Colorado College
EN-9: Community Partnerships

Colorado College partners with many community organizations to advance and model sustainability in the Pikes Peak Region, including the City of Colorado Springs (on-going), the Pikes Peak Regional Sustainability Planning Project (on-going), and Colorado Springs Utilities (on-going). Colorado College also partners with Care and Share, a local food bank on a new Zero-Waste Program. This program recycles otherwise thrown out, expired, or unusable food into animal feed, therefore diverting it from a landfill. A Zero-Waste Intern in the Sustainability Office is dedicated to working solely on this program.

Colorado College's collaborative sustainability partners include Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network, Green Cities Coalition, and Southern Colorado Clean Cities Coalition. The majority of the institutional support comes in the form of staff time for coordination, logistics, and planning. Participation may include agenda setting, advisory, and implementation and always includes review and decision making. Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network is a coalition of business, governmental, community, and advocacy leaders dedicated towards implementing green business practices in order to cultivate a sustainable region. [On-going; addresses economic prosperity and ecological health] Green Cities Coalition The Green Cities Coalition aims to promote ecologically, economically, and socially healthy cities in El Paso County for current and future residents of the Pikes Peak region. [On-going; addresses social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health] Southern Colorado Clean Cities Coalition Southern Colorado Clean Cities Coalition focuses on the promotion of alternative fuels. The Green Cities Coalition is an alliance of organizations, businesses, and individuals working towards the development of more ecologically, economically, and socially healthy cities in El Paso County. [On-going; addresses economic prosperity and ecological health] Zero-waste program This program is a collaboration between Colorado College and Care and Share Food Bank in Colorado Springs. As an ASHOKA change maker school, Colorado College is working in innovative ways with Care and Share to decrease food waste. An intern from the Office of Sustainability works on this program at the food bank. In addition to decreasing Care and Share's food waste, this partnership provides CC with carbon offset credits. Palmer Land Trust, Colorado College, and the Mile High Youth Corps Colorado College is currently in the initial phases of a project in collaboration with the Palmer Land Trust. The two entities are investigating the fire mitigation effects on an area of land near Woodland Park. Colorado College is considering investing and fundraising in order to acquire a conservation easement on this piece of land, where the Mile High Youth Corps can participate in yearly fire mitigation work and the college and receive carbon offset credits. Catamount Institute Colorado College partnered with the Catamount Institute in Spring 2015 to host the mayoral candidates forum for the City of Colorado Springs. The two organization collaborated to host a forum for local governance in the springs contributing to the local community and advocating for involvement in local politics. Catamount Center The Catamount Center is a school located near woodland park focused on environmental education. The Catamount Center and Colorado College have collaborated to create the TREE semester (Teaching and Research in Environmental Education), which is a semester-long program available to CC students to get a certificate in environmental education. Sierra Club A member of the Colorado Springs Sierra Club sits on Colorado College's Campus Sustainability Council and offers collaborative advice for sustainability efforts at CC while also advocating for the community. Additionally, the Sierra Club collaborated with CC and the Catamount Institute in hosting the mayoral candidate forum in the Spring of 2015.

CC's Sustainability Manager Ian Johnson serves as a member of the Water Planning Advisory Group at Colorado Springs Utilities. Johnson's role is to promote ecological health and social equity and wellbeing in advisory discussions. It is a multi-year commitment in which Johnson will ensure that social, economic, and environmental considerations are included in the future planning of water use in Colorado Springs. Ian Johnson was identified to serve in the group as a representative from Colorado College (a gross user of the city's water) and as a professional with extensive knowledge of and experience dealing with water use.

AASHE Colorado College is a member of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). ACUPCC In 2009, Colorado College signed the American College & University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), committing to its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2020.

ASHOKA change-maker designation https://www.coloradocollege.edu/newsevents/newsroom/cc-named-changemaker-campus-by-ashoka-u#.VSHxscbxLKA