Director's Corner
 Peak sustainability: the new normal?
If we are perceived as too expensive and damaging to society, how long before higher education starts to suffer the scrutiny and disdain society has shown towards previously favored industries gone bad?
By Dave Newport
"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught," remarked Winston Churchill.
When it comes to sustainability, higher education sometimes discounts the sustainability lessons coming from the corporate world. Some academics are quick to point out the BPs and Enrons of the world and indict anything business does as avaricious and tainted. We can't possibly learn anything about sustainability from them...
So, while I am brandishing quotes, it's good to remember Harry Truman's perspective that, "it's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
For college students entering the workforce, they just want to learn if sustainability is the new normal in the corporate world. If so, what do I need to know to be employable?
An excellent recent report summarized the state of business-sustainability worldwide.
The report, The State of Green Business 2013, is compiled by respected journalist Joel Makower. In it, Makower summarizes ten business trends that all require new perspectives and new brains.
Makower analyzes the strong and weak signals each of these trends is sending in the reportMakower analyzes the strong and weak signals each of these trends is sending in the Makower analyzes the strong and weak signals each of these trends is sending in the report.
The final trend is "Peak sustainability: achievements up, but jobs down."
This last trend flows from a parallel analysis Makower's reporting has unearthed: the number of new stand-alone, dedicated sustainability jobs in the corporate world peaked in 2009. Note that new jobs are still growing, just at a slower rate. Makower asks, "Have we passed peak sustainability?"
Maybe. However, this may not be bad news; it may be part of a natural corporate process that embraces new opportunities first with singular focus but then integrates that practice across all jobs. So, while the growth of new "sustainability officers" in business is waning, the inclusion of sustainability-related principles and practices across all corporate jobs is up.
It comes as no surprise that sustainability workers need broad skill sets. A diverse array of backgrounds, majors and minors inform sustainability careers in business, the report shows. However, business/management, engineering, and environmental studies were the top three. And the top thing sustainability professionals do in the corporate world is strategy development. Indeed, it's all about systems-thinking; also known as convergence.
Convergence has some distinct connotations for higher education.
For instance, students interested in sustainability might want to think about beefing up their education by majoring in a traditional discipline along with a sustainability minor or certificate. For good measure and a dose of reality they might tack on some service/internships in relevant organizations that helps them hone their traditional vocation along with its sustainability implications. However, a straight-ahead "sustainability" degree--even if you can find one--may not be the best, most employable career path.
In light of the above, campuses might better serve their students by offering more industry-specific sustainability minors and certificates. Those are a lot easier to create--and potentially in more demand--than full up majors in sustainability.
Campuses might also think about the implications of increased investor understanding and scrutiny of sustainability risks in their portfolio. The academe has been loath to disclose or divest of unsustainable investments-but the pressure to do so will likely increase over time. Smart investment managers might think about how to get ahead of this trend.
It's also possible that growth in new stand-alone campus sustainability departments has slowed and we also have seen a "peak sustainability" plateau that matches the corporate trend. This may be the trough between new waves or it may be permanent. Either way, it is clear that more campuses are asking more employees to be engaged in sustainability across the horizontal org chart. This is a good thing and may someday portend the extinction of the sustainability silo on campus as it becomes engrained in all job functions.
Campuses need to look at convergence another way as well: the convergence of sustainability as a challenge and opportunity across all disciplines and industry sectors. For instance, the emergence of the sharing economy, sustainability-apps, M2M, resilience, relocalization, and all the other new business trends are places where students need skills-and campuses need to integrate.
If you are still in college, think about what you can learn now that goes to one or more of these trends. If you are a recent grad looking for a job, reframe and remanufacture your knowledge. Take some more courses, do internships. At a minimum read and talk to people. "Learn after you know it all."
For the rest of us working in higher education, let's continue to learn--and learn to like being taught.
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Upcoming Events
'The Art Of Chasing Ice: A Multimedia Discussion With James Balog
April 1 | 7:00 PM
CU Boulder
Macky Auditorium
Join us on April 1st for a captivating evening of ideas, images, and music with photographer and adventurer James Balog, founder of the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) and subject of the award-winning film 'Chasing Ice.' James will be discussing the film, his ongoing work (providing new and never-seen-before footage) while talking with Inside the Greenhouse (ITG) co-founder and CU Professor Beth Osnes.
James Balog, founder of the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) and producer of the recent film 'Chasing Ice' will host this multimedia presentation discussing his film and his ongoing work (providing new and never-seen-before footage) while talking with Inside the Greenhouse (ITG) co-founder Beth Osnes.
Learn more about this event here.
ASE Presents: The Green Bronx Machine
April 3 | 2:00-3:00 PM
CU BoulderDennis Small Cultural Center, UMC 457The Assembly for Sustainability and Equity presents The Green Bronx MachineIn the middle of the South Bronx, one man, Stephen Ritz, is spreading a revolutionary idea. "People do not have to leave their neighborhood to live, learn, and ear in a better one!" Stephen started the Green Bronx Machine to green the lives of children and adults in the South Bronx, the poorest Congressional district in the United States. The Green Bronx Machine is seeding change in the Bronx and beyond by teaching his student and the winder community how to grow food, build sustainably, participate in the green economy, and transform mindsets and landscapes in the innter city. Join ASE for a screening of Stephen Ritz's TedTalk: Green Bronx Machine and a post-discussion on environmental education. For questions email cu.ase@colorado.edu. Sustainable Opportunities Summit
April 9
History Colorado Center
1200 Broadway, Denver
The Annual CORE Sustainable Opportunities Summit is renowned in the Rocky Mountain Region for bringing together the top leaders and brightest thinkers in sustainability and corporate responsible practices, and this year is without exception!
Please join CORE and the collaborating partners on April 9, 2013. This year the summit will be celebrating successes - demonstrating why sustainability works and bringing full circle the history, current progress, and future of responsible corporate practices. For more information, visit http://www.corecolorado.org
Emissions Time Bomb April 15
The Emissions Time Bomb is coming to campus! The time bomb is a display that shows what one ton of CO2 looks like in size. EcoMotion created the inflatable time bomb as part of the "Save a Ton" campaign to galvanize action on an individual basis that collectively will result in significant emissions reductions. The Emissions Time Bomb serves as the community outreach icon for the "Save a Ton" campaign. It is intended raise awareness and to motivate individual actions that will save a ton of money and a ton of carbon dioxide. Imagine if each of us saved a ton this year. Come see the Emissions Time Bomb and learn what you can do to help save a ton!  Earth Day 2013 April 22 Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is a special holiday that commemorates environmental protection and sustainability. Celebrate the earth on April 22 by taking extra steps toward a sustainable lifestyle!
Stay tuned at ecenter.colorado.edu to see what exciting events will happen on the CU campus on Earth Day!
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Sustainability Management Spring Bootcamp in Maymester
Presented by the CU Sustainable Practices Program This non-credit Bootcamp takes place over the 3-week "Maymester" in a classroom on the CU Boulder campus. Comprised of 10 one day courses that have been pre-selected, participants can quickly complete their Professional Certificate in as little as three weeks. This Bootcamp is an opportunity for students to quickly learn applied Sustainability Management tools and skills from leading sustainability professionals who currently teach through the CU Boulder Sustainable Practices Program. In just 10 days students learn the latest and most relevant concepts, facts, tools and techniques related to the growing field of sustainability. This is a fast paced and exciting way to quickly advance into a professional role in one of the most important issue areas and fastest growing careers. Please note: The Bootcamp is an all inclusive offering. Substitutions or partial enrollments are not available. The Bootcamp is part of the Sustainable Practices Program. 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. Learn more on the Continuing Education website. Courses included in the Bootcamp: - Introduction to Sustainability Coordinating - May 13, 2013
- Organizational Change for Sustainability - May 14, 2013
- Communication Strategies for Sustainability - May 15, 2013
- Tools and Techniques for the Sustainability Professional - May 20, 2013
- Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Enterprise - May 21, 2013
- Sustainability Planning: Building the Business Case - May 22, 2013
- Watershed to Waterwise Strategies - May 23, 2013
- Energy for the Sustainability Professional - May 28, 2013
- Zero Waste for the Sustainability Professional - May 29, 2013
- Advanced Sustainability Coordinating - May 30, 2013
Details SPRING BOOTCAMP | ECSP 1000
100 contact hours
MAYMESTER:
May 13, 2013 - May 30, 2013
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wolf Law Building, Room 306
There are no discounts available for the Bootcamp
Enrollment deadline: Monday, April 22, 2013, 5 p.m.
Tuition: $3160 or $1970 for currently enrolled CU Boulder Students
TO ENROLL: Please contact the Continuing Education Department at 303-492-5148
Instructors: Kai Abelkis, Thomas Ochtera, Monica Emerich, Dave Newport, Seana Steffen, KJ McCorry, Paul Lander, Will Toor, Eric Lombardi.
Required texts: A list of required texts will be supplied on completing your enrollment.
Students must bring a laptop with wireless capability to class.
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 Sustainability Spotlight Al Bartlett Professor Emeritus Al Bartlett received a BA degree from Colgate University and MA and PhD degrees in Nuclear Physics from Harvard University. He has been a faculty member at the University of Colorado since 1950. Bartlett is famous for his talk "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy: Sustainability 101." Professor Bartlett has given his celebrated one-hour lecture over 1,600 times to audiences with an average attendance of 80 in the United States and worldwide. He first gave the talk in September 1969, and subsequently has presented it an average of once every 8.5 days for 36 years. "In the late 1960's I began to realize that people didn't understand the large numbers that result from steady growth rates," Bartlett says. "So, forty years ago I developed the talk; I've given it an average of once every 8.7 days for 40 years." Bartlett begins his one-hour talk with the statement, "The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." He then gives a basic introduction to the arithmetic of steady growth, including an explanation of the concept of doubling time. He explains the impact of unending steady growth on the population of Boulder, of Colorado, and of the world. He then examines the consequences of steady growth in a finite environment and observes this growth as applied to fossil fuel consumption, the lifetimes of which are much shorter than the optimistic figures most often quoted. "Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way aided, assisted, or advanced by further increases in population, locally, nationally, or globally?" Bartlett asks. He proceeds to examine oddly reassuring statements from "experts", the media and political leaders - statements that are dramatically inconsistent with the facts. He discusses the widespread worship of economic growth and population growth in western society. Professor Bartlett explains "sustainability" in the context of the First Law of Sustainability: "You cannot sustain population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources." The talk brings the listener to understand and appreciate the implications of unending growth on a finite planet, and closes noting the crucial need for education topic. Bartlett was President of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1978. In 1981 he received the Association's Robert A. Millikan Award for his outstanding scholarly contributions to physics education. In 2008, Bartlett was one of the winners of the The Population Institute 2008 Global Media Award. Watch Prof. Bartlett's short acceptance speech. In 1969 and 1970 he served two terms as the elected Chair of the Faculty Council of all four campuses of the University of Colorado. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 200, Bartlett testified before the US Congress on energy policy. He was awarded one of the first annual M. King Hubbert Awards at the ASPO USA Denver World Oil Conference in the Fall of 2005. In the late 1950s Professor Bartlett was an initiator of a citizens' effort to preserve open space in Boulder, Colorado, which ultimately led to the formation of The City of Boulder's Open Space Program. By 1999, the Program has purchased over 26,000 acres of land for preservation as public open space. Professor Bartlett is a founding member of PLAN-Boulder County, a City and County environmental group. |
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One Million Acts of Green
A sustainability-based social networking platform for the university community
One Million Acts of Green is a social sustainability network that allows CU-Boulder students, faculty, staff and alumni to build individual sustainability plans, track and report progress, see the impacts of commitments and measure carbon footprint reduction.
Users can choose from more than 100 Acts of Green and track the amount of greenhouse gases, electricity and water saved by their actions. Acts include taking public transit instead of driving, carrying a reusable water bottle, and eating vegetarian once per week. Users can even choose to share actions on Facebook and include photos.
Starting April 1st, the CU-Boulder One Million Acts of Green platform will be available for ALL UCB faculty, staff and students. For each faculty, staff or student who participates in One Million Acts of Green, the University of Colorado at Boulder will also work to further improve its carbon footprint and sustainability performance.
The Office of Campus Sustainability will match each new participant (500 faculty and staff and up to 500 students) by committing funding of $10/participant toward campus sustainability projects, up to a total of $10,000.
You will receive a follow up questionnaire when you create your One Million Acts of Green profile. On this follow-up survey, you will be able to select what types of projects and issues are of highest interest to you. Your preferences will help us better understand where you want us to focus our efforts and funding.
Instructions for Using "One Million Acts of Green"
One Million Acts of Green is a tool for CU-Boulder students, faculty and staff to build individual sustainability plans, track and report progress, and see the impact of your commitments and measure carbon footprint reduction. There are over 100 sustainability actions to choose from. Select the eco-friendly actions you already do at home or on campus. As you undertake new actions, come back and update your assessment. You can choose to share your actions on facebook. You can upload photos of your sustainability actions too!
Step 1: set up your profile. You need a colorado.edu email address to join the platform.
Step 2: select a campus building to affiliate with
Step 3: select your green acts
Step 4: tell your friends and colleagues!
Step 5: update your Acts of Green
Faculty and Staff:
Please select the campus building where your office is located. In the Acts of Green menu, you may choose At Home actions and/or At Work actions.
Suggested Acts for UCB Faculty and Staff relevant to the office environment on campus: List forthcoming
Students:
When you create your account, you will need to indicate your expected date of graduation. When you graduate, you will receive a message to transfer your profile to "alumni" status within 30 days. If you choose not to transfer to alumni status, your account will be deactivated.
If you choose to affiliate with a group, select the campus building which your major is located. If you change majors, please change your building affiliation.
Click here to learn more about One Million Acts of Green and create your account!
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Move Out 2013
Don't dump spare furniture and items into the landfill -- reuse and recycle with E-Center Recycling!
When students move out of the residence halls on campus each year, the Environmental Center and Goodwill are there to help direct reusing and recycling efforts.
As students move out of the residence halls on campus, the increased trend has been to leave behind any unwanted items. Most of the time, these items are highly usable and deserve another life.
To divert these usable items from the landfill, CU Recycling has held an annual Reusable Items Drive during Student Move Out since 2004.
On average, 10-12 tons of Reusable Items are donated in the Halls during move out, diverting these items to another life through local thrift stores and other charitable organizations.
In its most successful year to date, Move Out 2012 saved more than 21 tons of food, clothing and household items that dorm residents disposed of as they headed out for the summer. That is 43,688 lbs, or 307 cubic yards of landfill space!
Altogether, 23 donation stations were set up in the lobbies of residence halls for the last two weeks of classes/finals. Materials collected included clothing, bedding, towels, furniture, small appliances, kitchenware, office products, and sporting goods. Separate containers were set up to collect non-perishable food items and personal care products.
Items that can't be sold are recycled--even stuffed animals! According to Goodwill, 80 percent of all donations they receive are sold or recycled. Only 20 percent of the donations they receive end up going to the landfill.
Capturing these reusable items also creates a social benefit by channeling these quality "left-overs" to people of lower incomes. For the first year, CU Recycling partnered with Goodwill to provide daily collections from each donation station. Without the help of Goodwill, CU Recycling would not have had the manpower or the equipment to properly run the Reusable Items drive. Items were taken to the Goodwill Denver warehouse, sorted and delivered to their various thrift stores in Colorado. For the items that were not high enough quality to sell in their stores, Goodwill has an extensive "tiered" process for selling the items at lower cost.
Let's improve our record and divert even more reusable and recyclable items from the landfill during Move Out 2013!
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Food and Environmental Justice Week
April 15 - 18th
The mission of Food and Environmental Justice Week is to promote education and involvement of the disproportionate distribution of environmental burdens and environmental benefits based on race, socio-economic status, gender and ethnicity. In keeping with the principles of Environmental Justice, the Food Justice movement aims to change our contemporary food system so that the benefits and risks of where, what and how food is grown, produced, distributed, eaten and disposed of are shared fairly. We envision a food system in which all activities, from farm to table, are equitable, nutritious, educational, culturally appropriate and community-driven. To this end, partners in Food and Environmental Justice week are hosting a series of films, speakers, a food drive and a Sustainable Foods Fair to connect the CU community with Food and Environmental Justice initiatives at the local, national and international levels.
Come and participate in their food drive, fair, and events to learn how to get more involved in environmental justice issues on and around campus.
Schedule:
Monday, April 15 | 6:00-8:00pm
A Place at the Table: Film Screening
Location TBA
Tuesday, April 16 | 6:00-8:00pm
Sowing Seeds for Change: Panel Discussion with the Friendship City Project in Jalapa Nicaragua
HUMN 135
Wednesday, April 17 | 11:00am-3:00pm
Buffalo Can Challenge and Sustainable Food Fair
UMC Fountains
Wednesday, April 17 | 5:00-7:00pm
The Island President: Film Screening followed by live webinar with film creator
HUMN 135
Thursday, April 18 | 6:00-8:00pm
Forks Over Knives: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
HUMN 135
Saturday, April 27 | various times
Better Boulder Better World Volunteer Event
Various location
Check out the Food and Environmental Justice Week website to keep up to date.
For more information email cu.ase@colorado.edu.
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G.N.A.R.
Go Now and Recycle!
G.N.A.R. stands for Go Now and Recycle, an initiative to get you the facts to live sustainably! In 2008, CU became the first major university to commit to zero-waste football games with Green Stampede. In 2011, we diverted 88% of game day waste from the landfill and won the Environmental Protection Agency Game Day Challenge. In the 2011-2012 school year, the campus landfill diversion rate was only 41.3%. Let's top that. Help CU get to the Campus Zero Waste Goal of 90% landfill diversion by 2020! You can do this by paying attention to recyclable and compostable items and placing them in the right bins. Cans, bottles and office paper belong in the recycling bin, while plastic bags, napkins and coffee cups should be kept out of recycling bins. To make this easier, ALL outdoor trash bins have now been paired with recycling bins. Did you know that humans produce 2.6 billion pounds of landfill waste every year? That's the equivalent of 7,000 empire state buildings. But you can make a difference by participating in G.N.A.R. If everyone on campus recycled, it would save almost 6 million plastic bottles per year, which in turn would save over 185,000 gallons of oil used in production. Recycling also helps save money! Recycled aluminum uses 95% less energy than cans made from scratch, while recycled plastic uses 70% less energy than plastic made from scratch, and recycled paper uses 40% less energy than paper made from scratch. We can't save the world with one piece missing, so G.N.A.R. at CU! If you want to do more with GNAR, Tweet or Instagram about your recycling efforts. Use #GNAR and be sure to follow the E-Center on Twitter @EcenterCU. G.N.A.R. is presented by the CU Environmental Center. Learn more at ecenter.colorado.edu/recycling.
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