Sustainability

6 tips for coping with climate anxiety

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 21:15:37 +0000

6 tips for coping with climate anxiety Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/18/2025 - 15:15

If you're feeling distressed or anxious about the impacts of climate change, here are a few coping strategies that may help.

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Sustainability Leadership Team discusses new campus sustainability leaders, project progress

Megan Maneval — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:01:49 +0000

Sustainability Leadership Team discusses new campus sustainability leaders, project progress Megan Maneval Tue, 04/15/2025 - 14:01

The Campus Sustainability Leadership Team convened Wednesday, April 2, to discuss the following topics:

Introducing Jane Zelikova

Jane Zelikova is the new executive director of the Strategic Research Initiative (SRI), embedded within the Research Innovation Office (RIO). Over the next few months, she will learn about the Sustainability Leadership Team's activities.

Prior to starting at CU, she was the director of the Soil Carbon Center at Colorado State University.

Attend the Campus Sustainability Summit April 22–23

Onboarding Andrew Maycock

The new vice chancellor for sustainability started on March 17 and is balancing near-term external and philanthropy-related opportunities with internal trust-building efforts on campus. Key early milestones include:

A speaking role at Colorado Climate Week, which focused on collaboration between Colorado’s academic and government leaders
Immersing himself in Climate Action Plan materials
Familiarizing himself with the campus’s sustainability landscape
Connecting with near-term initiatives

He is confirmed to speak with the chancellor and Jane Zelikova in a panel at the Campus Sustainability Summit.

Sustainability landscape map

Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Jon Leslie presented a draft of the landscape map, which outlines the internal and external resources, programs, research, operations, achievements and relationships CU Boulder has related to sustainability across campus and beyond. The team discussed that many sustainability-related organizations have not yet provided input, so gathering additional feedback will be a helpful next step despite the document being well-populated.

Next steps: The SLT will show the landscape map to the Environmental Board and will share it at the Campus Sustainability Summit for further feedback. There will be an annual revision period. The map will serve as an engagement tool for advancement discussions, recruitment and engaging students and others in the campus’s sustainability-related activities.

Operational updates

Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Chris Ewing provided an update on operational sustainability projects:

Geothermal studies: These have begun and should be complete by the end of 2025 or early spring 2026.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Policy: This is working its way through the approval process and will include guidelines and standards and an impact review.
Decarbonization RFQ: This was released in March, with a pre-proposal meeting attended by multiple consultant teams with approximately 70 individuals in attendance. Proposals are due mid-May and CU will select a firm by mid-summer.

Upcoming sustainability events

The Sustainability Leadership Team discussed the following upcoming events:

April 22–23: Campus Sustainability Summit
May 9: Student move-out
June 5: Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit plenary session as part of the University of Oxford-hosted event

This is part of a series that will cover CU Boulder Sustainability Leadership Team (formerly known as the Sustainability Executive Council) meeting agendas, discussions and decisions. The Sustainability Leadership Team brings together decision-makers and leaders from across campus to drive action and accountability to achieve carbon neutrality, goals outlined in the Chancellor’s Call to Climate Action and the implementation of the campus Climate Action Plan.

At its April meeting, the Campus Sustainability Leadership Team welcomed Jane Zelikova and discussed Andrew Mayock’s onboarding, the sustainability landscape map, operational updates and upcoming events.

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Building careers in sustainability: Highlights from a first-time fair

Megan Maneval — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 16:11:29 +0000

Building careers in sustainability: Highlights from a first-time fair Megan Maneval Tue, 04/08/2025 - 10:11

The Department of Environmental Studies held its first Career in the Environment Fair for attendees to explore careers in environmental science, sustainability and conservation. The event featured the State of the Field Panel, and students had the chance to network with 18 organizations.

In March, the Department of Environmental Studies held its first Career in the Environment Fair for attendees to explore careers in environmental science, sustainability and conservation. The event featured the State of the Field Panel, and students had the chance to network with 18 organizations.

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Sustainability council plans listening session, discusses progress at March meeting

Megan Maneval — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 12:56:51 +0000

Sustainability council plans listening session, discusses progress at March meeting Megan Maneval Mon, 04/07/2025 - 06:56

The Campus Sustainability Council convened on March 14 to discuss the following topics:

Sustainability project updates

The council received updates on the following projects:

Single-use plastic in vending machines: Discussions with vendors are ongoing, with July 1 as a negotiating point. CU Boulder would like to select a vendor that follows sustainability protocols beyond just single-use plastics, including initiatives such as water conservation and electricity usage in plants.
Sustainability curriculum: Katherine Eggert is organizing faculty fellows and concentrating efforts on the undergraduate curriculum for the upcoming year.
Green Chemistry Commitment pledge: The commitment will be sent to the chancellor for his review and signature, following a vote and recommendation from council members.
NREL grant: A $220,000 grant has been awarded to retrofit a window system on the ENVD building, increasing its thermal capacity. The project is funded by Wells Fargo, and installation is scheduled for June/July with subsequent data measurement over the course of a year.
Geothermal grants: Studies are being conducted on geoexchange and deep geothermal systems, with a timeline of nine to 12 months for results of the study.
CAP Scope 1 and 2 updates: Building efficiency projects are being planned for the next 20 buildings, with potential rollouts of further window retrofitting dependent upon the success of the ENVD window project.
CAP Scope 3 updates: Working groups are tracking categories in Scope 3, and procurement data is being analyzed for better emissions tracking and reporting.
Zero waste: The zero waste board of directors agreed on the need for a campuswide waste audit to address food waste. A proposal and timeline for a third-party vendor to conduct the audit will be discussed before the end of the semester.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) grant: Because the CDOT grant may no longer be an option, alternative funding options are being explored both internally and externally to fund the proposed TDM work, which includes infrastructure, transit, vanpool and micromobility and pedestrian projects. An upcoming transportation charrette with the Transportation Working Group will help solidify a timeframe, priorities and an action plan.

Attend the Campus Sustainability Summit

Join the April 11 listening session

Upcoming listening session

The Sustainability Council will host a campuswide listening session on April 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the ice overlook large meeting room at the Rec Center. The event has been marketed across campus through various channels. Three Leaf Catering will provide vegan snacks for attendees.

Council members Austin Hudmon and Alex Chamberlin are compiling a comprehensive document with themes from the last listening session. This document will showcase the current initiatives on campus, celebrate ongoing achievements and outline future goals.

Monthly meeting summaries

In alignment with the Sustainability Leadership Team, the council agreed to publish monthly meeting summaries through CU Boulder Today, effective immediately.

The Campus Sustainability Council recently discussed preparations for its campuswide listening session on April 11 and got sustainability project updates.

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The spring Coloradan magazine is online

Megan Maneval — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:32:56 +0000

The spring Coloradan magazine is online Megan Maneval Thu, 04/03/2025 - 13:32

Sustainability Buffs are building with bricks made of algae, 3D-printing schools and more. Also in the latest issue of the Coloradan: the 100-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom, SpaceX astronaut Sarah Gillis, and an ode to the Dark Horse.

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CU Boulder claims zero-waste football challenge honors

Megan Maneval — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:23:18 +0000

CU Boulder claims zero-waste football challenge honors Megan Maneval Mon, 03/31/2025 - 12:23

Ralphie’s Green Stampede volunteers

CU Boulder continues to be sustainability stalwarts, earning 2024 GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge honors from the National Wildlife Federation for CU's tremendous efforts to reduce and recycle waste generated during football games at Folsom Field. CU was the top university in the Per Capita Recycling category by achieving the highest generation of recyclables per capita, while finishing second in waste diversion percentage by capita.

During the 2024 football season, the CU Environmental Center’s dedicated student staff and volunteers hand-sorted 99,499 lbs of material that was diverted from landfills—the equivalent of 125 Ralphies—including 17,442 lbs of food waste and compostable service items, which were subsequently sent to the compost facility.

After the Buffs’ Family Weekend game against Cincinnati on Oct. 26, 14,725 lbs of bottles, cans and cardboard was separated and sent to recycling centers. Over the six home football games, students and volunteers worked a total of 1,827 hours to complete the painstaking work of sorting waste generated on game day by hand.

“This honor is hard-earned and illustrates the commitment of the �� to sustainability,” said CU Athletics Senior Deputy Athletic Director Jason DePaepe. “My thanks to all of our incredibly dedicated students and volunteers who worked tirelessly, mostly overnight, to sort thousands of pounds of waste that otherwise would’ve ended up in area landfills.”

“The success of the Ralphie’s Green Stampede program is rooted in our partnership with all campus departments that contribute to game day sustainability efforts, including our vendors, Levy Restaurants, Eco-Products and A1 Organics,” said Angie Gilbert, zero waste program manager at CU’s Environmental Center. “We are truly proud of our ability to send clean, hand-sorted organics along with CMA-certified compostable products over the past two seasons. This pilot is to observe the potential to replicate this type of operation at future events.”

Sustainable Buffs

CU Boulder is no stranger to earning GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge accolades. Last year, Colorado also earned the prize for Recycling Per Capita while finishing third in organics per capita. In 2022, CU won the Pac-12 Zero Waste Football Challenge for the third time (also winning in 2018 and 2019), and in 2021, Colorado earned the Innovation Award for the Pac-12 Zero Waste Football Challenge.

The GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge is a nationwide competition among colleges and universities to reduce and recycle the waste generated at home football games. As part of the Campus Race to Zero Waste program, GameDay Football challenges campuses nationwide to reduce the waste footprint of their home games and tailgating events through efforts including reduction of single-use plastics use, food waste recovery, use of reusable products, recycling, and more.

Colorado Athletics has long been a leader in game day sustainability efforts with the creation of Ralphie’s Green Stampede in 2008, the NCAA’s first Division 1 sustainability program, which is entering into its 18th year.

CU Athletics and the Environmental Center have received this year's GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge award in recognition of efforts to reduce and recycle waste generated during football games at Folsom Field.

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Sustainability Leadership Team discusses onboarding new vice chancellor, upcoming projects

Megan Maneval — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:43:56 +0000

Sustainability Leadership Team discusses onboarding new vice chancellor, upcoming projects Megan Maneval Tue, 03/11/2025 - 10:43

The campus Sustainability Leadership Team (SLT) convened Wednesday, Feb. 26, to discuss the following topics:

3-month sprint

Discussion: A “three-month sprint” spreadsheet comprises the projects discussed in January’s meeting that can be accomplished in the next three months.

Next steps: Once finalized, this spreadsheet will be shared with the SLT, its working groups and other sustainability-focused groups, and then will be publicly available on the sustainability website.

Onboarding new vice chancellor for sustainability

Discussion: Massimo Ruzzene and Jon Leslie have been asked by the chancellor to spearhead onboarding Andrew Mayock. Leslie presented a list of goals to achieve during the onboarding process. Heidi VanGenderen is supporting the drafting of an onboarding approach for Mayock.

Get ready for the Campus Sustainability Summit

Attend a listening session April 11

Sustainability landscape map

Discussion: Following the chancellor’s request for a sustainability landscape map, Leslie drafted a prototype graphic, which he presented to the SLT. The landscape map is intended to help understand the sustainability ecosystem across campus, and it will later be used publicly in digital formats, while engaging campus and external sustainability constituents as a living document.

At its February meeting, the campus Sustainability Leadership Team discussed planning for Vice Chancellor Andrew Mayock’s first three months at CU Boulder, upcoming sustainability projects and an opportunity with the Carnegie Foundation.

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Advice from Sustainable Buffs on being a conscious consumer

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:11:42 +0000

Advice from Sustainable Buffs on being a conscious consumer Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/06/2025 - 14:11

Sustainability starts with making the most of what you already have. When you do need to buy something, there are ways to make choices that are better for the planet.

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CU wins award to improve Environmental Design building energy efficiency

Elizabeth Lock — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:40:14 +0000

CU wins award to improve Environmental Design building energy efficiency Elizabeth Lock Mon, 03/03/2025 - 13:40

The CU system office and CU Boulder have won a $220,000 award after participating in the inaugural Scalable Tech Track Adopters cohort, an initiative of Wells Fargo’s Innovation Incubator in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).

CU Boulder will use the award to retrofit the windows of the Environmental Design (ENVD) building using INOVUES’ innovative energy-saving window technology. The upgrade is projected to reduce ENVD’s energy use by at least 15%, generating a cost savings of $46,900 per year.

Over the course of the five-month program, CU system Assistant Vice President for Budget, Planning and Capital Kori Donaldson and CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Resilience Chris Ewing worked closely with experts at NREL to explore the challenges and solutions for implementing scalable clean energy technologies. They embarked on a listening tour with a dozen individuals from within CU to gather data and input before delivering a final presentation. Seven judges from various industries made the final decisions about which projects would move forward.

CU Boulder will integrate INOVUES’ advanced retrofit window solution into the ENVD building—a move that promises to reduce energy consumption and contribute to the university's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The INOVUES product, a dynamic, cost-effective window retrofit system, will enhance the building’s energy efficiency by reducing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

“We’re proud to be leading the way in implementing real-world solutions that directly impact our campus and the broader community,” President Todd Saliman said. “This project highlights CU’s continued dedication to sustainability, and we’re excited by its potential for use in other CU buildings and a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

With INOVUES’ patented retrofit technology, CU Boulder will be able to upgrade its existing windows without the need for full replacements in a building constructed in 1947—minimizing waste and disruption while still achieving substantial improvements in energy performance. The result will be a more comfortable, efficient learning environment for students and faculty.

“Our goal is to lead by example and ensure that CU Boulder remains at the forefront of sustainability and energy efficiency,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “This is the kind of innovative, scalable solution that can help us accelerate our clean energy transition and make a real impact on campus decarbonization by reducing how much energy we use to begin with. It’s also a great example of how we can work with NREL and other partners to make great strides on the sustainability goals we share.”

CU Boulder was the only university represented in the cohort. Four other award recipients will do projects such as retrofitting HVAC systems, improving air quality and optimizing data center cooling.

“Alongside the new relationships formed with NREL, the program itself is an award,” said Sarah Derdowski, Innovation Incubator program manager at NREL. “We’re already seeing renewed efforts to change the culture at all of these organizations.”

Following the installation of the retrofit windows, CU’s facilities teams will monitor the energy efficiency of the building through thermal imaging and energy-use data to determine whether this could be a viable long-term solution for other buildings on campus.

“This is an exciting opportunity for CU Boulder to further its commitment to sustainability, and we are thrilled to have been part of this cohort,” said Ewing. “By leveraging the INOVUES retrofit windows, we will be able to make an immediate small stride toward our carbon neutrality goals, while also demonstrating the viability of scalable clean energy technologies that can be adopted across other institutions and buildings. As a proud ENVD alumnus who spent so many hours in that building, it is exciting to work on a project that will not only reduce our energy usage but also increase user comfort for our students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

ENVD window retrofitting is expected to begin over the summer and will be complete before fall 2025.

“This partnership is just the beginning of many more sustainable projects at the University of Colorado that we hope can benefit all four campuses,” said Donaldson. “Through collaboration and innovation, we are working to achieve our long-term carbon neutrality goals while making a tangible difference in the fight against climate change.”

The pilot Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator has awarded CU $220,000 to implement innovative energy technology that is projected to save the university $46,900 per year.

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Sustainability Leadership Team discusses critical initiatives

Megan Maneval — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:02:34 +0000

Sustainability Leadership Team discusses critical initiatives Megan Maneval Thu, 02/27/2025 - 08:02

The Sustainability Leadership Team (SLT) held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The group had a discussion about ongoing sustainability projects and critical initiatives and strategies to enhance the university's sustainability efforts.

More specifically, the team identified projects that are on track to be implemented within the next three months and prioritized them based on feasibility and impact. Examples of projects include completing the building efficiency project, reviewing the STARS findings and increasing campus involvement in sustainability.

Next steps

The SLT will discuss opportunities for collaboration and ongoing support of these priority items.
The SLT will also assist with the onboarding of the new vice chancellor for sustainability, Andrew Mayock.

Join the Sustainable Buffs community

Share your sustainability ideas

At its monthly meeting, the Sustainability Leadership Team discussed and prioritized ongoing sustainability projects to enhance the university's sustainability efforts.

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Sustainability

6 tips for coping with climate anxiety

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Sustainability Leadership Team discusses new campus sustainability leaders, project progress

Introducing Jane Zelikova

Onboarding Andrew Maycock

Sustainability landscape map

Operational updates

Upcoming sustainability events

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Monthly meeting summaries

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Sustainable Buffs

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Next steps

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