Exploration Expo: Connecting Students with

Opportunities

Following the panel, students had the chance to network with professionals during the Career Exploration Expo, where 18 organizations were present to discuss internships, jobs, and career pathways. Employers and organizations in attendance included:

The Nature Conservancy
Schneider Electric
City of Boulder
Growing Gardens
Colorado Energy Office
Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary
Garden to Table
Lincoln Hills Care
Design Workshop
CU Environmental Center
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
Cal-Wood Education Center
Resource Central
OneEnergy Renewables
Friends of Coal Creek
Colorado Parks & Wildlife

It was inspiring to see students engaging in meaningful conversations with employers, environmental advocates, and sustainability experts, all working toward building a greener and more resilient future.

A Huge Thank You to Our Participants!

We extend our deepest gratitude to our panelists, employer representatives, students, and staff who made this event such a success. The Career in the Environment Fair was a fantastic opportunity for students to learn from professionals, explore career opportunities, and build connections in the sustainability sector.

As environmental and sustainability careers continue to expand, events like this are essential in helping students gain industry knowledge, develop professional networks, and prepare for impactful careers in environmental science, policy, and conservation.

We look forward to making next year’s event even bigger and better! If you're interested in learning more about career opportunities in sustainability or staying updated on future events, be sure to follow CU Boulder ENVS and MENV on social media.

The �� Department of Environmental Studies (ENVS) recently hosted its inaugural Career in the Environment Fair, connecting students with industry professionals in sustainability, conservation, and environmental science. The event featured a State of the Field panel discussion with experts from organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Schneider Electric, and the City of Boulder, who shared career insights and advice on navigating the evolving environmental field. Students also engaged with representatives from 18 organizations during the Career Exploration Expo, exploring job and internship opportunities to help launch impactful careers in sustainability.

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The Brink: Stories of Environmental, Social and Economic Justice

Anonymous — Thu, 23 May 2019 07:37:42 +0000

The Brink: Stories of Environmental, Social and Economic Justice Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/23/2019 - 01:37

KGNU

The Brink is a radio storytelling project about what is needed to transition to a more just environment and society, which tells stories of inequality, struggle and transformation. The word “brink” has dual meaning: that which exists at the margins and a critical turning point. The Brink is a project of Assistant Professor David Ciplet’s graduate course Power, Justice and Climate Change in the Environmental Studies Program at CU Boulder, in partnership with KGNU and the Just Transition Collaborative. Listen to the series from winter 2018 here.

Fracking Along Colorado’s Northern Front Range

By Heather Sackett

Colorado’s Northern Front Range has experienced a boom in hydraulic fracturing over the past decade. Known as “fracking,” hydraulic fracturing is a way of extracting oil and natural gas from underground rock by injecting pressurized liquid into it. Much of the boom has been concentrated in Weld County, which is the number one producer of oil and gas in the state. This has led to fracking wells and drilling rigs popping up amid the new suburban housing developments of the small town of Erie, which straddles Weld and Boulder counties.

Listen to Fracking Along Colorado’s Northern Front Range:

Garment Workers Wages: The Real Cost of Fast Fashion

By Ana Bogusky

We all wear clothes, but the fashion industry’s “fast fashion” model is unsustainable. Garment workers, in any country, may face inequalities and injustices as they work long hours for little pay. Activists Dominique Mueller and Elizabeth Cline are working to build awareness and improve conditions. Listen as they explain how complex the issue is, and a worker tells us just how low their hourly wages can be.

Listen to Garment Workers Wages: The Real Cost of Fast Fashion

Environmental Racism in Denver Schools: Examining the Air Quality Gap

By Cristal Cisneros, Grace Carlin & Kelsey Tayne

In this story, we look at an issue of environmental injustice in Denver. Many students attending schools in Denver that serve predominantly students of color are exposed to poor air quality on a daily basis. This has serious health implications for students at these schools. This issue is connected to histories of racism and segregation, through practices such as redlining.

Listen to Environmental Racism in Denver Schools: Examining the Air Quality Gap:

Equitable Access to Public Land on the Front Range

By T. J. McLemore and Hunter Meldman

Colorado’s front range boasts a stunning amount of public land and open space. But these spaces are not equally accessible and welcoming to all residents of the region. In this story, we explore how organizations like Denver’s CityWILD and Boulder’s El Centro Amistad are acting to remedy barriers to inclusivity and access to public land.

Listen to: Equitable Access to Public Land on the Front Range

Change is Coming in the Far North

By Alexandra Michell and Jenna Sampson

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a 20 million acre expanse of land on Alaska’s North Slope. It is home to the Inupiat village of Kaktovik and the breeding grounds of the Porcupine Caribou, the primary food source for another Native group, the Gwich’in people. As the Trump administration pushes legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up to drilling, the Gwich’in people express concern for their well-being and culture, while some Inupiat people of Kaktovik support drilling for the potential economic benefits it may bring. But the debate is not black and white, and legislation is live in Congress now to protect the Refuge from drilling.

Listen to Change is Coming in the Far North:

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Growing Up Boulder collaborates with 700 elementary students on city map

Anonymous — Thu, 02 May 2019 16:26:10 +0000

Growing Up Boulder collaborates with 700 elementary students on city map Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/02/2019 - 10:26

Amy Bounds , Boulder Daily Camera

Working with about 700 Boulder elementary students and two �� environmental design seniors, Growing Up Boulder has created a new, child-friendly map of the city.

The map’s launch also marks the 10th anniversary of Growing Up Boulder, a CU program that partners with the city and the Boulder Valley School District. The program aims to get children involved in local government decision making and city planning.

“We really want everyone to take advantage of the resources here,” Growing Up Boulder program director Mara Mintzer said.

A printed version of the bilingual English and Spanish map, designed for children up to age 10, will be sent home with every child in the district’s Boulder elementary schools.

Print copies also will be available at public spaces around the city, while a digital version of the child-friendly map — with more locations and information — is expected to be available in September.

The Boulder Library Foundation and Boulder Community Health covered the cost of printing 10,000 maps so they would be free, while more than 30 community partners helped with the project.

Input for what to include on the map came from six city departments, from parents and from children attending Boulder Valley schools, area preschools and afterschool programs.

CU senior Abe Proffitt drew all the pictures representing Boulder places and created all the graphics, while CU senior Alex Haefling designed the map itself.

“There were so many iterations,” Proffitt said. “I tweaked a lot of my drawings to make them more readable and clear.”

Along with depicting kids’ favorite places, their schools and the city’s hospitals, police stations and fire stations, the map includes icons to show what kids can do in those spots, such as an icon of a dog where there’s a dog park, a flower where there’s a nature trail and a soccer field where there are sports fields.

“We are striving to make it exactly what the kids want,” Haefling said.

Growing Up Boulder education director Cathy Hill said the group took draft versions of the maps back to the students to get their feedback and make improvements. Students, for example, thought the original orange background color made it look like Boulder was covered in sand, so the color was changed to green.

“We wanted it to be made by and for kids,” Hill said.

Whittier teacher Alysia Hayas said the school’s teachers love working with Growing Up Boulder.

“It’s so powerful,” she said. “The kids see that their voices are heard. Kids feel that they matter, that they have some say, that people listen to them.

“They can see themselves on this map. It’s really cool.”

At Whittier, first-graders learned about how maps are used from two CU map librarians, and about map making from a CU expert. They also looked at typical city maps and came up with ways to make them more child friendly. Then they drew pictures of favorite places they wanted to see included.

First-grader Judith Jaquez Aguirre wanted to see Pearl Street Mall depicted on the map, adding the animal sculptures are her favorite feature.

“On a regular map, there are a lot of words, and some kids can’t read words,” she said. “This map has lots of pictures and less words.”

As he looked at the finished map, classmate Tevin Loku Umagiliyage pointed out places he’s visited, including Fiske Planetarium and the skate park at Scott Carpenter Park, better known as the rocket ship park.

“I want to go to Scott Carpenter Park to climb up (the rocket ship) and see all around Boulder,” he said.

Up next, Growing Up Boulder is working on a digital teen-friendly map of the city, with the work led by graduate students in CU’s Masters of the Environment program. That map is expected to be available in December.

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Pushing Boundaries: Student’s fashion blog, magazine add sustainability to style

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 20:31:23 +0000

Pushing Boundaries: Student’s fashion blog, magazine add sustainability to style Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/05/2019 - 13:31

Kenna Bruner , CU Boulder

Graduate student Ana Bogusky’s passion for fashion inspired her to launch a style blog where she shares her ideas and outfits styled from clothing and accessories made only in America. Her blog Mrs. American Made is not just about her wardrobe; it also serves as a voice for creating awareness for shopping locally and ethically.

A desire to learn more about the environmental and humanitarian impact of how clothing is made in developing countries led Bogusky to enroll in the CU Boulder Masters of the Environment (MENV) graduate program.

As she began paying more attention to labels, Bogusky saw that most clothing is made in China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Turkey. After digging deeper to learn about how clothes are made, she learned only 2 percent of the clothing sold in the U.S. is made in this country.

The more she learned about the negative effects of how clothing is made, her perspective, and the mission of her blog, changed. For the past seven years, Bogusky has advocated a more sustainable and ethical approach to her wardrobe through her blog.

“My blog is focused on made-in-America clothes,” she said. “When I learned we’re sending all our production to China and other countries, I wanted to know how we can bring that back. I thought this blog was the best way for me to do that.”

After Bogusky, her husband and two children (now teenagers) moved from Miami, Florida, to Boulder in 2006, they became more mindful of their impact on the environment. They started eating more healthfully, buying locally grown produce and reading labels on food packages. Reading food labels evolved into reading clothing labels.

We love our retail therapy, but what it comes down to is that we’re creating a giant mess. Between 70 and 80 pounds of textile waste per person goes straight to landfills every year. Only one-fifth of donations are resold as clothing. The production of our clothing has an impact on the environment every step of the way.”

Her path to graduate school began when she was asked to teach a workshop at her daughter’s high school in Boulder. Bogusky didn’t feel credentialed enough to present material on fashion sustainability, so she searched for an online fashion certification course. After earning the online certificate, Bogusky, who has a BA in mathematics and art from Duke University, realized she wanted a graduate degree. Another online search led her to CU Boulder and MENV’s sustainable food systems specialization.

“While this specialty is not fashion-specific, it is a big picture of sustainability,” she said. “It’s the context for how all of this consumption fits. I needed to know all of that in order be able to explain the rest of it. As I learned more, I decided it was better to buy less, period.”

For her capstone project, Bogusky designed and produced an online and print publication called The unCover Handbook to help consumers make educated choices when shopping. Bogusky doesn’t preach but presents facts from painstaking research.

The magazine-like handbook she calls a “beginner’s guide to sustainable fashion” is filled with easy-to-understand information, data, and colorful graphics and photos. Topics include sustainable clothing care; the environmental and humanitarian effects of making clothing; waste and recycling; and what to look for on clothing labels.

Take a peek inside

Her suggested alternatives to buying new clothes include shopping for second-hand clothes, swapping with friends, DIY projects and tips for putting together stylish outfits from clothes bought at secondhand stores.

“It’s a hard subject to study, because there’s a lot of dismal news about fashion,” said Bogusky, who is the only MENV student focusing on sustainable fashion. “All these pretty things to buy. We love our retail therapy, but what it comes down to is that we’re creating a giant mess. Between 70 and 80 pounds of textile waste per person goes straight to landfills every year. Only one-fifth of donations are resold as clothing. The production of our clothing has an impact on the environment every step of the way.”

Nicole Civita, lead for sustainable food systems, one of four specializations in the MENV program, said Bogusky has created a foundation for all ages to cultivate a new consciousness for consumption.

While there is no formal MENV specialization for sustainable fashion systems, with help from faculty advisors Bogusky found parallels in sustainable food systems, which isn’t as far-fetched as it may sound. As with food, much of clothing is derived from various forms of agriculture, such as cotton and flax, or animal-based fibers like wool and leather.

Food and fashion are both consumables. We have fast food, and with the advent of fast fashion—a term based on the idea of fast food—there are increasing fast consumption cycles in apparel, as well.

“Ana has come at this as someone who genuinely appreciates fashion and not someone who denigrates it for all the ills it causes,” Civita said. “She takes great care and pride in expressing herself through her clothing. She’s added on top of that a layer of making sure she feels good about what she’s doing to look good. What comes through in this piece of work is the joy she brings.”

The MENV curriculum has a core set of required classes, required courses in a student’s specialization and an additional set of elective credits. Civita works with Bogusky to identify master’s-level courses at the university where she can subspecialize in her interest area through electives.

“We do a lot of minor modifying in classes to make sure that when there’s a project, she can focus it in a way that also feeds her interest in fiber,” Civita said.

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