University of Denver
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Sustainability Council and the Center for Sustainability updated the Campus Sustainability Plan. The Transportation Subcommittee of the Sustainability Council led the application process to earn Bicycle Friendly University Bronze certification. The Sustainability Council and the Center for Sustainability launched Zero Waste Hockey Games, and implemented composting on campus. The Sustainability Council provides sustainability education in new employee orientation for all employees. The Sustainability Council and the Center for Sustainability worked with community members and facilities to start a new community garden on campus.

On June 5, 2007 Chancellor Robert Coombe signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Under the terms of that Commitment, the University of Denver has pledged: (1) to integrate sustainability into our curriculum; (2) to complete a comprehensive inventory of all University related greenhouse gas emissions and update the inventory every other year and (3) to, within two years of signing, develop an institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral as soon as possible. As the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment states: We believe colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality. Campuses that address the climate challenge by reducing global warming emissions and by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil society. As a first step toward meeting our commitments, the Provost created a University-wide “Sustainability Council.” This Council will advise the University Administration and monitor DU’s progress toward meeting the goals of ACUPCC.

For the 2013-2014 academic year, official members of the Sustainability Council included the following: Faculty-- Dale Rothman, Josef Korbel School of International Studies Fred Cheever, Sturm College of Law Martin Quigley, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Megan Kelly, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Thomas Nail, Department of Philosophy Staff-- Sustainability Council Purpose & Mission Members Meetings Committees Sustainability Council Sustainability Council Members Council Officers Rebecca Powell, Co-Chair Mollie Doerner, Co-Chair Megan Kelly, Vice Chair Faculty-at-large Members Dale Rothman, Josef Korbel School of International Studies Fred Cheever, Sturm College of Law Martin Quigley, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Megan Kelly, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Thomas Nail, Department of Philosophy Staff-at-large Members Brittany Wilhelm, University Advancement Dennis Jackson, Housing and Residential Education Ethan Crawford, Graduate School of Social Work Gina Johnson, Institutional Research and Analysis Kristin Kemp, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Students-- Andrew Bishop, Daniels College of Business Jessica Morton, School of Engineering and Computer Science Megan Marshall, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Mollie Doerner, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Stuart Coles, Josef Korbel School of International Studies Administrative representatives-- Jeff Bemelen, Director of Facilities Management Linda Kosten, Assistant Provost, University Planning, Budget, and Analysis Mark Rodgers, University Architect, Facilities Management Scott Schrage, Facilities Management Thomas Walker, Center for Multicultural Excellence Tom McGee, Energy Engineer, Facilities Management Ex-officio-- Gregg Kvistad, Provost Chris MacMillan, Director of Strategic Planning and Rankings, Daniels College Craig Woody, Vice Chancellor of Business and Financial Affairs

The Center for Sustainability serves as a bridge between campus and community sustainability efforts, the curriculum, and student educational experience. The interdisciplinary nature of sustainability provides a platform for engaging graduate and undergraduate students in applied, experiential, project-based learning with authentic outcomes. Grounded in many disciplines, sustainability challenges facing the University, the Denver metro area, and the world provide complex problems that require creativity and innovation from a diverse community of stakeholders and learners. This challenge provides a model for student involvement, leadership, and knowledge development requiring collaborative teamwork. The Center also provides an interface between creative, emergent leadership opportunities for volunteer faculty, staff and students across the university, to allow this informal network to connect into university and community operations, maintaining high rates of engagement. As a repository and hub of campus sustainability information, the Center for Sustainability is also responsible for external institutional sustainability reporting (a broad approach addressing facilities practices, orientation, purchasing, curriculum, affordability, diversity, job satisfaction, community engagement practices, greenhouse gas reductions, etc). As the face of University of Denver’s sustainability efforts, and the only university office of sustainability in Denver focused on building community collaborations, the an important aspect of the Center for Sustainability is the development of partnerships for educational, outreach, and innovative solutions.

The Sustainability Coordinator position was created in 2012. This position serves as the connection between the Sustainability Council and campus administration, working to connect the operational practices of facilities and community sustainability efforts to the curriculum. Collaborating with student organizations and providing student leadership development, work opportunities, and internships in applied sustainability efforts, this position provides a resource to the student experience. Working directly with faculty to develop applied class projects, this position provides a resource to faculty. The position reports to the chair of the Sustainability Council, and is a new initiative of the Provost's office.