Colorado State University 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application

Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

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Colorado State University grows more than 2 million seedling trees each year in a Forest Service operation that is unmatched by any university in the country.
Photographer: Bill Cotton

Contact

Nikolaus Alrik Olsen
Assistant Director, Presidential and Administrative Communications
Office of the President
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
(970) 491-5507
nik.olsen@colostate.edu

Governance & Administration

 

Colorado State University is The Green University, a reflection of 140 years of environmental research and deployment of practical solutions to environmental problems. CSU President Larry Edward Penley has recognized the unique ability - and duty - of land-grant institutions to provide feasible solutions to global challenges related to areas such as environmental sustainability, infectious disease, and food safety. Directly addressing these challenges creates an educational atmosphere where students participate in research and receive an education that will enable them to be successful in both traditional careers and in the emerging green-workforce.

CSU's commitment to sustainability is real--from growing more than 2 million seedling trees each year in a Forest Service operation unmatched by any university in the country to growing research capacity to support healthy, sustainable communities worldwide, because healthy countries are a prerequisite for a healthy planet. Specifically, the University's commitment has taken the form of a three-part strategy: enhancing green campus operations, educating tomorrow's green workforce, and deploying research to promote environmental sustainability worldwide.  

CSU has set a goal to be carbon-neutral by 2015. Dr. Ron Sega, former undersecretary for the U.S. Air Force, was hired in 2007 to serve as Vice President for Energy, the Environment, and Applied Research. The President's Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee monitors University progress and recommends improvements. CSU's physical Master Plan encourages walking and bike-riding, moving parking out of the core of campus deliberately over the last 15 years. CSU is a Talloires Declaration signatory, ACUPCC signatory, an EPA Energy Star Program Partner, a member of the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, AASHE member, and U.S. Green Building Council member. As a Climate Wise Partner of the City of Fort Collins, CSU has done a yearly GHG inventory since 2006. President Penley mandated that all CSU buildings designed after April 2008 will achieve LEED Gold Certification, making CSU the second university in the nation to mandate that all new construction be built to LEED Gold standards.  President Penley has also published and spoken nationally on the need for universities to use their research and academic expertise to devise solutions to environmental challenges.

In 2007, President Penley successfully instituted Superclusters, a pioneering, multi-disciplinary, enterprise-based approach to speed the products of University research to the marketplace. For example, Envirofit International, a CSU spinoff company using technology pioneered in CSU engineering labs, is developing what The New York Times calls "the first market-based model for clean-burning wood stove technology" for application in the developing world, and is distributing cleaner two-stroke engines to reduce pollution from taxis in the Philippines. Two CSU Superclusters that directly reflect the University's commitment to sustainability- addressing clean energy and infectious disease -- are now operating.

 

Operations

Colorado State's administration has announced plans to construct a wind farm that will supply more energy than the campus consumes and to build a 2 megawatt solar farm at its Foothills Campus.

The "Green is Gold Campaign" is an energy conservation campaign CSU has been running for several years. The energy conservation measures CSU has taken in the last five years save more than $600,000 per year in electric and water costs. Over the past 20 years, the average demand per square foot on campus has actually flattened out in terms of gas usage. A steam turbine generator meets 5 percent of the campus's peak electrical load. Since 1990, potable water use has decreased over 22 percent (108 million gallons), despite a 25 percent student population increase and 19 percent building square footage increase.                           

In 2006, CSU switched all diesel-powered vehicles, including snowplows, to biodiesel; CSU uses electric vehicles where possible. CSU Police for years have used bicycle patrols and now have added emission-free T3 patrol vehicles and horseback patrols. All CSU students receive an annual pass to ride the city bus system at no cost per ride. The University Master Plan continues to move toward a more pedestrian friendly campus by moving parking closer to the edges of campus and encouraging walking and bicycling. Free bicycle rentals are available on campus.

There are currently two LEED-certified projects on the campus and numerous LEED accredited professionals. Guggenheim Hall was the first building on any university campus to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design CI Silver Certification. The project is an example of how green construction techniques can be used in renovations of historic structures.

In landscaping and grounds maintenance, native plants are emphasized; tree prunings are chipped and recycled into mulch; biological controls or natural substances are used for controlling pests, plant diseases, and weeds.

CSU's first formal recycling organization, "Campus Recycle," was formed in the 1970s by a group of student volunteers. Today, recycling is available for paper, cardboard, plastic, batteries, paint, refrigerators and electrical equipment, phone books and more. Cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel, un-served food is donated to the local food bank. CSU recycles nearly 2 million pounds of recyclable material every year and had recycling rate of 55 percent in the 2007-2008 school year.   CSU placed 2nd in the grand champion division of RecycleMania in 2008. CSU students and alumni are handling the recycling for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The CSU Wetlands Project cleans greenhouse wastewater and provides a learning tool and demonstration site for students and faculty on both the remediation of wastewater from a commercial use and the use of reclaimed water in a water-conserving landscape.

CSU purchases more than $570,000 of local food products each year. New vendor contracts state a buying preference for local, recycled, and sustainable materials. CSU's newest dining facility features a pulper which readies waste for compost; compostable to-go products; elimination of trays to cut water use; and reusable containers for take-out dining.

 

Curriculum & Research

CSU has had an academic focus on natural resources and the environment since its founding in the 19th century. Its  leadership in alternative energy solutions dates to the 1960s.  Examples of CSU's curricular and research focus include:

  • In 2008, CSU formed the School of Global Environmental Sustainability to encompass all environmental education and research at the university. CSU offers more than 150 environmentally focused classes in its eight colleges.
  • CSU spinoff companies --such as AVA Solar, which has patented technology to create solar panels for $1 per watt, and Solix Biofuels ,which is developing algae that can be processed into biodiesel -- have flourished in CSU's supportive research climate. The CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and its spinoff companies are global leaders in reducing CO2 emissions in ways that also improve human health and pay for the solutions through energy savings.
  • CSU offers one of the leading academic programs in green construction in the United States. The Institute for the Built Environment, an interdisciplinaryresearch and service-learning program, brings students and faculty together to work ongreen building projects on campus and inthe surrounding communities.
  • The College of Business offers a graduate program in Global and Social Sustainable Enterprise through which students learn to create and sustain international business development opportunities that improve the lives of people and the condition of the planet while building enterprises that are sustained by solid financials and profitability.
  • CSU researchers served as Lead Authors on current and previous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports and have led the development of the soils components of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Their work contributed to the Panel's sharing in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
  • CSU's international environmental projects have included climate change and ecosystems work in Antarctica; work in India to develop bioremediation technology for the cleanup of wastewater contaminated with explosives; a long-term water project in Egypt funded by the nation's government; and a special partnership between the China Academy of Sciences and CSU's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory focused on carbon sequestration and the environment.
  • The CSU Changing Climates Initiative, a faculty-driven, campuswide project launched in 2007, helps faculty infuse information and research on climate change into their courses in all majors and disciplines.
  • CSU maintains both a mountain campus, Pingree Park, and an urban environmental learning center as living laboratories environments for students in the natural resources.
  • Other highlights: CSU philosophy faculty are pioneers in the field of environmental ethics; CSU scientists with NASA created the world's most sensitive cloud-profiling radar, CloudSat, now monitoring climate change and global warming activity from space; CSU scientists created the world's first engineered solar-heated and -cooled building.
  • Since 2007, CSU has held the following environmental programs: Biofuels Symposium, Global Social & Sustainable Enterprise Speaker Program, Global Water Colloquium: From Conflict to Sustainability.
  • CSU's President's Office provides funding for students and student groups to conduct environmentally focused research.

 

Campus Culture

CSU has instituted the Go Green Pledge, whereby students, faculty, and staff pledge to reduce their environmental footprint. The Go Green effort also aims to reduce the environmental impact of large campus events such as the President's Fall Address. The University also conducts an internal communications campaign to make students aware of the many ways CSU upholds its commitment to a sustainable environment. The campaign features a character called The Green Man, who also maintains a community blog about CSU's green activities.

In 2004, Colorado State became one of the first universities in the nation to offer on-campus residents the option to purchase "green" power. CSU's residence halls have a high bike-to-resident ratio with bike racks for over 80 percent of occupants. The location of the residence halls and university apartments promotes walking, as all of the halls and apartments are within a few blocks of classrooms. All campus-operated apartments are located on Transfort bus stops to make using the bus system convenient. CSU students receive free bus passes, and CSU recently added a Leed-certified Transit Center to promote alternative transportation and bus usage.

Many student organizations are actively involved in sustainability activities. CSU's Engineers Without Borders chapter led an engineering project that brought a stable water supply to a 1,200-person rural village in El Salvador.

CSU Housing and Dining Services offers a sustainable living community, the Live Green Floor, in the residence halls. This floor is open to students in any major.. Students living there participate in sustainability initiatives and pilot recycling, composting, water conservation, energy reduction, and green power projects. The Housing-led Live Green Team also sponsors an Earth Day event each year that engages the campus community with educational booths, displays, and live music.

Housing and Dining Services offers vegan choices at every meal, every day.  In addition to offering compostable containers, reusable Rubbermaid containers are offered. Housing has also eliminated disposable beverage containers to cut trash and eliminated trays to save water.

Leave-It-Behind Program: Each year, students moving out of the residence halls are encouraged to leave unwanted items like clothing, electronics, non-perishable food, furniture, and school supplies behind rather than throwing them out. In 2006, 21 tons of items were collected for local charities including Habitat for Humanity and the Food Bank for Larimer County.

The Great Sofa Round-Up is a chance for students and Fort Collins community members to unload unwanted couches and pick up needed couches, all for free. This collaborative event between CSU and the City of Fort Collins aims to help students and neighbors get rid of unwanted furniture, while giving people in need access to free sofas. Approximately 600 sofas were offered for trade during the two day event in 2007. About half of those couches were saved from the landfill.

CSU ag and horticulture students have created a community-supported organic agriculture program, selling farm shares to the community in exchange for a weekly harvest of campus-grown organic produce.

 

Community Service and Outreach

CSU is home to a number of student organizations that provide opportunities for students to gain both awareness, involvement, and career preparation related to environmental issues. Recognized organizations include: Engineers Without Borders, Environmental Action Collective, Front Range Student Ecology Symposium, CSU Range Ecology Club, Student Association of Fire Ecology, The Wildlife Society - CSU, and Emerging Green Builders of Northern Colorado.

Undergraduate and graduate students at CSU have significant opportunity to be involved in research activities and projects related to the environment and sustainability. Each year, Colorado State hosts an Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium to highlight student work and research achievements, including environmental projecs. More than 1,000 students participate.

CSU's Live Green Team gave students an exciting to play a critical role in the Democratic National Convention Committee's recycling effort Aug. 25-28 in Denver.  It is up to this crew to ensure the recycling is pure. More than 400 volunteers assisted this effort.

CSUnity Day, going on its 15th year, is, a campus wide community service event, uniting students from Greek chapters, student organizations, the Associated Students of Colorado State University, and residence halls and apartments to give a few hours of service to the community that they call home during their college years. Teams of students are sent out to work with a variety of agencies who are concerned with issues such as, the environment, the elderly, and affordable housing. The day of service provides an excellent opportunity for students to form a stronger link with the Fort Collins community by help cleaning up trash, fallen leaves and other natural debris, among other projects. In 2007, more than 1,400 students volunteered.