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The CC Sustainability Awards annually recognize contributions CC individuals make to the campus, local, regional, or global environment. Examples include the development of a campus environmental initiative, publication of independent research or literature related to the environment, or rehabilitation of impacted wildlife habitat. Historically, awards have gone to one member of the faculty, staff and student body. In 2010, we recognized that some of the best sustainability-related work is the product of collaboration; therefore we are expanding the awards to recognize outstanding teams!

2010 CC Sustainability Awards

Emil Dimantchev, ‘11
As an active member of EnAct, a State of the Rockies researcher, student government representative to the Campus Sustainability Council, and new intern for the Office of Sustainability, Emil Dimantchev stands out as a motivated student leader committed to advancing the College’s sustainability efforts and educating his peers. This year, Emil helped develop and promote an internal carbon offset program, organized a faculty panel addressing climate change legislation, coordinated an Energy Challenge amongst CC’s residence halls, and was a lead organizer for one of the most robust and engaging Earth Weeks in CC history.

Gail Rogers, Staff Assistant, Classics and Comparative Literature
The Sustainability Champions Network, launched in the spring of 2009, supports CC individuals who are committed to educating themselves about sustainability, acting as role models to their peers, and promoting conservation in their offices, departments or living spaces. Gail Rogers, staff assistant to the Classics and Comparative Literature department, was an inspiration for developing the program. According to a faculty member, Gail “has done an excellent job of making us aware of how we can have a greener working environment. While she is concerned with sustainability on the very minute level (recycling paper, closing blinds, turning off computers), she is also responsible for major changes in the office, which have a large impact on our departments' sustainability.” This year, Gail procured funds for renovating the departmental office, installing a sink in which to wash dishes (no more paper), and a water filtration system to phase out bottled water.  

Tom Allen, Director of Custodial Operations
What do single stream recycling, water conservation, worker health, carbon neutrality and green building have in common? They are all part of CC’s sustainability goals, and the College’s recent successes in all of these areas have been supported by the diligent and thoughtful work of CC’s Director of Custodial Operations, Tom Allen. Tom has successfully implemented single stream recycling across campus. Thanks to Tom’s data tracking strategy, we know that this program diverts between 40% and 50% of CC’s waste from landfills (up from 15% before the program’s inception), which mitigates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with solid waste. CC’s award-winning green cleaning program, designed and enacted by Sodexo Custodial Operations, protects our community from harmful chemicals, improves indoor air quality, and promotes water conservation. It also earned the Cornerstone Arts Center an Innovation Credit in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification process and is now being premiered in Sodexo facilities nationwide.

Group Awards

The Office of Communications
Several years ago, many sustainability initiatives were underway on campus, but the story behind them was often missing. Today, thanks to the support of our Office of Communications, the College is telling its sustainability story in a vivid and exciting way, both to the campus community and to the rest of the world! The new website and virtual tour serve as high-visibility tools for education and outreach. Sustainability-related stories are featured regularly on the home page, in the Bulletin, in Around the Block, and in national reports. As we work serve as a model for campus and community sustainability, the Office of Communications plays a key role in conveying our actions to our community. Special thanks to Mark Lee, Jen Kulier, Karen To and Leslie Weddell!

Mark Wilson and the Barnes/Olin Sustainability Champions Team
Science buildings can prove to be particularly challenging in a quest to conserve energy and materials. They are home to resource-intense research labs, which usually feature a wide array of equipment and heavy use on the block plan. Professor Mark Wilson (Biology) has taken on the challenge of promoting resource conservation in two of our noted “energy hog” buildings. Earlier this year, he enlisted resident chemists, physicists, and fellow biologists to the Barnes/Olin sustainability team, and they have since mobilized to survey space usage and equipment loads. In recent months, they have enacted energy conservation measures specific to labs, and the students have taken notice.

Explore initiatives at CC!

When people ask what sustainability measures Colorado College has initiated, do you point with pride to pervious paving? Compliment the composting program? Praise The Preserve? Expound enthusiastically on the environmental mobile lab and energy audits?

Colorado College has a variety of sustainability initiatives in place, and to help increase awareness of them, the Campus Sustainability Council, with the help of the Office of Communications, has launched the Campus Sustainability Virtual Tour: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/welcome/tour/sustainability/.

Links to the site are posted on CC’s internal and external home pages, as well as the sustainability page.
The online tour is the brainchild of George Eckhardt in facilities services, and Mark Lee and Jen Kulier in the office of communications. All three are members of the Campus Sustainability Council.
“We wanted to promote awareness to the campus community and the larger outside community as to what the various efforts are at CC with regards to sustainability,” Lee said.
“So many things are happening on campus, and we wanted to locate all initiatives in one place,” said Kulier. “Hopefully, the more people learn about it, the more they will get involved.”
The tour, which includes text, photos, video, and maps, has 16 major points of interest, as well as one called “More Sustainability Initiatives.” Among the initiatives featured on the tour are the CC Student Garden, the solar panels on the Edith Gaylord Apartments, the car-sharing program, and water-saving landscaping. The online tour also includes an option for a printable version for those who want one.
The online sustainability tour, which took about three months to create, develop, and post, is aimed at multiple audiences: the campus community, alumni, prospective students, and community members.
“This sustainability tour will be invaluable in communicating to everyone on how the broader college community is contributing to campus sustainability. I learned a lot from going through the tour myself,” Eckhardt said.

Story by Leslie Weddell, for "Around the Block"

The Colorado Springs Streetcar Feasibility Study will explore the relationship between streetcars and urban development in Colorado Springs by examining the feasibility of implementing a streetcar system for downtown Colorado Springs and surrounding areas along with the associated economic impact.

Supporting business, residential and cultural development in the downtown core is an important land use and economic development goal for the City of Colorado Springs. Based on the successful implementation of streetcar service and the corresponding economic development in other cities across the United States, the City of Colorado Springs is looking at the feasibility of building a streetcar system to encourage business, residential and cultural development in the downtown core.

Tools to Reduce the Impact of Commuting

Each year, students, faculty, and staff commuting to and from campus account for nearly 600 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The Office of Sustainability and the Campus Sustainability have launched several programs and tools to cut emissions associated with commuting to and from campus.

Commuter Offset Calculator

Commuters can use the carbon offset calculator to gauge their personal contributions to greenhouse gas emissions associated with daily travel. The calculator is hosted online at http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/offsetcalc. Based on how many days per week one commutes, how far, and how fuel-efficient vehicles are, commuters can learn the monetary and environmental cost of their trips. They can also make a donation to offset their travel. Donations benefit the EcoFund, which in turn funds on-campus carbon reduction projects.

Virtual Rideshare Board

The block plan provides students with a unique intellectual adventure, and block breaks offer knowledge-saturated students the opportunity for even more adventure. During these four and a half day breaks, students drive and fly all over the country. The virtual rideshare board connects drivers and passengers to reduce the number of empty car seats, encourage carpooling, and reducing carbon emissions, all while promoting community. To join, visit http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/rideshare

Connect Carshare

New to CC this year is the Hertz car-sharing program. Hertz Connect Carshare gives members of the CC community access to a car without having to bear the costs associated with owning a car. Currently, there are two vehicles, a Toyota Prius and a hybrid Ford Escape, available to participants. The access to these fuel-efficient vehicles will discourage CC students from purchasing their owns cars and encourages members to drive only when they need to. Overall, this results in fewer CO₂ emissions and fewer cars on the road. For details or to join, visit Hertz Connect for Colorado College .

Predock-designed building earns coveted U.S. Green Building Council recognition

Colorado College’s Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center has been awarded gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 72,419-square-foot arts teaching and performance building, designed by award-winning architect Antoine Predock and opened in fall 2008, earned LEED points in the categories of sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

LEED-certified buildings are designed to protect local ecosystems, conserve natural resources, reduce building operation costs, enhance asset value and profits, have superior indoor air quality and foster occupant health and productivity. Certification is awarded to only those buildings that meet strict performance and sustainability goals.

“We are pleased by this rating primarily because it indicates that we are doing the right thing,” said Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste. “A great deal of credit goes to the many dedicated people who worked on this building from start to finish. And our students deserve credit for advocating strongly for LEED certification.”

Colorado College pursued LEED certification of the arts building as one of the campus’ many efforts toward sustainability. In April, Celeste signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, with a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2020. The college completed a comprehensive environmental inventory and sustainability plan; its long-term goal is to become carbon-regenerative and a net energy producer.

Specific areas where the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center earned LEED points include the following:

• Erosion and sedimentation control
• Site selection
• Urban redevelopment
• Alternative transportation: public transportation access; bicycle storage and changing rooms; parking sites for low-emission and fuel efficient vehicles; parking capacity
• Reduced site disturbance, protected or restored open space
• Storm water management and treatment
• Landscape and exterior design to reduce non-roof heat islands
• Water-efficient landscaping
• Water-use reduction
• Optimize energy performance
• Ozone depletion measures (heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems do not contain HCFCs or halons)
• Green power (half of the building’s regulated electricity use is supplied by renewable power)
• Construction waste management (67.9 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfill disposal)
• Recycled content (combined recycled content value is 37.4 percent of the total materials by cost)
• Local/regional materials (43.1percent of the total project's materials by cost were manufactured within 500 miles of the project site, and 23.87 percent of the total project's materials by cost were manufactured using raw materials harvested within 500 miles of the project site)
• Carbon dioxide monitoring
• Internal air quality management plans were used before, during construction and before occupancy
• Low emitting materials used (green adhesives, sealants, paints and carpets)
• Lighting controllability
• Thermal comfort and monitoring systems
• Daylight and views for 90.4 percent of spaces
• Innovation in design: educational outreach; exemplary performance for at least 40 percent water use reduction; and exemplary performance for at least 30 percent recycled content; and green housecleaning program

The executive architectural firm working on the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was Anderson Mason Dale PC, and the contractor was Mortenson Construction.

In 2005, Colorado College’s 54,123-square-foot Russell T. Tutt Science Center was the first building in southern Colorado to earn LEED certification. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments and private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

The $33.4 million Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center is an interdisciplinary arts teaching and performance building with a 450-seat main theater, screening room, digital media labs, performance studios, costume shop, scene shop, “messy room” and flexible classrooms. The building features the IDEA (InterDisciplinary Experimental Arts) Space, an installation area that hosts a series of exhibitions, speakers, films, workshops and performances that integrate the visual and performing arts into the campus and the broader community. The building encourages interdisciplinary study, collaboration and experimentation.

The arts center is named for Edith Kinney Gaylord, who attended Colorado College, served on its board of trustees and was one of the college’s greatest benefactors. Gaylord, who died in 2001, founded the Inasmuch Foundation to support education, arts and culture, health and human services, historic preservation and environmental concerns. The Inasmuch Foundation donated $10 million to Colorado College for the building.

In September, the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was awarded the 2009 Honor Award by both the Denver and New Mexico chapters of the American Institute of Architects. The building’s additional recognitions include:

• 2009 Design/Delivery Process Innovation Award Using BIM, Technology in Architectural Practice Building Information Model Awards, American Institute of Architects
• 2009 North American Copper in Architecture Award, Copper Development Association, Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association
• 2009 Best Building, 15th Annual Best of the Springs, The (Colorado Springs) Gazette
• 2008 Gold Hard Hat Award, Outstanding Architectural Design Project, Colorado Construction Magazine

For additional information about the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, visit http://www.coloradocollege.edu/news_events/Cornerstone/.

About LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Certified, silver, gold and platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

David Sullivan, Lizzy Stephan, Miro Kummel, George Eckhardt & Emily Wright

The CC Sustainability Awards annually recognize contributions CC individuals make to the campus, local, regional, or global environment. Recipients are nominated by the campus community. In 2009, the Campus Sustainability Council and the Office of Sustainability recognize:

David Sullivan ‘09
Sustainability Founder’s Award

During the last several years as sustainability commitments at CC have taken root, David has been there: the first CC Sustainability Office Intern, co-chair of EnAct, Bike Co-op guru – he has done it all. David demonstrates incisive analysis combined with mechanical skills as well as clear communication with inspiring leadership. He is as good with the nuts and bolts (literally) as he is understanding and communicating the big picture. As he graduates, he leaves a very different and very green campus behind.

Lizzy Stephan ‘11
Be the Change Award

Lizzy co-organized Earth Week as a first year at CC and co-chaired EnAct as well as served as a Sustainability Intern during her second year. She and Beth Kochevar wrote a successful grant that established tangible resources for campus energy conservation and brought the prestigious Sustainable Endowments Institute to campus. SEI liked her so much they offered her an internship. One of her peers writes, “Lizzy is the change she wants to see in the world and that is why she is so effective in fighting for progress on campus. She walks the walk. She has taught me everything I now know about how to achieve change on a college campus.”

Miro Kummel, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Cultivating Sustainability Award

While seven separate CC students were nominated for their work on the CC Farm, every single one of the nominators named Miro for special recognition. The success of bringing the CC Farm onto campus, its vital student participation and the plan for long-range viability of the project can all be traced to the guiding spirit Miro provides this community. Known for his ability to integrate his far-reaching ecological understanding with his commitment to innovative practices, it is his generosity of spirit and willingness to go above and beyond that endears him to his students and colleagues alike.

George Eckhardt, Assistant Director of Facilities
Sustainability Champion Award

Some peer colleges report having to push or coerce their facilities operations to take sustainability seriously. At CC, the Campus Sustainability Council has a hard time keeping up with Facilities and all agree the George is at the head of the pack. Whether it is seeing creative technical solutions where others see obstacles or enthusiastically recruiting allies from every campus building and department, George is one of the earliest and most untiring champions of sustainability at CC.

Emily Wright ’04
Sustainable Excellence Award

Emily may go down in the CC green record books for the most nominations ever. A 2004 CC grad, Emily returned to CC last year to guide the development of our comprehensive energy inventory and sustainability plan. That would be enough work for anyone, but Emily has become central to nearly everything sustainability at CC. Next year, she will coordinate sustainability efforts at CC. One colleague describes Emily as the "workhorse", "glue", "traffic-cop", "motivator", who excels at "walking-the-talk", as well as "talking-the-walk". A student nominator writes, “Emily knows all there is to know about sustainability and is constantly pushing herself to know more, but the thing that is most amazing about her is her ability and willingness to teach others what she knows. Needless to say, Emily gets stuff done. She is a model of commitment. “

aCClimate14 yields results.

Colorado College estimates that during the course of its 14-week “aCClimate14” conservation campaign throughout the spring semester, the college saved nearly $100,000 in utility costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 378 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The "aCClimate14" effort was a campus-wide resource conservation campaign designed to achieve a 14 percent reduction in electricity, heat and water use through behavioral change. Each of the 14 weeks in the semester focused on different daily habits, such as computing, bathing, transportation or studying.

The campaign included various communal tools to encourage behavioral shifts, including drying racks, outdoor recycling receptacles, shower timers and plug-in electric meters.

The initiative was launched by the Campus Sustainability Council and EnAct, the student environmental action group. The acclimate14 report, compiled at the end of the semester, looks at electricity, natural gas and potable water usage for January through April of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008, as well as a 14-week recycling initiative.

The resulting savings are impressive, especially considering that the figures for 2009 include the addition of CC’s new 72,000-square-foot Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, which went online in May 2008. If the comparison is made without the interdisciplinary Cornerstone Arts Center, the Campus Sustainability Council estimates savings of $130,000 in January through April 2009, with a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 613 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Waste reduction also was one of the campaign’s goals, and in 2009 Colorado College participated for the first time in Recyclemania, a friendly, nationwide competition aimed at promoting waste reduction on campuses. The college finished in the top 5 percent of the nearly 300 participating colleges and universities.

In late January, students from Colorado College built a “Trash Peak,” a 30-cubic-yard mountain of trash on the central quad, representative of the amount of solid waste that CC generates in a single day. During lunch, student organizers conducted an audit, dividing the trash into reusable items, recyclables, compost and actual trash destined for the landfill. From the audit, it was estimated that CC could improve its waste diversion rate (the percentage of the waste stream diverted from landfills) by close to 45 percent, and the Campus Sustainability Plan includes a goal to achieve a 50 percent waste diversion rate. Prior to this year, CC’s waste diversion rate was estimated to be between 15 percent and 20 percent.

The entire report can be viewed at: http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/files/aCClimate14%20Report.pdf

CC Places in Top 10 Percent in RecycleMania Competition

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: With Initial Work Done

Colorado College already meets carbon neutrality pledge's requirements for first two years.

Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste didn't sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment two years ago, when it was initiated nationwide.

But when he signed the carbon-neutrality commitment yesterday, CC won't have lost any time at all, already having completed the pledge's first two years of requirements.

Celeste chose not to sign in 2007, preferring first to have more information in hand, including the college's carbon footprint and the efforts necessary for it to reach carbon neutrality. In the meantime, Colorado College has completed a full study of its carbon footprint and drafted a sustainability plan to meet the full goal.

"I purposely did not sign the Presidents Climate Commitment when first asked, as I wanted to ensure that if Colorado College made this commitment, we would fully follow through with it," Celeste said. "The progress we have made on the initiatives is concrete and extensive, and we now enter confidently into this commitment."

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment spokesperson Lee Bodner said, "President Celeste and his team have not only done their homework - they've earned extra credit. By doing such extensive advanced investigation and planning, Colorado College is farther ahead in fulfilling the terms of the Commitment than almost any other school in the country."

Colorado College's proposed goal for achieving climate neutrality is 2020. The college's long-term goal is to become carbon-regenerative and a net energy producer.

The Presidents Climate Commitment, signed by 620 college and university presidents and chancellors across the country, enlists institutions of higher education to shape strategies and create models for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Presidents signing the Commitment pledge to eliminate their campus' greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves:

Within two months of signing, creating institutional structures that can develop and implement a plan for carbon neutrality. Those structures are already in place at Colorado College, in the form of the Campus Sustainability Council and the President's Advisory Council on Sustainability.

Within one year of signing, conducting a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. Colorado College has three years of greenhouse gas emissions reports, from fiscal year 2006 to 2008, with plans to continue tracking emissions annually. CC hired The Brendle Group, a local external sustainability consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive environmental inventory and make recommendations for managing sustainability at the college.

Within two years of signing, submitting an action plan for achieving carbon neutrality.
In recent months, CC's Campus Sustainability Council, with the input of all sectors of campus, drafted the Colorado College Sustainability Plan, which includes initiatives to better manage energy, increasing energy efficiency and conservation, and transition to renewable energy sources. The plan, accepted by the Colorado College Board of Trustees in February, may be viewed at http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/plan.

While the plan is being developed, carrying out two or more of the seven tangible actions set forth by the PCC to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of these, CC already is credited with providing access to public transportation and with numerous initiatives that minimize waste.

Creating interim targets for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality. CC aims to reduce emissions approximately 5% per year through efficiency and conservation measures. In addition, the college is conducting feasibility studies for a large-scale renewable energy project that will cut all emissions associated with electricity and offset other sectors.

Taking actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for all students. Colorado College has well-established environmental science and policy programs, with global climate change courses accessible to all students. In addition, the college is conducting a campus-wide resources conservation campaign that is tied to the energy conservation goals set forth in the college's sustainability plan.

Taking actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality. Research related to climate and energy issues is thriving at CC. For example, the college is erecting an educational solar array to study the potential for solar photovoltaic in the region.

Establishing mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions. The Colorado College Campus Sustainability Council utilizes the Clean Air - Cool Planet tool to calculate and track emissions and will draft an annual report card to demonstrate progress toward carbon neutrality.

Initiating two or more of the following tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed:

• Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent. This policy is informally in place, as demonstrated by CC's two newest buildings, the Russell T. Tutt Science Center, which is LEED certified, and the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, which is pending certification.
• Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist. All major appliances purchased through CC's Facilities Services are ENERGY STAR certified. The department is drafting an official purchasing policy that will feature sustainability standards and metrics, including ENERGY STAR guidelines.
• Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at the institution. Colorado College supports the a free public shuttle system known as the Downtown Area Shuttle, or DASH, that accesses the south end of campus and runs through downtown Colorado Springs.
• Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where the institution's endowment is invested. The CC Campus Sustainability Council has a subcommittee comprised of faculty, staff and students that research and make recommendations on climate-friendly investments.
• Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and adopt three or more associated measures to reduce waste. Colorado College is participating in RecycleMania and has institutionalized several waste minimization measures, including a single-stream recycling program, a GoPrint software initiative to limit paper use, and incentives for reusable containers.

For more information about the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, see http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org

The National Farm to School Program, a collaborative program of Center for Food & Justice (CFJ) and the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), launched a national K-College challenge to produce a video that informs, inspires, and encourages student advocacy to restore connections to community, food, land, and place through Farm to Cafeteria programs. Participants were prompted by the following questions:

1. What does real food mean to you?

2. How does what we eat affect our culture, health, economy, or environment?

3. Make the case for why your cafeteria should start or continue buying local food.

Entries were narrowed down by a panel of judges and then subject to a national voting contest.

The Colorado College Farm Club took first place in the College category!

CC's food provider, Bon Appetit, directs around 45% of its spending to local, organic and natural foods throughout the year, with up to 75% devoted to local food producers during the summer.

You can watch their winning video online.