News from the CU Environmental Center

November 2012
Greetings!
Enjoy our monthly update from the CU Environmental Center.
Please let us know if you have ideas, input, feedback or news.
In This Issue
:: Director's Corner
:: Upcoming Events
:: Teach for Sustainability
:: Incubator Kiosk
:: New Bike Station
:: LEED Building
:: 10th Annual Bioneers Conference
:: Scott Carlson
:: Sustainable Practices Program
:: Ski Bus Route Expansion
:: Scrape Your Plate Day Results
Director's Corner 

Nine sustainability wins, no matter how you voted


Dave

By Dave Newport

 

The smoke (and mirrors) from a too-long and too-fractious election season is clearing, finally. Our nation appears evenly but deeply divided and in need of healing. But however you voted, there are significant sustainability-related wins for all of us:

 

1.     Sustainable family time. With the carpet bombing of political ads now over, we can stop cussing at the television or radio and getting angry. We can reappreciate our partners and children, that puppies are still warm and cuddly, and, hopefully, that we are snug in cozy homes. Not matter how Election Day turned out for you, remember those who you love.

 

2.     Sustainable friendships. Hopefully, you have some friends who are on the other side of the political aisle (if not, you need to get out more). Maybe you crossed swords on Facebook, or held back so as not to offend. Maybe there were words or hard feelings. OK, now it's time to get back to what counts: people. Get your friends back. Take them to coffee, dinner, something stronger. But politics is more harmful than helpful if it divides us. We tried that in 1861 and it was awful. Remember, we are American's. It's a right we take for granted that we can be opinionated, strident, and even offensive. Thanks goodness for that. So, take a friend from the other side to lunch, and argue over who pays.

 

3.     Sustainable politics. No matter who won, no matter how bleak or bright it seems right now, it will change. Politics is like the weather; whatever it is now, it will change, just wait. The political pendulum is immutable. If you are happy now, darker times will come. Sorry. If you are glum now, better days are ahead. Joy. It's just true.

 

4.     Sustainable democracy. The US is noted for the peaceful transition or reaffirmation of power. No guns, no tanks in Tiananmen Square. The United States, for all its faults, has a pretty clean record. No coups. Only one Civil War. No de facto coups such as Putin's disgraceful repudiation of Russia's nascent democracy. Only one questionable election. Some voter suppression here and there. But by and large, we yell and scream and get mad, and in the end we keep the peace and move on.

 

5.     Sustainable gridlock. OK, that sounds cynical but it's exactly what the Founding Fathers designed. They called it checks and balances. And it survives; the Congress is split between parties. As ugly and stupid as that split appears when our federal politicians blame the other party for the latest boondoggle, it is better than a dictatorship. So no matter who is sleeping in the White House on January 20, their magic wand will have limited powers.

 

6.     Sustainable social equity. For only the second time in US history, the winning president/vice-president ticket came from all under-represented groups, at least in terms of electoral history. Two Catholics, a Mormon and an African-American were in the field. We had the choice to elect a Mormon president for the first time in US history, or re-elect an African-American president for the first time. That has never happened before. We have had only one Catholic president, John Kennedy. Now, for only the second time, we have a Catholic vice-president. These achievements alone are hopeful signs of Americans' improving cultural and religious tolerance. Still waiting for our first women... but at least two have made it to their parties' tickets.

 

7.     Sustainable education. Despite recent anti-intellectual demagoguery emerging from various constituencies, our next president has a graduate degree from Harvard. While that alone does not prove we value education, it's a start. Our vice-president attended good universities. Whether you agree with the team that was elected, both have achieved success as a result of their education along with hard work and ambition. That is just what our educational system is supposed to catalyze.  We hope that the next "current occupants" will remember their roots to power and continue to support others' paths through the greatest higher educational system in the world. That starts with support and reforms for a K-12 system that needs some work-and feeds our universities. Because without excellence in education, sustainability is toast.

 

8.     Sustainability lives! Lost during the campaign was any serious discussion of climate change, adaptation, or sustainability. Sadly, it took Hurricane Sandy to change that, but at least sustainability is back on the radar. Now the restoration of the NJ and NY areas will go for years and keep climate change, sea level rise, and adaptation in the conversation. The current occupants can't ignore that population base so expect federal and state task forces and commissions to offer plans ranging from hurricane dams to water supply protections to carbon mitigation policies. Yes, it took an unfortunate wake up call for the pols to get it, so let's not let them forget that Nature bats last.

 

9.     Sustainable blessings. There are probably many people on this planet that know or care little about the US election-and they are doing just fine. But there are many more people on the planet who also know or care little about our election and for whom getting through today will be a life and death struggle. For them, survival is all that matters. We should take a few moments to count our blessings and then get back to work helping the world become a better place.

 

For while we Americans have our flaws and foibles, we really are the greatest nation the world has ever seen. We got here by being an inclusive, supportive place founded by the world's tired and poor in the name of religious freedom. We knocked out a Native American culture but have come to regret that. We fought hard to overcome slavery. We included women in the right to vote. We desegregated our schools. We made it a crime to hurt in the name of hate. We are trending towards including any loving couple as a marriage. We finally let soldiers of any sexual orientation serve their country proudly. We generally fight about equality and against oppression domestically, and in war. Sure, there are exceptions and ugliness and we make many mistakes. But our history confirms and compels a forward trajectory of human compassion and hope in a world where too few see either.

 

Bottom line: the US has all the qualities and assets necessary to lead the world to a sustainable future. No matter who is elected, sustainability is not easy work.  But as President John F. Kennedy said, "we chose to do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard."  

 

So, let's get back to work.

Upcoming Events   

 

calendar

EJ Discussion Series

 

This year, CU ASE will be hosting a monthly discussion series which will address some of the many facets of Environmental Justice.  Each discussion will use a film clip, interview, article or radio series as a platform for the issue, as well as bring in more background information about how the issue relates to current local, regional, national and global events. Discussions will be informal, and no previous knowledge or academic experience in Environmental Justice is necessary.

 

All discussions will be held in the UMC 457, Dennis Small Cultural Center, 2:00-3:00

 

Navajo Generating Station 

 

November 7 

 

The energy generation station on Navajo lands in southern Colorado has dramatically impacted the people and the land.  Come to learn about this area of our state and how we can contribute to the preservation of the culture and its home.

 

nLab Design Workshop: Innovation is Everyone's Business

November 8
Location announced once registered

3-5pm 

  
George Kembel, Executive Director and co-founder of the Stanford d.School, will be here to lead a student workshop on innovation and design. George is an entrepreneur and investor turned educator. He brings a collaborative, human-centered approach to innovation. This high-energy workshop will give students a hands-on experience in working collaboratively to explore creative ideas and their development.

 

Admission is free but pre-registration is required. Click here to register.

 

For more info visit http://nlab.colorado.edu.

 

Financing Energy Innovation Conference

 

November 9 

Wolf Law, Wittemyer Courtroom

1:00pm-5:15pm

 

Presented as part of the Energy Innovation Series and The Big Energy Seminar Series, the University of Colorado Law School, RASEI, and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship

 

This conference will convene leading experts from law, industry, and finance to explore various aspects of energy innovation finance in the United States and its implications for clean energy deployment and competitiveness. The first panel will provide an overview of current challenges and opportunities, with specific attention to federal and state policy supports (tax credits, loan guarantees, etc.), private investment in clean energy, and project finance. 

 

The second panel will address specific issues and challenges in key sectors (wind, solar, smart grid, etc.) and strategies for securing finance in the current climate. The third panel will discuss several larger contexts for clean energy finance and their implications for the sector in the United States, including the role of government support and industrial policy in leading countries around the world, development of new models for energy innovation finance, and the connections with trade law and international competitiveness. 

 

This event is free and open to the public. Visit www.energy-innovation.org.

 

The Green Office Brown Bag Series Presents: Zero Waste 101 

 

November 13 

 

11:30am-12:30pm 

UMC 355

 

This introductory Zero Waste presentation provides the basic understanding of where our resources come from and how human discards impact the entire planet. Learn about resource management on the CU Campus and how your small actions add up to a big change. Describing the basics behind recycling and composting, along with what you can do to divert resources from the landfill, your questions are up for discussion in our 60-minute presentation. 

 

2012 Diversity and Inclusion Summit

AMP It Up: Awareness, Movement, And Practice

 

November 13-15
8:45am-6:45pm 
University Memorial Center

 

AMP it UP! The 2012 Diversity and Inclusion Summit wants you to AMP it up in moving the needle on diversity. Action, Movement, and Practice are elements of this year's summit. Sessions are designed to provide tools in promoting Action, Moving beyond talking, and creating intentional Practices around inclusion. 

 

New this year: 

  • New workshops addressing the needs of international students, environmental issues and social justice
  • The Assembly for Sustainability and Equity presents on social and environmental justice "The Story of Away" 
The Summit offers over 35 sessions on the best practices around matters of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. Through the Summit, we aim to collectively increase awareness, move towards greater respect and inclusion, and practice diversity, large and small. 

 

For more info and to download the complete schedule of events, click here.
Teach for Sustainability Internships 
 

Earn credit in an internship that is fun, innovative and allows you, the student, to teach.  Teach for Sustainability, part of CU Environmental Center's Earth Education program, is offered as a three credit internship. 

 

Earth Education's mission is to promote environmental awareness and scientific achievement by focusing on children's personal connection to the Earth and to provide student teachers with the skills and tools to positively impact future generations.

 

The intern program has two components. The first part is a 2-hour meeting/class held weekly on campus. During this time, interns will participate in curriculum building and teacher training lectures. Guest speakers will frequent the class to talk about topics in earth education and teaching sustainability. 

 

The second major component of the class is teaching in BVSD schools and Boulder educational programs! The interns will spend at least one hour a week teaching at a local school for about 8 weeks of the semester. We set this up for each intern. There are no prerequisites for this internship, except a great attitude and the desire to teach the future! Space is limited.

 

November 30 is the early application deadline. If there is space available after the early applications are reviewed and selected, additional applications will be accepted until January 11.  Please note that the internship is a competitive application process.

 

The internship is open to all campus majors. Interns who are ENVS majors sign an internship agreement and are enrolled for internship credit through the Environmental Studies department. 

 

Other majors need to determine how to register for internship credit through their department and supply any forms and agreements required by that department.  Please indicate on your application if you would like to obtain internship credit through ENVS or another department. Interns must be available for a weekly meeting on Tuesdays, 4-6pm.

 

Click here to apply and see more information.

nLab Program Launch

 

On October 29, the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and the Environmental Center launched the nLab, an exciting new program supporting entrepreneurship and sustainability across the CU campus. 

 

The nLab provides students from all disciplines the resources, skills, and community connections they need to turn ideas into action. The nLab was launched in conjunction with the kickoff for the campus' annual New Venture Challenge business competition.

The nLab serves as a campus hub that empowers students to explore and mobilize creative ideas. It provides them with resources, entrepreneurial skills, and community to help transform their ideas into real-world solutions. Tools include a mobile lab, a website where students can post requests and project ideas, peer and business community mentors, and self-guided modules for students to develop their ideas.

 

The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship has teamed up with the CU Environmental Center to reach out to a broad audience and incorporate sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and other diverse project ideas across campus. Other campus partners include ATLAS, Engineering Management, Silicon Flatirons, and CU's Technology Transfer Office.

 

The New Venture Challenge (NVC), now in its fifth year, is CU-Boulder's cross-campus entrepreneurship competition. Teams will be supported through a series of events designed to move them from an idea through a business plan that they can pitch to potential investors as well as through direct mentoring from leaders in the Boulder entrepreneurial community.

 

Each team will operate and compete in one of five tracks: Information Technology, Clean Tech, Music, Social Impact, and a General track. Winners in each track and the overall winners receive financial and/or in-kind prizes. Teams may consist of students, faculty, staff, and community members provided at least one team member holds a valid CU ID.

 

The NVC is co-sponsored by Silicon Flatirons at the Law School and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in the Leeds School of Business, with support from numerous cross-campus partners, including ATLAS, Engineering Management, the Leeds School's Center for Education in Social Responsibility and CU Cleantech programs, the College of Music, Computer Science, and others. For more, visit http://cunvc.org.

New Bike Station Structure Coming Soon

 

After a record number of semester bike rentals, the new CU bike station to the SW of the Engineering building is on its way. A temporary trailer is parked at the location, with mechanics ready to help cyclists with wear, tear and repair on Buff Bikes and more.

The new bike station structure, which will be twice the size of the current bike station and include an air compressor, full tools and green buff bikes, located just east of the UMC at the Fine Arts Lawn. The structure will be completed this semester, ready to assist bikers just in time for spring.

 

The bike station offers numerous ways to help keep our campus cyclists in the saddle and enjoying the campus and Boulder's great environment. The bicycle is an effective and fun way to commute and enjoy the outdoors, improving its users' health, mobility and economic vitality.

 

The bike station staff is here to help you with basic bicycle repairs and bicycle registration. Bicycle registration, while primarily anti-theft, helps pay for the bike station and other campus bike enhancements, and is thus requested of those who bicycle on campus.

 

The bike station staffers hope that by teaching you how to keep your bike in working order, they will help foster a strong campus cycling community. Take what you learn from the bike station about maintaining your bike and pass it on to other members of the campus community!

 

Both bike stations have numerous services to help keep our campus cyclists in the saddle and enjoying CU and Boulder's great bicycling environment. 

 

The bike station closes on November 16 and will reopen in early March with the new structure.


Visit the E-Center biking page for more information.


Sustainability Spotlight

 

CU's biotechnology building earns LEED platinum rating

The University of Colorado Boulder's Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology building has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, platinum rating -- the highest possible evaluation -- from the United States Green Building Council.

 

The 336,800-square-foot research and teaching facility opened in April on the university's east campus. More than 60 faculty and 500 researchers, staff and students work inside, tackling a wide swath of challenges from cancer and heart disease to the development of new biofuels. LEED certification is a national benchmark for sustainable design, construction, operation and maintenance.

 

The building posed intense energy and water needs as well as complex safety requirements. "Earning a LEED platinum rating for such a large research building highlights the engineering challenges of providing safe and practical research space while ensuring the highest level of sustainability," said Moe Tabrizi, director of campus sustainability.

 

The result is a building that is 30 percent more energy and water efficient than recently built buildings with a similar function. One tactic used by designers was to group labs with similar functions near each other in the building to centralize common lab equipment and maximize the efficiency of energy use, ventilation and heat recovery. The building's mechanical and electrical systems incorporate significant energy savings and resource recovery.

 

The facility will have an array of large-scale, ground-mounted solar panels to help fulfill its energy needs. It also features evaporativecooling, which is the most energy-efficient cooling method in Colorado's dry climate; daylight harvesting, lighting controls and LED technology; energy-efficient freezer compressors and lab exhaust fume hoods; low-flow plumbing and additional features.

The new building, which is prominent when accessing campus from Colorado Avenue and Foothills Parkway,also matches CU-Boulder's distinct architectural look.

 

"This project demonstrates that we can achieve a high-performing, technically complex facility that blends our Tuscan Vernacular -- or rural Italian -- style with the demands of cutting-edge, 21st century world-class research," said Paul Leef, campus architect.

 

The design team and campus engineers undertook a meticulous engineering process that combined best practices in green building, LEED requirements, and recommendations from Labs21, a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy that is dedicated to improving the environmental performance of laboratories.

 

CU-Boulder is a sustainability leader in higher education. The campus currently has five LEED platinum rated buildings, eight gold rated buildings and one silver. The university is committed to earning gold ratings or higher for all new construction and renovations on campus.

10th Annual Bioneers Conference

From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Reimagining Civilization in the Age of Nature

November 9-11

bioneers logo

 

The national Bioneers conference will return to the University of Colorado at Boulder for its tenth year at a three-day conference November 9-11, presented by the CU Environmental Center. The conference, entitled "From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Reimagining Civilization in the Age of Nature," will create community opportunities for sharing, learning and action by bringing together the region's progressive ideas, people and organizations.

 

Bioneers is the preeminent gathering of leading scientific innovators and environmental visionaries who offer practical solutions to the most pressing environmental and social issues of our time. Bioneers, in its 23rd year as a national conference, uniquely and authentically connects the dots between environment, health, social justice and spirit. Boulder is one of 20 communities in North America with a Bioneers satellite forum.

 

Boulder was one of the first satellite locations to participate when the national conference began its beaming program.  "The CU Environmental Center has proudly carried the torch for the past decade to continue and grow the Colorado Bioneers event in the Front Range.  This local Bioneers event fuses many issues and serves a hub for sustainability.  It is empowering to the community to participate in an event focused on local innovation, ideas and solutions while gleaning from the national vision and inspiration," says Marianne Martin, Associate Director of the Environmental Center at CU-Boulder who has been involved in the production of every Bioneers conference in Boulder since 1993.

 

The conference features a broadcast of national Bioneers plenaries which are:

  • Greg Sarris - The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria: Making Home Once Again
  • Gretchen Daily - Harmonizing People and Nature: A New Business Model
  • Carol Jenkins - The Public Square is Empty (Aside from the Occasional Hanging)
  • Mike Brune - emPOWERed
  • Bill McKibben - The Climate Fight Gets Hotter
  • Fletcher Harper - Greening our Faiths: From Belief into Action for the Environment and Environmental Justice
  • Marina Silva - The Challenge of Sustainable Development: New Models
  • Gabor Maté, MD - Toxic Culture: How Materialistic Society Makes Us Ill
  • Sandra Steingraber - The Whole Fracking Enchilada
  • Ai-Jen Poo - A Caring, Sustainable Economy for the 21st Century
  • Ethan Nadelmann - Drug War, Drug Peace
  • Nikki Henderson -"Flavas" of a Whole Community: Ingredients for Food Access in Historically Under-Invested Communities
  • Paul Hawken - Regeneration
  • plus Brower Youth Awardees on Youth Leadership

These national presentations set a global context for the local programming.   In 2012, there are 65 local presenters involved with 36 field trips, workshops and sessions.  The local programming is focused on topics of regional importance including include local food, indigenous knowledge, sustainable business, biomimicry, permaculture, climate and energy, and education. 

 

The Colorado Bioneers event features indigeneity as a central theme.  Indigeneity is a program of Bioneers that promotes indigenous leaders and indigenous knowledge as a critical path to support all people in learning to honor bio-cultural landscapes, indigenous lifeways, and "reconnect to place" so we may restore social and ecological balance to the Earth. 

 

Woodbine Ecology Center is a producing partner and has fostered the indigeneity programming at the Colorado event for the past few years. Woodbine's co-director Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish states,  "This year, we are honored to have over ten indigenous presenters sharing their wisdom with Bioneers participants. Indigenous science offers a way of knowing that can provide a crucial complement to the tools of Western Science as we address the challenges of our times." In addition to sessions and field trips, the indigeneity programming also features a broadcast of portions of the Bioneers national indigenous forum. 

 

The Colorado Bioneers event is produced by CU Environmental Center in collaboration with Transition Colorado, Naropa University, Center for Resource Conservation, Restorative Leadership Institute, Boulder's Best Organics, and Woodbine Ecology Center. The event producers scheduled the conference for after the election so participants can emerge from the campaign jargon and come together for rejuvenation and inspiration as well as action and learning.

 

Advance registration ends on November 7th.  Registration is affordable. Single day passes are available for $20. Discounts are available for multi-day passes, students, seniors, educators and activists. CU-Boulder and Naropa students attend for FREE with valid student identification.    

 

Click here for more information and to register for the Colorado Bioneers Conference. View the complete program here.
Brown Bag Workshop with Scott Carlson 

 

"The Role of Practical Skills in Reinventing Higher Education for Sustainability"

 

November 14

 

Scott Carlson, senior reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education, will host a brown bag lunch at CU-Boulder on Nov. 14. In his presentation, "The Role of Practical Skills in Reinventing Higher Education for Sustainability," Carlson will discuss the ways in which practical knowledge can be applied to a liberal arts education for a more sustainable educational foundation.

 

Carlson has covered campus sustainability and innovation in higher education for over13 years. This year he published extensive coverage of campuses offering conceptual and skills-based sustainability curriculum-and reviewed student reactions to this content. He also recently helped launch a series of thought provoking Chronicle articles on the reinvention of higher education. Carlson observes that the planet and our educational system both face enormous challenges.

 

"To meet those challenges, we need graduates who have both abstract and practical knowledge: the sophistication to understand the complexity of the problems, and the practical know-how to come up with sustainable solutions," Carlson says.

 

Critics of higher education say that outdated technology, antiquated teaching methods and archaic campus resources are the antecedents of liberal arts students who graduate unprepared for the real world. Carlson's observations offer ideas of how to reinvent and invigorate higher education through sustainability and practical knowledge.

 

Carlson's coverage details how some campuses complete the union of practical skills and liberal arts through lessons in cooking, carpentry, automobile mechanics, and gardening. In his discussion, Carlson will present ways in which hands-on skills like these could provide a foundation for people who want to change society, enrich their education, enhance their lives and secure their future.

 

"In the current cultural and economic climate, liberal-arts colleges have been at pains to articulate their usefulness," says Carlson. "They have emphasized that they teach students how to think, how to be engaged, world citizens-not merely how to do a job."

 

Carlson, who joined The Chronicle of Higher Education in 1999, writes about buildings, campus planning, energy, architecture, sustainability, and college management, particularly at small colleges. He has been a speaker at conferences across the United States and in Canada, talking about libraries, architecture, and sustainability. In 2006, Carlson was awarded first prize for beat reporting from the National Education Writers Association for his work covering academic libraries.

 

The discussion, presented by the CU Environmental Center, will be held in Wolf Law room 204 from 11:30am to 12:50pm. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://ecenter.colorado.edu.

Sustainable Practices Program

coors solar panelsThe Sustainable Practice Program offers individual classes and a Professional Certificate for people who are interested in sustainability training. Whether seeking to test the waters, additional training to supplement your skills, or a professional certificate, the Sustainability Practices Program can help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to make a difference in your personal life, your organization or your community. The following courses are the latest and greatest in the Sustainable Practices Program:

 

Sustainability Planning: Building The Business Case

November 9

9-5pm 

 

The Sustainable Practice Program offers individual classes and a Professional Certificate for people who are interested in sustainability training. Whether seeking to test the waters, additional training to supplement your skills, or a professional certificate, the Sustainability Practices Program can help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to make a difference in your personal life, your organization or your community.

 

This course will teach the fundamentals of developing a sustainability plan for an organization. Students will learn various approaches to crafting a purpose and vision statement for sustainability and determining goals and initiatives. Students will also gain insight on determining initiatives based on various factors and criteria to ensure the success of a sustainability plan. In order to build the business case for sustainability, students will learn which aspects to track and monitor and how to develop a basic return on investment (ROI) worksheets. Key components will be presented on engaging employees in the process through forming green teams and communications. Fundamentals of the change process and behavior modification strategies and theory will also be presented.

 

ECSP 310: Understanding US Energy Landscape

December 7

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

 

The course begins with an examination traditional energy and how it evolved.  We follow with an introduction to the leading modern sources of renewable energy.  We will explore both types of energy from a regional, national and global perspective and discuss their strengths and weaknesses, economics, and current and emerging markets.  We will consider national security, environmental, and job impacts, as well as governmental/policy incentives and disincentives around traditional energy and renewable energy.

 

We will explore how the landscape of energy is dramatically changing.  The course will provide students with the tools and context to make informed decisions around traditional and renewable energy at the residential, business, local, and national levels.

 

To register for these courses and many more, visit http://sustainable.colorado.edu/.
Ski Bus Route Expansion

 

The CU Ski Bus is travelling to Copper Mountain and Winter Park this season!

 

The Sustainable Transportation Program is pleased to announce the expansion of ski bus routes to include two buses to Copper Mountain and three buses to Winter Park. Ski Bus ticket holders can now kick back and relax on the way to two new ski destinations. These new routes will help CU ski buffs make the most of Five Mountain Passes and the Rocky Mountain Super Pass.

 

As usual, buses will still run to Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts.

 

The CU Ski Bus is a travel service for University of Colorado at Boulder students, faculty and staff. Rountrip tickets are $15 each for students, faculty and staff and $5 each for HERD members. There are a limited number of tickets available for each trip, and trips will often sell out far in advance. There will also be standby tickets available for purchase on the morning of each trip (even sold-out trips!). Be sure to reserve early!

 

Visit http://ecenter.colorado.edu/skibus for more information and to reserve tickets.

Scrape Your Plate Day Results

 

Scrape Your Plate Results are in! On October 24, CU celebrated Scrape Your Plate Day, when students eating at campus dining facilities scraped their own plates at the end of the meal.

 

This semester, the total food waste for lunch and dinner was 2068.51 pounds. That's over one ton of food waste and over a quarter pound of food waster per person! 

 

This is considerably lower per-person than when the program started back in Spring 2008 and the average was about .42 lbs. per person.

 

Each semester on Scrape Your Plate Day, The Environmental Center and Housing and Dining Services team up to raise awareness about composting and sustainable food practices. During lunch and dinner service, at some CU buffet style dining halls, members of the E-center along with volunteers act as compost goalies scraping the leftover, un-eaten food from student and faculty plates into compost bins.

 

Those who composted were inducted into the clean plate club and given a sticker to wear proudly around for the rest of the day. Students and faculty were encouraged to take smaller portions and return for more if they are still hungry to avoid wasting food.

 

This brings awareness to the amount of wasted food that can be conserved at future meals, and also provides an opportunity to educate diners that their leftovers are composted, not landfilled. 

 

Although composting is a regular practice behind the scenes in all the dining halls, Scrape Your Plate Day brings it to the forefront in an effort to reduce waste. When people scrape food off themselves, they realize how much they leave behind.

 

The goal of zero waste is very achievable. In CU dining halls, students are allowed to take as much as you like. But the E-Center would like to see everyone eating all that they take.

Join us next semester for Scrape Your Plate Day! 

 

For more information, contact earthelp@colorado.edu or call 303-492-8308.

Contact the CU Environmental Center
Phone: 303-492-8308