| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.70 |
| Liaison | Marianne Martin |
| Submission Date | Sept. 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Colorado Boulder
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Marianne
Martin Associate Director Environmental Center |
Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Active student groups focused on sustainability | Yes |
| Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes | Yes |
| Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills | Yes |
| Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles | Yes |
| Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences | No |
| Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills | Yes |
| Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution | Yes |
| Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions | No |
| Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives | Yes |
The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:
Numerous student clubs and groups exist to promote sustainability and environmental action. The below students clubs are duly registered with the university and claim and environmental purpose in their charter:
Anderson-Ball Center for Sustained Social & Ecological Progress
The ABC for sustained progress weaves & institutionalizes the interconnections between a wide variety of symptoms to undue political or corporate influence and control with grassroots solutions for affordable and diverse education.
Biomimicry Club
Architecture, Business, Engineering, Environmental
The Biomimicry Club offers student-led discussion, research, and innovation through the study of nature's solutions to evolutionary challenges.
Colorado Natural Resources, Energy + Environmental Law Review
Seeks to publish high quality academic journal of legal articles on relevant natural resources, energy, and environmental law.
CU Biodiesel
CU Biodiesel is dedicated to advancing the use and knowledge of biodiesel, a clean-burning alternative to petroleum diesel.
CU Colorado Ocean Coalition Chapter
The mission of the Colorado Ocean Coalition is to create, unite and empower a Colorado coalition with shared values, goals, and actions to promote healthy oceans through education and community engagement.
CU Energy: The Student Alliance of the RASEI
The CU Energy club aims to connect students to the emerging energy industries through a variety of means.
CU in the Garden
Our goal is to empower each Colorado student to make small changes that positively impact the world every single day.
CU Wild
CU Wild is a multifaceted organization dedicated to wild places and their inhabitants.
Ducks Unlimited at CU
Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America?s waterfowl.
ENVS Club
To increase involvement of Environmental studies undergraduate students in their curriculum, their communit and the environment, and to facilitate communications between nonaffiliated organizations on and off campus with the ENVS department
Geology Club of CU Boulder
Geology Nerds expands the network of undergraduates to better their graduate and work possibilities.
Second Mile Water
Second Mile Water is an organization that exists to bring a permanent end to the world?s water crisis.
Student to Farm
It?s not about farming - it?s about about getting off campus and discovering Colorado through food. By working the land, learning from farmers, and eating the food, we wish to promote healthy lifestyles among students!
Take Back the Tap
Our mission is to reduce and ultimately eliminate single-use plastic water bottles. We hope to educate the CU community on the environmental, humane, and financial issues surrounding plastic water bottles.
USGBC Chapter at CU (The)
The USGBC is an organization that sponsors Green Building tehniques, promotes LEED certification, inspires companies and school to think about sustainably towards architecture and materials.
The website URL where information about student groups is available:
A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:
Smiley Court residence hall has such a garden; all organic, non-GMO, chemical-free, and assisted by Boulder County organic gardeners. CU in the Garden is a student group which students have garden plots on campus as well as off campus for applied learning. Student to Farm group immerse students at local farms and ranches to gain experience over fall or spring breaks.
The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:
The Trep Cafe (short for entrepreneur) was founded by students and is owned and operated by Leeds School of Business undergraduate students.
Students run all day-to-day operations including the finances, marketing, hiring, firing, etc. The café makes a profit, and all net proceeds go toward Leeds student scholarships. To date Trep has awarded ten $1,000 undergrad scholarships, with matching funds from the dean’s office. Sara Klymkowsky, the first recipient, used her scholarship to help support Capricious Ventures, a more sustainable goat meat business she started while still in school.
Trep’s tagline is “Student Run, Student Benefitted” – All business decisions are made by the managers, with advice from their faculty and staff advisor and their board.
Trep uses biodegradable hot and cold cups and serves organic fair trade coffee. Receptacles for recycling and composting are readily available with instructions for proper disposal. Pastries and other foods are locally sourced. TREP is located in a LEED certified building designed to use over 30% less water and have an overall energy performance that is 30% better than conventionally built buildings. A facility manager ensures efficient use of energy. The Trep team has begun investigating working with a local company to utilize 100% recycled plastic water bottles.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
Sustainable CU and Energy and Climate Revolving Fund are both managed by student boards. Sustainable CU is a grant program for innovative projects on campus. ECRF is a 0-interest loan program for energy improvements.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
Numerous such events qualify. Global Jam is a student-targeted zero-waste convocation event. Numerous speakers, films, and events during the school year focus on sustainability. One of the flagship events is Front Range Bioneers is free for all CU students to attend and is organized by CU Environmental Center in collaboration with community organizations and features over 30 workshops, field trips and national broadcast plenary speakers. CU Environmental Center programs put on a number of interactive sustainability events for students such as "I Scream for Recycling", "Sustainability Survivor".
The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
Communikey festival for the arts is an annual event both on campus and in the community. CU Environmental Center sponsors an interactive, educational arts installation each spring in a prominent public place on campus. Examples: data garden which portrays biophilia. Recycling program installs obelisk murals on consumption and waste each year on campus.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:
This program is nationally known and provides a gateway for students to enjoy the Colorado backcountry and more. The program offers hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, backpacking, scuba diving, ice or rock climbing, rafting, kayaking, fly fishing, avalanche training, a challenge ropes course and more. Each semester more that 50 classes are offered that emphasize skill acquisition, safety, positive group dynamics, environmental awareness (Leave No Trace) and fun.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
CU doesn't engage in this type of themed activity for an entire class. The Residential Academic Programs have sustainability themes but these are limited to RAP participants.
The website URL where information about the theme is available:
A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Williams Villiage North is a LEED Platinum residence hall. There are 2 residential academic programs housed here: SEEDS and Sustainable by Design. Other programs where students learn life skills: Student to Farm program, Biomimicry club.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
CU Environmental Center employs over 100 students annually. Students work on peer to peer outreach, behavior change campaigns, sustainability policy, bike station operations, recycling special events, etc.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
Senior Class Council ended its sponsorship and coordination of the pledge program last year.
The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
The partnership between Leeds Business School Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and the Environmental Center launched nLab in October 2012—and sustainability creative crucible designed to elicit innovative ideas from all students in all majors. The EC funded the nBox part of nLab, a mobile entrepreneurship incubator. That program has already integrated several dozen students into the formative process.
In 2013, CU’s nLab went mobile and had 81 new unique users, and a continued commitment from mentors. In spring 2014, we will focus on community and mentorship opportunities, networking events, co-working with mentors, business essentials for non-business students, and especially functioning as an accelerator for Sustainable CU grants.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.