{"id":8956,"date":"2014-12-04T09:56:31","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T16:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/?p=8956"},"modified":"2014-12-04T09:56:31","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T16:56:31","slug":"cc-wins-silver-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/2014\/12\/cc-wins-silver-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"CC Wins Silver Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorado College presented its first State of Sustainability report<\/a> to the CC community this fall.<\/p>\n

The report, which uses the nationally recognized Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) as a guide, benchmarks the school\u2019s performance across broad sustainability metrics and provides a road map for future improvements and priorities.<\/p>\n

The report addresses the integration of sustainability across campus and the community, seeking to put into action elements of the Strategic Plan. CC received a STARS ranking of silver (based on gold, silver, and bronze).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first year of reporting to STARS, so we didn\u2019t know where we stood,\u201d said CC Sustainability Manager Ian Johnson. \u201cBeing solidly in the silver category is an excellent place to land, considering this has never been a fully coordinated effort before. Now that we have that information, it puts us in a really advantageous position to reach gold in the next year or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

STARS is managed by the Association\u00a0for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and is used by 668 other institutions nationwide.<\/p>\n

Highlights\u00a0from the 2014 state of sustainability report<\/h2>\n

Curriculum<\/h3>\n

Best Practices<\/h5>\n
    \n
  • An inventory of course offerings conducted in late 2013 found that\u00a0<\/span>CC offers 106 sustainability-focused courses and 24 sustainability-related courses (out of a total of 3,604 courses)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 20 of 34 academic departments offer at least one sustainability-focused or sustainability-related course<\/span><\/li>\n
  • CC\u2019s Environmental Program includes majors in environmental science and\u00a0 environmental policy, disciplinary tracks in environmental chemistry and environmental physics, and a thematic minor in environmental issues<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
      \n
    • Possibly add a sustainability learning requirement to the curriculum<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Develop a sustainability literacy assessment<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Research<\/h3>\n

      Best Practices<\/h5>\n
        \n
      • 21 of 155 full-time faculty in 14 of\u00a0<\/span>34 academic departments engaged\u00a0<\/span>in sustainability research<\/span><\/li>\n
      • State of the Rockies Project offers students opportunities to work with faculty and staff in meaningful\u00a0<\/span>research in the Southwest<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
          \n
        • Increase the number of faculty and academic departments actively\u00a0<\/span>involved in sustainability research<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Implement a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct\u00a0<\/span>research in sustainability topics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Engagement<\/h3>\n

          Best Practices<\/h5>\n
            \n
          • Sustainability Office\u2019s ECO-Rep\u00a0<\/span>program promotes peer-to-peer\u00a0<\/span>education to foster sustainable\u00a0<\/span>living practices on and off campus<\/span><\/li>\n
          • New Student Orientation (NSO) includes campus sustainability tours. \u201cSense of Place\u201d programming was added to NSO\u00a0<\/span>in Fall 2014<\/span><\/li>\n
          • 27 co-curricular sustainability\u00a0<\/span>programs active on campus, including the CC Farm, Good Food Club, and Student Divestment Committee<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
              \n
            • Develop sustainability orientation and guidance materials for new employees<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Increase outreach materials and\u00a0<\/span>campus signage<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Public Engagement<\/b><\/h3>\n
              Best Practices<\/b><\/h5>\n
                \n
              • Partnering with other colleges, universities, and organizations to\u00a0<\/span>support and build the campus sustainability community<\/span><\/li>\n
              • 85 percent of CC students contributed more than 32,000 hours of community service in 2012-2013<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                  \n
                • Increase number of CC community members engaged in community service<\/span><\/li>\n
                • Include community service achievements on student transcripts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Operations<\/h3>\n

                  Air and Climate<\/h4>\n

                  Best Practices\/Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                    \n
                  • Goal of carbon neutrality by 2020<\/li>\n
                  • 10.1 percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    Buildings<\/h4>\n

                    Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                      \n
                    • Two LEED-certified buildings; Russell T. Tutt Science Center (2003) and Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center (2009)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      Dining Services<\/h4>\n

                      Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                        \n
                      • 27 percent of $2,787,668 spent on food and beverage purchases were local, community-based, and\/or third-party verified<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        Energy<\/h4>\n

                        Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                          \n
                        • Hired a full-time campus energy manager<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • Introduced first 22-kilowatt array, the largest solar electric system in the Colorado Springs Utilities service area\u00a0<\/span>at the time of permitting<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • In fiscal year 2014, CC purchased 1,992 megawatt hours from wind-based renewable energy<\/span><\/li>\n
                        • Energy consumption down 19 percent since 2008, despite slight increase in building space<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          Grounds<\/h4>\n

                          Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                            \n
                          • Non-potable water sprinkling system<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                            Purchasing<\/h4>\n

                            Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                              \n
                            • 82 percent of total expenditures\u00a0<\/span>on cleaning and janitorial products\u00a0<\/span>are Green Seal-certified<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                              Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                                \n
                              • Implementation of purchasing preferences for disadvantaged, minority, local, and community-based businesses<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                Transportation<\/h4>\n

                                Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                  \n
                                • 22 percent of CC\u2019s fleet considered alternative-fuel vehicles, including gasoline\/electric or non-plug-in hybrids, fully electric vehicles, and vehicles fueled with B20 or higher biofuel for more than four months of the year<\/span><\/li>\n
                                • 76 percent of CC students use sustainable commuting options, including walking, bicycling, and other non-motorized means<\/span><\/li>\n
                                • CC offers ride shares, shuttles to downtown, Colorado Springs and Denver airports, and a van to Breckenridge, Colo.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                  Waste<\/h4>\n

                                  Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                    \n
                                  • In 2012, Colorado College diverted 48 percent of waste produced on campus through recycling and composting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                    Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                                      \n
                                    • Work toward becoming a zero-waste institution and increase waste diversion<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                      Water<\/h4>\n

                                      Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                        \n
                                      • Decreased total water usage by 33 percent since 2008 through xeriscaping, retrofits, and equipment upgrades<\/span><\/li>\n
                                      • 95 percent of vegetated space on campus is irrigated with non-potable reclaimed water, making up 63 percent of the total water usage on campus<\/span><\/li>\n
                                      • Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center parking lot features porous surface to return rainwater and\u00a0<\/span>snowmelt to water table<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                        Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                                          \n
                                        • Increase native, drought-tolerant,\u00a0<\/span>and xeric landscaping on campus<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                          Planning and Administration<\/h3>\n

                                          Coordination, Planning, and\u00a0Governance<\/h4>\n

                                          Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                            \n
                                          • \u201cBuilding on the Block\u201d (the strategic plan) and master planning include sustainability goals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                            Diversity and Affordability<\/h4>\n

                                            Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                              \n
                                            • Campus climate survey conducted by Diversity Task Force, with results informing the strategic plan<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                              Health, Well-being, and Work<\/h4>\n

                                              Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                                \n
                                              • Office of Sustainability models health\u00a0<\/span>and well-being at work through an ergonomic workstation that includes a treadmill desk to reduce sedentary time<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                Investment<\/h4>\n

                                                Best Practices<\/h5>\n
                                                  \n
                                                • 100 percent of CC\u2019s investment pool holdings available for public viewing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                  Priority Actions<\/h5>\n
                                                    \n
                                                  • Establish an active committee on\u00a0<\/span>investor responsibility that has\u00a0<\/span>multi-stakeholder representation<\/span><\/li>\n
                                                  • Develop a sustainable investment policy\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                    Colorado College presented its first State of Sustainability report to the CC community this fall. The report, which uses the nationally recognized Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) as a guide, benchmarks the school\u2019s performance across broad sustainability metrics and provides a road map for future improvements and priorities. The report addresses the integration…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-8956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-december-2014","tag-features"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8956"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9129,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8956\/revisions\/9129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}