Director's Corner: CU is a STAR 

CU really is a STAR!  

Actually, CU is a Gold STAR. But I'll get back to that in a moment.

First, this summer the latest Sierra Club top 100 rankings of sustainable campuses came out and CU-ranked Sierra's Number One Green Campus in 2009-was not included at all. Not a single mention.

But hold the presses.  We didn't send in Sierra's survey this year, so we were actually, knowingly bypassing their rankings.

It's not that there's anything wrong with the Sierra Club. On the contrary, we have great respect for the nation's largest environmental organization, the work they do, and their program that celebrates colleges and universities that are trying hard to become more sustainable.

We are very, very proud of being Sierra's Number One Green Campus in 2009. In 2008, we were number two-and we worked diligently to move into the top spot the next year.

So why give it up?

CU-and higher education overall-has moved to a more sophisticated set of sustainability measures called the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Ratings System (STARS).

STARS developed through years of work by thousands of campus sustainability experts.
The system is comprehensive and quantitative, looking at all of sustainability's impacts from people to fiscal measures, and of course environmental outcomes.

And CU is the first STARS Gold campus in the nation! No campus has achieved a higher rating, although schools like Duke, Emory, Middlebury, Arizona State, UC-San Diego, and University of British Columbia have since achieved STARS Gold.

Indeed, over 260 campuses are now participating in the STARS rating system-and the system is not even two years old.  Sierra, for their fourth annual review, sent out 900+ surveys and 118 came back. Then they published a top 100.

Although we recognize Sierra Club's intentions are good, It's time to move forward with more inclusive and more representative measures of campus green. And in truth the STARS submittal is way more work than Sierra's. But we want to be successful in the most challenging context-compared with peer campuses in a comprehensive measure.

What does this mean for CU?

It means we had better redouble our efforts. It means the other campuses are very good, have great people, and are very qualified and dedicated to being top ranked.

In short, if we slack off we'll be old news fast.

So to all incoming and existing Environmental Center staff, friends, volunteers, partners, and supporters: we need you. We need you to bring your A+ Game. We need you to think of great new things to do-and to do old things in great new ways.

We need-we expect-nothing less. That sounds like a cliché or something a high school commencement speaker might say. But at the Environmental Center, it's simply a fact. We haven't been leading campus sustainability for over 40 years by texting it in.

Bring it CU!

Remember, you are a STAR-the best kind on campus.

Events

There's a lot going on around here! For a full calendar of community and campus events, be sure to check our website.

Environmental Reporter Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post September 8 

Juliet Eilperin, environmental reporter for The Washington Post, and her husband Andrew Light, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, will be in Boulder on Sept. 7 and 8.  

Light will speak at the Environmental Sciences Colloquium on Wednesday, Sept. 7.   

   
Light and Eilperin will give a joint talk entitled "Global Warming and the 2012 Election: The New Wedge Isue?" on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 5:30 to 7 pm in Eaton Humanities room 150. The event is sponsored by CU's Center for Environmental Journalism.  

Author Richard Louv October 13

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods will speak on campus Thursday, October 13 at 6:30pm in the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom. The event is co-sponsored by CU Environmental Center and The Nature Conservancy.   

Louv is a journalist and author of eight books about the connections between family, nature and community. His bestselling book Last Child in the Woods sparked a national debate and an international movement to reconnect kids and nature. He coined the term "nature-deficit disorder," has influenced national policy, and has helped inspire campaigns in over eighty cities, states, and provinces throughout North America. In his newest book, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin), Louv delivers another powerful call to action-this time for adults.  

Louv makes a convincing case that we are entering the most creative period in history and that the twenty-first century will be the era of human restoration in the natural world. This encouraging and influential work offers renewed optimism while challenging us to rethink the way we live.  

For more information, visit: richardlouv.com/

 Colorado Bioneers October 28-30  

Bioneers is the preeminent gathering of leading scientific innovators & environmental visionaries offering practical solutions to the most pressing environmental and social issues of our time.  

This conference inspires a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, Bioneers connects the dots between environment, health, social justice and spirit in a unique and authentic way.

Boulder is one of 20 communities in North America with a Bioneers satellite forum. CU Environmental Center, Transition Colorado, Naropa University, and Center for Resource Conservation and Woodbine Ecology Center with the support of sponsors and community groups are proud to bring Bioneers to Boulder for the ninth year. Colorado Bioneers creates community opportunities for sharing, learning and action, and brings together the region's progressive ideas, people and organizations.  

The event features a broadcast of the national event's plenary presentations and is locally enriched with music and arts, local food, networking, children's eco-activities, field trips, sessions, workshops and keynotes addressing topics of regional importance and community solutions.  

For more information and registration, visit ecenter.colorado.edu/bioneers

Down To Earth: Garden Variety

With the end of summer fast approaching, it's great to look at the gardens around town and savor the colorful flowers and veggies for just a little longer. One very successful garden in its inaugural run is the CU Science Discovery Garden on Marine Street here in Boulder.  

Its "Salsa Garden" with tomatillos, onions, habaneros and cilantro and the "Three Sisters" area with corn, beans and squash stand side by side. With three summer classes for students age six through 17 and a lot of hard work, the garden has become a well-appointed, water-wise celebration of food and collaboration.

CU Science Discovery is part of CU's Continuing Education and Professional Studies Division providing science, math, engineering and technology classes of all kinds.  

Three week long classes, Gardening 101, Introduction to Permaculture, and Mysteries of the Garden, brought students in to connect with their environment and learn how food is grown, harvested, and prepared. The garden's development was funded by Environmental Center's Sustainable CU program. 

The Gardening 101 class designed the garden adjacent to the Science Discovery building, then planned the produce to grow and got plants in the ground. The second class helped plant more vegetables, and added an herb spiral garden. The final class was for ages six through eight and welcomed youngsters to explore the garden and learn about maintaining the plants, making scarecrows, decorating flower pots, and making fruit preserves.

Since it began in 1983 with 10 after school classes, the program has grown  to become a highly respected science outreach program. Although summer classes are over, you can enroll your child ages four through 16 in their after school program with classes ranging from Lego Mechanics and Video Game Design to Bike-a-Tronics or Aqua Lab. 

For more information, visit: www.colorado.edu/sciencediscovery/classesafterschool/index.html

Boulder County's EAT LOCAL! Week, Aug. 28 - Sept. 4, is an opportunityfor citizens to explore and celebrate the abundance of local food, highlighting local family farms and farmers'markets, along with the restaurants, grocers, and organizations that support them.

On July 27, Boulder County Commissioners adopted Resolution2010-95 proclaiming EAT LOCAL! Week in Boulder County. Boulder's City

Council adopted a similar resolution, to be followed by other municipalities throughout the county.

EAT LOCAL! Week is a chance to celebrate and explore, and to discover local food sources, meet local food growers, become more active in the local food and farming movement, experience the joys of fresh delicious food and what it's like to be connected to the local food and farming system, rediscovering a deep sense of community.

A detailed schedule of all EAT LOCAL! Week events is published as an insert in the Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder Weekly, and Colorado Daily, and can be found online at: www.EatLocalGuide.com

Highlights include:

The Great GMO Debate-Tues., Aug. 30, 7:00pm, at Unity of Boulder. Admission $5 (online or at the door).

This evening will not be a formal debate, but a series of thoughtful "TED Talk" style presentations along with dialogue between presenters and the audience. The goal is to raise public discourse about GMOs to a new level.  

Visit www.transitioncolorado.org  to register.

"Building The Local Food Economy ," with Michael Shuman-Wed., Aug. 31, 7:00pm at Millennium Harvest House. Admission is $10 (online or at the door).

Economist and author Michael Shuman will reveal the first results of a major economic study investigating the potential impacts of up to 25% food localization in Boulder County and the state of Colorado.

Learn how investment in our local foodshed can substantially increase both demand for and supply of local food, create thousands of new jobs in Colorado, generate hundreds of new businesses, and produce millions in revenues to support the local economy.   

Visit www.transitioncolorado.org to register.

"The Local Food Shift Meets Slow Money" with Woody Tasch-Thurs., Sept. 1, 7:00pm, at Millennium Harvest House. Admission is $10 (online or at the door). 

This event is designed to spark conversations and connections amongst local eaters, food and farming entrepreneurs, intermediaries, and food activists.  

Meet the founder of Slow Money, Wood Tasch, and learn about this revolutionary approach to shifting local dollars into the local food and farming enterprises that deserve our patronage.  

Visit www.transitioncolorado.org  to register.

There are many other events, such as bicycle farm tours, farm to table dinners, chicken coop tours, and a Brown Bag series throughout this week.  

For more information, visit eatlocalguide.com/bouldercounty/full-details-for-eat-local-week-aug-27-sept-4/

Educational Opportunities    

Sustainable Practices Program Fall Courses Are Open for Enrollment 

The University of Colorado-Boulder Sustainable Practices Program Fall schedule is now available. Courses immerse students in the latest trends and concepts in sustainable practices, taught by CU experts and leading industry professionals.  

Courses can be taken individually as noncredit, or accumulated toward a Sustainable Practices Certificate.  

Courses are available in classroom environments online, and as self-directed.  

As always, an Early Bird 20 percent discount applies to all who register prior to six weeks before a class starts.

New courses for the fall semester include:

Zero Waste, Recycling and Waste Management

Sustainable Supply Chain and Procurement

Economics of Solar: Making the Business Case

and many more!

For more information or to register: sustainable.colorado.edu

Sociology of Agriculture and Food still open to CU students

SOCY 4131 Section 2

T/Th 8:00-9:15am

155 Education

Open to all juniors and seniors

This course is a sociological exploration of agriculture and food networks from three distinct but interrelated vantage points: changes in the structure and dynamics of agrifood networks, historical and current social movement responses to social and ecological agrifood problems, and shifting trends in academic analysis of agrifood networks and politics.

If you are a CU student and you are interested, e-mail assistant professor Jill Lindsey Harrison at jill.harrison@colorado.edu

Stay Cool With Greener Air-Conditioning  

Ask an Iowan what a swamp cooler is and you will most likely receive a blank stare. But certainly in Colorado one might encounter a large metal box in a friend's apartment blasting frigid breezes into the hot summer air.  

So a swamp cooler is an air-cooling device; but what is the difference between that and traditional air conditioners? And why is a swamp cooler the preferred method to cool air in your home? 

A Google search quickly reveals that a swamp, desert, or wet air cooler are all just another name for an evaporative cooler. These devices lower indoor temperature by up to 30 degrees by the natural properties of evaporating water and air circulation. However, this process can only take place in hot climates with low humidity.

Basically, a fan draws in hot air, mixes it with water held in pads, and in the evaporation process it releases cool, humid air. All you need is an open window for air circulation, water, and power for the pump and fan.   

Conversely, air conditioners use a refrigeration cycle to cool and dehumidify air--a process that uses greenhouse gases such as fluorocarbons or "F-gases" for refrigerants that contribute to climate change.  

Living in Colorado we can choose the environmentally safer and more sustainable swamp cooler!  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, evaporative coolers use 75 percent less energy than a central air conditioner. Not only do you save 75 percent on the bill, but also Excel Energy Company offers a potential rebate of up to 1000 dollars on new evaporative cooling systems in your home.

 Depending on the size of the area you want to cool, units can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Water requirements for an average sized home ranges from four to 12 gallons a day.     

Excess water usage in dry climates may seem contradictory to sustainable practices. But a report on new evaporative cooling systems for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project shows that water use generated at a coal power plant to operate a central air conditioning system is much higher than the water used in an evaporative cooler.  

In an estimate of yearly energy and water use in an 1,800 square foot Denver home shows that 1,656 kWh and 828 gallons of water are saved if using an evaporative cooler over central air.  

If you can't stand the heat, evaporative coolers are clearly the more energy and water efficient way to go.

To read more, visit our blog.