University of Colorado Colorado Springs
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

1) The Office of Sustainability plans the annual 2023 CU President's Sustainability Solutions Challenge at UCCS. The CU Office of the President provides funding to encourage the development of sustainability innovations by CU students for their campuses and communities. The competition rewards students for their sustainability innovation proposals while supporting their learning of valuable organizational skills and preparing students for future opportunities. The students organizing and participating in the challenge learned about existing sustainable practices on campus and were connected to resources to support their projects. You can learn about the project winners of the competition here: https://sustain.uccs.edu/pssc.

2) The Green Action Fund is a student-funded, student-led organization that grants research seed and project grants to students, faculty, and staff to increase sustainability on UCCS's campus. The Green Action Fee receives approximately $120,000 annually in funding through a small per semester per student fee. Established in 2011, GAF has invested $1.5 million into sustainability at UCCS over ten years. The Green Action Fund Committee is a student-led board that evaluates and votes on grant applications that further the goals of the UCCS Sustainability Strategic Plan. The 2030 Sustainability Strategic Plan specifically names the Green Action Fund as evidence of the UCCS's commitment to advancing sustainability. Link: https://gaf.uccs.edu/.

3) The Office of Sustainability provides extensive programming to the campus and the general public through its mission and execution of the 2030 Sustainability Strategic Plan. The Office employs six students who assist with planning numerous events each year, such as creek cleanups, sustainability competitions, and sustainability summits. The Office also provides tours of Link: https://sustain.uccs.edu/.

1) UCCS partners with many local organizations to host the annual Pikes Peak Children's Water Festival. The festival invites 500 4th-grade students from area school districts to engage in hands-on learning on campus as they participate in various water activities. Link: https://coloradosprings.gov/waterfestival.

2) The Office of Sustainability organizes a creek cleanup twice yearly at the Templeton Gap Floodway, one mile from the campus. In partnership with the UCCSlead program, GPS classes, and the Reisher Scholars program, 70 students pick up litter along this waterway. Students learn the importance of serving their community and protecting the blue and green spaces in an urban environment.

2) The College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Dean's Office and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies connect students with organizations city-wide to conduct research, create/update maps, and expand the educational outreach of local non-profits and their support of local natural resources. This collaboration supports students and the public and increases the available resources and shared knowledge of conservation efforts in the region.

3) Available to the campus, schools, and the public for tours, the Sustainability Demonstration House at UCCS is an example of what is possible for a NetZero home from roof to tiles. The goal of the UCCS Sustainability Demonstration House is to become Net Zero and reduce the use of all resources. Partnered with many organizations and entities to transform this modern house into an interactive, educational platform to engage our community on the impact their homes have on their carbon footprint, anyone from the community can walk through and learn about the features, benefits, and cost analysis of sustainable solutions and energy utilization available to consumers. https://sustain.uccs.edu/SDH

The Office of Sustainability hosts an ozone garden that supports citizen science and links to the National Climate and Atmospheric Research (NCAR) facility in Boulder and an international ozone garden network. As part of their biology internship, students grow specific plants that display the effects of ground-level ozone when present and report this information to NCAR. This program is ongoing and available every summer. Link: https://sustain.uccs.edu/programs/ozone-garden.

In the spring semester of 2023, a student affairs graduate student partnered with the Biology program and Office of Sustainability to propose and receive funding to build a new raised-bed ozone garden at the Osborne Center for Science & Engineering. The student worked alongside faculty to integrate the garden into the biology curriculum. Link: https://gaf.uccs.edu/staff/relocating-ozone-garden-front-east-side-osborne-building.

In many of our LEED buildings, we provide education through kiosks/websites, posters, and tour guides about our high-performance buildings and how they contribute to a better workplace and reduce our energy use, water use, and carbon emissions. The Osborne Science and Engineering Building has a green building tour assigned by faculty to help students learn about sustainable buildings. Along with the 23 stops on the tour educating participants on sustainable features in the building, participants learn about the principles of USGBC LEED standards. The tour guide is uploaded at the end of this credit. In addition, there is an interactive map of every Green Action Fund Project on campus related to buildings and other features. https://gaf.uccs.edu/projects/project-map

Sustainability, Wellness & Learning (SWELL) is a campus food initiative to promote wellness through hands-on learning and skill building in sustainability practices to regenerate human health, cultivate a mindful society, and protect planet Earth.

SWELL encompasses a trans-disciplinary approach to food and eating, linking health and sustainability together, thereby leveraging their co-benefits. Thus, SWELL leverages the emerging synergies when health promotion and sustainability (e.g., economic, environmental, social) become integrated. For example, purchasing locally grown food is good for health and a vibrant local food system, while it supports farmers and the land they cultivate.

SWELL was launched when UCCS transitioned to a self-operated food service structure. Several programs fall under SWELL, including Food Next Door, the Flying Carrot Food Literacy Program, and Grain School. SWELL initiatives currently underway include research and outreach on the pathways from Farm to Institution and SWELL latest launch of the Foodshed Forum.

Watch our Story on how UCCS transitioned to a Self-Operated Food Service (Link below)

Where Our Food Comes From

UCCS is committed to playing a vital role in the economic development of the Southern Colorado region. We procure locally grown and ethically raised produce, milk, cheese, meat, and eggs from small to medium size farms situated along the Arkansas and Rio Grande rivers. These two rivers make up the Pikes Peak region's most important foodshed. The San Luis Valley produces some of the best potatoes and is one of the few areas in the United States to grow quinoa. Pueblo and Rocky Ford are famous for a world-class onion, the Valencia onion Nr. 6, known to contain substances that may reduce the risk of breast cancer. Pueblo, Colorado is also the home of the Pueblo Chile Growers Association, which represents the region's own variety of hot, hot chile, the famous Pueblo Chile! Melons, mulberries, tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, beets, carrots, eggplant, squash, pumpkins, garlic, leafy dark greens, and herbs, along with cold weather crops such as cabbage, kale, asparagus, and radishes make up for bountiful Colorado harvest from this bioregion. In addition, dry beans, organic grains, and flour are also common crops available from both the San Luis and Arkansas Valleys. There are also numerous ranches raising grass-finished cattle, lamb, bison, and heritage pork. Both the Arkansas and San Luis Valley have food hubs -- cooperatives of farmers working together to bring fresh, local food to people, restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions. We work closely with Valley Roots Food Hub and Taproot Cooperative, representing this bioregion.

Further, our sourcing also includes Northern Colorado, the Western slope, and Southwestern Colorado, especially considering Palisade's and Dove Creek's exceptional growing conditions for stone fruit and dry beans, respectively. We believe that it is vitally important to understand where our food comes from and to develop long-term relationships with farmers and producers in and around our region. With our own farm on campus and farmers "Next Door" belonging to our closest watershed of the Arkansas River, we have taken a three-prong approach to defining local:

1. Food Next Door: food grown on campus and within the upper and lower Arkansas River watershed

2. Colorado: food grown in Colorado

3. Regional: food grown in bordering states such as New Mexico, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona

The UCCS campus is actively involved in addressing global issues surrounding our shared food supply. Our goal is to become a role model for the integration of healthy, sustainable, organic, and local food in retail and residential dining with an underlying theme that connects food to people and people to nature. In this way, we will nourish our campus community with this food and propose food as a key link in cultivating relationships along the journey from field to plate.

https://swell.uccs.edu/

In the fall semester of 2022, a Geography and Environmental Studies undergraduate student researched the survivability of several native plants in the soils on campus. The study involved germinating and growing six native grass and wildflower species in soil from Pulpit Rock on UCCS property, soil mixtures produced at the City of Colorado Springs greenhouse, and soil mixtures from the local nursery Phelan Gardens. Honors thesis available upon request.

In the Spring of 2021, the front yard of the Sustainability Demonstration House was transformed into a native and Waterwise demonstration garden. Office of Sustainability student staff worked alongside landscaping experts to design, implement, and maintain the garden. The students also provide tours, demonstrations, workshops, events, and campus learning activities for faculty, staff, students, and the public throughout the year. Link: https://sustain.uccs.edu/SDH

Students serving on the Green Action Fund Committee or proposing sustainability projects for funding learn how to balance financial, social, and environmental costs and benefits. For example, in the Spring of 2023, a graduate student researched different designs and materials for raised bed gardens for an ozone garden demonstration at the Osborne Center for Science and Engineering. Link: https://sustain.uccs.edu/programs/ozone-garden.

In the fall semester of 2022, seven undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Innovation program partnered with the Office of Sustainability to study and provide recommendations for more electric vehicle charging stations on campus. Class report available upon request.

During the fall semester of 2023, the Office of Sustainability and Parking and Transportation Services Department hired a Geography and Environmental Studies student as the Transportation Sustainability Intern. The student researched sustainability transportation grants, coordinated a tour of an electric shuttle bus manufacturer, and assisted in developing a transportation survey.

In the spring semester of 2023, a Geography and Environmental Studies class partnered with the Office of Sustainability to plan a Spring Swap on campus. Students exchanged various materials, including clothes, books, and school supplies, with other students. Link: https://mlc.uccs.edu/event/9083519.

In the fall semester of 2023, a Geography and Environmental Studies undergraduate student interned for the Office of Sustainability and studied UCCS' composting program. The student conducted a contamination audit of the campus' compost program, coordinated a tour of commercial and non-profit compost sites, and drafted a report detailing recommendations for improving the compost program. Report available upon request.

In the spring semester of 2023, student volunteers were trained as water conservation champions in three residence halls for a behavior change program called the Naked Truth Shower Showdown. They engaged and taught student residents strategies for reducing their shower times for one month. Report available upon request.

During the summer of 2023, a biology student implemented a Hügelkultur demonstration in the backyard of the Sustainability Demonstration House. The project reduced watering, improved soil health, and mitigated soil erosion. Pictures of the project are available upon request.

1. Green Action Fund
The Green Action Fund is a student-managed green fund supporting sustainability projects and campus research. The Green Action Fund Grant Coordinator is a paid student position that collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to apply, manage, and report on their sustainability projects. The Green Action Fund Committee comprises ten students who evaluate and approve funding for these projects. The Green Action Fund has awarded 1.4 million dollars to over 150 projects in ten years. In the past three years, the Green Action Fund supported the following student projects: integrating an ozone garden into the biology curriculum, studying plants that thrive in soil on campus, and creating a puppet show that teaches children about protecting the environment.

2. The Farm and Sustainability Demonstration House
The Sustainability Demonstration House is a residential house open to the public and demonstrates sustainable materials and practices. The Office of Sustainability resides in the house and utilizes the space for tours, meetings, and events. The Farm is next to the Sustainability Demonstration House and features a farmhouse, greenhouse, and outdoor gardens. The Farm plans tours and events and hosts classes throughout the year. The House and Farm provide many opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning. They provide immersive experiences aligned with curricula and integrate sustainability concepts for classes across disciplines. For example, the Sustainability Demonstration House hosts the sustainability minor capstone class to facilitate students' conceptualization of their real-world projects. The Farm and house regularly collaborate with students and faculty to conduct research. For example, a biology student designed and constructed a Hügelkultur or mound garden demonstration at the house that mitigates erosion, conserves water, and improves soil. The Farm and House employs and trains several students to maintain these spaces and provide programming. The Office of Sustainability hired six students to manage a green fund and various sustainability programs. Links: https://sustain.uccs.edu/SDH and https://farm.uccs.edu/

In the spring semester of 2022, a nursing student researched the effects of food insecurity on college students. The research was published in the UCCS Undergraduate Research Journal. Link: https://urj.uccs.edu/index.php/urj/article/view/551.

In 2023, a UCCS Student Government Association student representative partnered with the Facilities, DEI Office, College of Education, and the Green Action Fund to propose and receive grant funding for free menstrual products in restrooms. Green Action Fund grant proposal available upon request.

The Green Action Fund Committee comprises ten students who learn how to evaluate financial, social, and environmental costs and benefits of student, faculty, and staff sustainability projects. For example, in the Spring of 2023, a graduate student researched different designs and materials for raised bed gardens for an ozone garden demonstration at the Osborne Center for Science and Engineering. The student project coordinator learned about sustainable investment by researching materials, obtaining quotes, and creating a budget. The student committee members learned these concepts through evaluating the project and managing the fund's budget. Link: https://gaf.uccs.edu/projects/projects-funded

A graduate student in Health Promotion graduate program designed, conducted, and researched the effectiveness of a wellness workbook intervention for students in peer-leader roles (Resident Advisors on the UCCS campus). Results were used to improve the program for future interventions.