Campus Sustainability
Contact Information:
UCCS Office of Sustainability
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy CSB 207
Colorado Springs CO 80918
sustain@uccs.edu
Telephone: 719-255-3089
Linda Kogan
Director, Office of Sustainability
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy CSB 207
Colorado Springs CO 80918
lkogan@uccs.edu
Telephone: 719-255-3757
Sustainability Tours:
Members of the UCCS Sustainability Office are available to lead campus tours that highlight sustainability initiatives. Highlights include a focus on LEED certification and high performance buildings, including the Recreation Center and Science Engineering, introduction to our single-stream recycling program, and a visit to our organic garden. Please call us at 255-3089 so that we can design a tour that meets the needs of your group.
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Climate
At UCCS, we are working to reduce our carbon emissions and incorporating sustainability into the curriculum to increase the ecological literacy of our graduates. In 2007, Chancellor Shockley-Zalabak became a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Along with more than 500 schools, UCCS will neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate its research and educational efforts to equip students to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.
The UCCS Climate Action Committee is completing a greenhouse gas inventory, developing a long-term plan for carbon neutrality, and implementing several short-term carbon reduction strategies. Strategies already implemented include:
• A commitment to LEED silver certification or equivalent on all new buildings or major renovations,
• An Energy Star appliance policy,
• Participation in the waste minimization component of RecycleMania, a nationwide competition among higher education institutions to increase awareness and recycling rates.
UCCS will submit its Climate Action Plan to ACUPCC by January 15th, 2010.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Using the Clean Air Cool Planet (CACP) tool, UCCS recently completed its first greenhouse gas inventory -- the results are displayed in the chart below.
Measured emissions for the 2008 school year were approximately 29,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MteCO2). Some gasses are more potent than others with regard to global warming potential, so emissions are expressed in a common metric to compare their impacts. The inventory measured emissions from buildings, campus fleet, commuting, academic-related airline travel, and waste. Roughly 55% of our emissions are produced from the operations of our buildings, from electricity for lighting, computers, equipment, and cooling, and natural gas for heating.
Ecological Footprint
Another way to look at the impact of UCCS on the environment is to examine the ecological footprint of the campus. This summary of this analysis, prepared by a UCCS graduate student in 2004, is displayed on the map below.
The ecological footprint indicates that the UCCS campus requires more than 34,000 acres--an area 67 times larger than the actual campus--to supply the necessary resources and assilimate waste on an annual basis. This analysis measured the consumption and assimilated waste of the university and determined the specific biologically productive area, or footprint, necessary to sustain the energy, transportation, food, paper, water, and solid waste for the campus. Recommendataions to reduce the campus ecological footprint have been incorporated into campus sustainability strategies.
Contact Information:
UCCS Office of Sustainability
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy CSB 207
Colorado Springs CO 80918
sustain@uccs.edu
Telephone: 719-255-3089
Linda Kogan
Director, Office of Sustainability
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy CSB 207
Colorado Springs CO 80918
lkogan@uccs.edu
Telephone: 719-255-3757
Sustainability Tours:
Members of the UCCS Sustainability Office are available to lead campus tours that highlight sustainability initiatives. Highlights include a focus on LEED certification and high performance buildings, including the Recreation Center and Science Engineering, introduction to our single-stream recycling program, and a visit to our organic garden. Please call us at 255-3089 so that we can design a tour that meets the needs of your group.
Climate
At UCCS, we are working to reduce our carbon emissions and incorporating sustainability into the curriculum to increase the ecological literacy of our graduates. In 2007, Chancellor Shockley-Zalabak became a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Along with more than 500 schools, UCCS will neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate its research and educational efforts to equip students to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.
The UCCS Climate Action Committee is completing a greenhouse gas inventory, developing a long-term plan for carbon neutrality, and implementing several short-term carbon reduction strategies. Strategies already implemented include:
• A commitment to LEED silver certification or equivalent on all new buildings or major renovations,
• An Energy Star appliance policy,
• Participation in the waste minimization component of RecycleMania, a nationwide competition among higher education institutions to increase awareness and recycling rates.
UCCS will submit its Climate Action Plan to ACUPCC by January 15th, 2010.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Using the Clean Air Cool Planet (CACP) tool, UCCS recently completed its first greenhouse gas inventory -- the results are displayed in the chart below.
Measured emissions for the 2008 school year were approximately 29,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MteCO2). Some gasses are more potent than others with regard to global warming potential, so emissions are expressed in a common metric to compare their impacts. The inventory measured emissions from buildings, campus fleet, commuting, academic-related airline travel, and waste. Roughly 55% of our emissions are produced from the operations of our buildings, from electricity for lighting, computers, equipment, and cooling, and natural gas for heating.
Ecological Footprint
Another way to look at the impact of UCCS on the environment is to examine the ecological footprint of the campus. This summary of this analysis, prepared by a UCCS graduate student in 2004, is displayed on the map below.
The ecological footprint indicates that the UCCS campus requires more than 34,000 acres--an area 67 times larger than the actual campus--to supply the necessary resources and assilimate waste on an annual basis. This analysis measured the consumption and assimilated waste of the university and determined the specific biologically productive area, or footprint, necessary to sustain the energy, transportation, food, paper, water, and solid waste for the campus. Recommendataions to reduce the campus ecological footprint have been incorporated into campus sustainability strategies.