Campus Sustainability Awards

This year, there are eight campus sustainability awardees:

• Dr. Shideh Dashti, Green Faculty
  • For her leadership in establishing RISE, a research initiative focusing on climate change, disaster resilience, and sustainability, notably shedding light on the climate vulnerabilities of incarcerated populations in Colorado.
• Brigid Mark, Student Leadership
  • For her instrumental work in advocating for climate equity and student representation in CU Boulder’s Climate Action Plan, contributing expertise in climate justice and extensive outreach efforts to vulnerable communities.
• Micah Borkan, Student Leadership
  • For his dedication and advocacy for student representation and sustainability initiatives at CU, leading legislative efforts and supporting student organizers in shaping CU Boulder's climate policies.
• Professor Dale Miller, Green Faculty
  • For his work as a senior instructor in the CU Boulder Department of Environmental Studies, where he has spent 25 years inspiring countless students to engage in scientific research and effectively communicate their findings.
• David Byrne, Individual Achievement
  • For his meticulous planning and above-and-beyond efforts to relocate and protect approximately 200,000 bees during the 2024 Old Main preservation project, setting a new standard for pollinator protection in construction practices.
• Dave Newport, Legacy Achievement
  • For his 18-year tenure at CU Boulder, which has been marked by co-founding the STARS program, leading initiatives like Ralphie’s Green Stampede and prioritizing student-led sustainability efforts, and the indelible mark on campus sustainability that he has left.
• Tim Schiel, Special Recognition for Civic Achievement
  • For his leadership in restoring Colorado's soils by participating in the Zero Foodprint program, inspiring other campus businesses to join this initiative.
• Creative 3D Printing, Special Recognition for Partnership for Sustainability
  • For their efforts to develop a sustainable method for 3D printing using coffee grounds, water and a few other eco-friendly ingredients.

The CU Green Labs Program recognizes five awardees:

• Alison White, Individual Achievement
  • For her outstanding efforts for sustainability in the Luger Lab and JSCBB over many years
• Bimala Lama, Individual Achievement
  • For her leadership efforts for helium reuse.
• Jose Escobar, Individual Achievement
  • For outstanding work and leadership to keep BioCore research equipment sharing moving forward within MCDB, EBIO, and IPHY.
• John Henderson and George Carter, Partnership for Lab Sustainability
  • For unwavering support and collaborative efforts for lab sustainability in the Engineering Center.
• CEAS Dean’s Office Lab Space Optimization, Leadership Achievement
  • For remarkable efforts for laboratory space optimization which serves as a leadership example for campus.

• Karen Bailey, Green Faculty
• The Colorado Environmental Justice Digital Storytelling Project, Civic Achievement
• Fossil Free CU, Student Leadership
• Emily Yeh, Green Faculty
• Scott King, Outstanding Alumni
• Mountain Research Station, Departmental Achievement
• Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, Civic Achievement

Three partnership initiatives deserve special recognition: 

• Climate Across the Curriculum Training, Special Recognition, Partnership for Sustainability
• Urban Heat Mapping Project, Special Recognition, Partnership for Sustainability
• Buffs One Read, Special Recognition, Partnership for Sustainability

The CU Green Labs Program recognizes three awardees:

• MIMIC Core Facility, Partnership for Lab Sustainability
• Department of Biochemistry Shared Equipment, Departmental Achievement
• CHEM 1021 Green Chemistry Integration, Partnership for Lab Sustainability

Distribution Center Mail and Package Services, Departmental Achievement

• The Distribution Center (DC), which includes Mail & Package Services (MPS), Materials Management, and Property Services, is always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of its operations and services.  Whether through improved routing, centralized distribution, or upgrades to their vehicles, the DC has made numerous efforts over the years to reduce its carbon footprint.  This award recognizes Mail and Package Services effort to target some of its highest mileage routes for the conversion to electric vehicles.  This effort required a ‘ground up’ approach to implementation with steps to secure funds, design and fund the installation of chargers and equipment, and purchase 2 electric vehicles, all in the midst of the pandemic.  The operational lessons and infrastructure will allow them to expand the program into the remainder of its operations and serve as a model for other trades, services, and operations within Facilities Management.

Clint Carroll, Green Faculty

• Professor Clint Carroll is a leading scholar, expert, teacher and mentor on Indigenous plant relations, particularly based in his deeply ethical fieldwork with the Cherokee nation. As a faculty member, he exemplifies this achievement across his research, teaching, and service, linking traditional knowledge with environmental studies.  Professor Carroll is a model leader for students and faculty in thinking through ethical relationships with community engagement, environmental governance, and decolonial ecologies. He is eloquent, energizing, deeply grounded, and insightful. Professor Carroll exemplifies the best of academia: deeply reflexive, student-centered, generous with his time and expertise, and engaging the big questions of our climate transition. He helps us ask: how do we improve human-nonhuman relations? And how do we improve human relations in ways that are decolonial, intergenerational, and sustainable?  

Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, Departmental Achievement

• CNAIS hosts a number of events each year that build community on our campus and feature current work in Indigenous studies and related fields at CU Boulder and beyond. This award recognizes CNAIS’ involvement in the Tribal Climate Leaders Program which is a collaborative climate justice initiative housed at the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center at CU Boulder.  Additionally, CNAIS was integral in the University’s effort to adopt and understand the importance of a systemwide land acknowledgement.  CNAIS continues to work toward the adoption of an official CU Boulder-specific Land Acknowledgement statement.  

NEST Studio for the Arts, Departmental Achievement

• Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts is part of the campus-wide Grand Challenge initiative. It aims to leverage two of CU Boulder's greatest strengths—internationally-renowned scientific research and the broad range of cutting-edge artistic practices.  NEST is a cross-campus network of faculty, students, centers and campus units that combine artistic practice and scientific research that explores our common and disparate ways of observing, recording, experimenting and knowing. NEST is Spearheaded by co-Investigators Erin Espelie (Assistant Professor, Film Studies Program and Department of Critical Media Practices), Tara Knight (Associate Professor, Department of Critical Media Practices), and Joanne Guillery NEST Office Manager.  NEST develops exhibitions, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, funds graduate student’s research and creative work, runs public programs and workshops, and hosts events with the clear mission of celebrating a meaningful and empowering dialogue between the sciences and the arts. Over ten thousand individuals have attended or participated in a NEST exhibition or event in the past four years. The work of NEST projects contributes to the conversations and understanding of the issues we face today, including climate change, human rights, resource scarcity, environmental microplastics, vanishing glaciers, habitat loss, and fracking.  

CIRES Earth Lab, Civic Achievement

• CIRES'  Earth Lab’s mission is to harness the data revolution through research, analytics, and education to accelerate understanding of global environmental change to help society better manage and adapt.  This award recognizes Earth Lab’s response to the Marshall fire as one example of how Earth Lab specializes in data-intensive open, reproducible environmental science.  After the Marshall Fire became the most destructive and one of the most unique wildfires in Colorado history, CU Boulder researchers from across campus—many of them personally affected by the fire—pivoted and applied their expertise to the aftermath, hoping to learn from a tragedy in their own backyard and help prepare the country for the next “climate fire.”  In the days following the fire, interviews with Earth Lab fire experts – including Jennifer Balch, Natasha Stavros, Chelsea Nagy, Adam Mahood, and Phil Higuera – were featured in over forty media outlets. While we hope to avoid any tragedy like the Marshall Fire again, Earth Lab’s ability to provide knowledge and tools to our community and spread the word about fire resiliency on the Front Range and beyond deserves recognition.

Facilities Management Outdoor Services, Departmental Achievement

• The effort to electrify handheld equipment in Outdoor Services, beginning in earnest in October of 2017, is an ongoing partnership between FM Outdoor Services (OS), Utilities & Energy Services (UES), and I&S Sustainability (I&S).  All of the divisions w/in OS (Forestry, Grounds, Irrigation, Turf) have begun the transition to electric equipment for use in daily operations.   Electric equipment currently in use across OS includes:  string trimmers, handheld & backpack blowers, push mowers, snow blowers, portable power stations, trim saws, and pole saws.  This effort over the past four years has yielded invaluable information to the manufacturers, to the campus in the form of a true operating cost and trade-offs of electric equipment, and to our colleagues on other campuses.  In order to continue to convert equipment over the coming years, OS will need expanded charging infrastructure.  This demonstrated need will now be addressed as part of a broader initiative to expand charging infrastructure and EV use across campus.  

Claudius Mundoma, Special Recognition for Individual Achievement

• Claudius has led efforts that have led to increased financial support for and usage of core facilities.  By helping the cores to become more sustainable and impactful, Claudius has helped maintain the sustainability of the research environment of CU Boulder.  Claudius has been able to give the cores a unified voice, which has led to the development of the Core Facility Grant Program and the Core Facility Voucher Program.  As the cores support 100's of millions of research dollars every year, including hundreds of researchers and labs across campus and within the region, increased support and capabilities have directly impacted the entire scientific community.

Office of Chancellor Events and Outreach Team, Departmental Achievement

• This award recognizes the efforts of Sarah Hallock Adderholt, Kylee Thomas, Jacqueline Loya and Julie Kraft.  Events have a large impact on our campus. When students, staff,  parents and alumni visit campus for an event like a graduation they're able to see CU's commitment to sustainability.  The fact that the team puts the effort in to not only divert waste, but also reduce it at its source is commendable and important for such high profile events.  The events team made tremendous effort this last year to make some of the largest events on campus zero waste. The main events the team has worked on include Buffs Welcome Back field day, Night on Norlin, 2020/21 graduate celebration, a concert series on The Hill, and graduation and commencement events. 

Physics Department Helium Facility, Partnership for Lab Sustainability

• Helium has become an endangered element. About a decade ago, the Physics Department had the foresight to establish a helium liquifying facility which enables re-use of this finite resource while saving research funding.  As researchers in Physics, JILA, and LASP use liquid helium, it is captured and sent to the helium facility to be re-liquified.

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Departmental Achievement

• Since at least 2003, whenever the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department faces laboratory space constraints, the department faculty choose to conduct self-assessments of lab space utilization and re-allocation.  Laboratories are one of the most energy-intensive and expensive campus spaces to build.  As a result, this action for optimized use of lab space serves as a leadership example for achieving significant efficiency in scientific research.  

JILA W. M. Keck Lab, Laboratory Achievement

• The JILA Keck Lab demonstrates exemplary sharing of research equipment with scientists across campus and beyond.  In addition to well-maintained, important fabrication and characterization equipment within the shared clean room and metrology lab, this core has established shared fume hoods.  Sharing of fume hoods is a leadership example that can be copied in laboratory buildings across campus to reduce the need for more energy-intensive fume hoods.

Campus Transportation Electrification Initiative, Partnership for Sustainability Award

This award recognizes the campus effort to install 51 Electric Vehicle charging ports to date.   Parking Services and Infrastructure and Sustainability have led this partnership, with multiple individual departments contributing funds to install chargers.   Electrifying transportation is crucial for both Colorado and CU Boulder to attain their greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. As campus infrastructure increases availability of EV ports, campus commuters are encouraged to purchase electric vehicles, knowing they can charge while on campus.  Initial and ongoing expansion of CU Boulder's charging network has been due in large part to effective collaboration of multiple groups on campus. This teamwork allowed the group to leverage an additional $150,000 with Charge Ahead Colorado grants. This is truly a group effort, from the first charger at Wolf law in 2010, to this milestone of more than 50 charging ports now on campus.  With a long list of past and present contributors, special recognition goes to Clark Rider who, since 2015, has been instrumental in securing grant funds and overseeing the campus electric vehicle charging network.  

Past and present contributors include:

• Parking Services – Tom McGann, Shauna Atkins, Tracy Humphrey, Liz Marsis
• I&S Sustainability – Clark Rider, Ed von Bleichert, David Cook
• Utility & Energy Services – Ellen Edwards
• SEEC – Emina Begovic
• Biotech – Lee Silbert
• University Libraries - Robert McDonald
• Environmental Center - Dan Baril
• University Memorial Center – Jimmie Baker
• Facilities Management – Fred Hebert
• Planning Design &Construction – Chris Sachs, Stephen Graziano, Peter Nelson, Moe Tabrizi
• Athletics - Jason Depaepe
• College of Arts and Sciences - Zack Tupper

Kirsten Rowell,  Individual Achievement Award

• In Kirsten’s multiple positions, she consistently advocates that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) be critical and central components of any effort.  Her commitment to create a more just and sustainable world is infused in her work as director of the Global Sustainability Scholars (GSS) Program of Sustainability Innovation Lab at Colorado, director of RIO Research LEADERSHIP Program, and as Associate Faculty of Environmental Studies.  Her passion for sustainability and DEI inspired her to build the GSS program which trains and supports rising young professionals  from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and world views to work with leading scientists on critical sustainability challenges. This effort spans cultures, borders and disciplines.  Kirsten advocated successfully for a scholarship specifically for CU students to be part of the GSS Fellows program.  With the RIO Faculty Fellows program, she has ensured that sustainability and inclusion excellence are a priority.  Kirsten has been developing programs that focus on collaborative leadership, broadening participation in research to action and inclusive excellence.  Read more

Center for Sustainable Landscapes and Communities (CSLC), Civic Achievement Award

• Since its founding in 2018, CSLC has focused on building knowledge and informing decision making about public lands in and around Boulder County.  CSLC is an interdisciplinary effort on campus which engages with community and state partners. CSLC engages the campus and community to take a deeper look at key trends in Boulder’s local ecosystems and their social, economic and health impacts to our communities. The Center has partnered extensively with CU students, staff and faculty as well as organizations, agencies, and committed residents in and around Boulder County.  Collaborations have included:  The Community Collaboration on Forest Health, Boulder Apple Tree Project, and Cities, Ecosystems and Climate Change.  The award recognizes CSLC leaders who make and have made productive discourse and community engagement possible through their design, contacts, time, knowledge and efforts: Sharon Collinge, Amanda Carrrico, and Erin Fried.

COVID-19 Compostable Food Serviceware Initiative, Partnership for Sustainability Award.  

• This award recognizes the multi-departmental effort involved with the conversion to a primarily ‘grab & go’ approach to food services as a response to COVID-19.  Campus Dining Services ensured that its supply chain for food serviceware would be fully compostable. This full scale conversion was able to keep sustainability as a priority even though it was not the easiest approach.   This level of forethought meant CDS didn’t have to switch to recyclable plastic, non-recyclable plastic, or polystyrene products. Campus operations also needed to reinvent their approach to collecting and diverting this massive increase of material from the landfill.  Multiple partners, including Housing Grounds, Facilities Management Recycling and Solid Waste, Housing Facilities, Residence Life, Environmental Center, supported  the initiative with increased collections and outreach efforts.  The recycling collections crews worked with Dining and the Housing Grounds crews to significantly increase collection capabilities by adding nearly 30 new collection bins, converting a dozen existing outdoor waste stations, and increasing daily collections.  A combination of revised signs and in-person assistance at collection points helped to educate students and mitigate contamination.  

Kali Ciera Dykstra, Student Leadership Award

• Ciera founded and grew a zero-waste fashion and art company, Zany Art, that has worked with student organizations and local businesses to spread awareness of fast fashion, and make sustainability more attainable for young people.  As a first generation, and low-income student Ciera has dedicated their college years making sustainable fashion and knowledge more accessible.  It is estimated that Zany Art has diverted over 500 pounds of clothing from landfills, and replaced more than 5,000 pieces of jewelry. Zany Art has grown a local and international community, and uses their 70,000 follower base to educate about fast fashion, and sustainable living for students.  Also, as a student leader with CU Student Government, Ciera worked to eliminate single use plastic bottles, to start the food pantry for students in need, and further the rights of  LGBTQ+ students. They have worked hard over the last four years to leave CU a more inclusive and sustainable campus than when they arrived.  Ciera’s passion for intersectional sustainability was fostered at CU, and continues to drive them in their business and educational pursuits.  

Volunteer Resource Center, Departmental Achievement Award

• This award recognizes VRC’s leadership of the Feed the Stampede Initiative.  In order to alleviate the barriers of food insecurity, Feed the Stampede is dedicated to providing services, referrals, and education so that CU Boulder students can thrive academically.  The food security taskforce formed in 2016 when CU staff members and students started hearing personal stories of CU Boulder students who were unable to purchase food, due to a number of various financial and life circumstances. With a desire to help these individual students with food resources, Hannah Wilks and VRC led the committee to grow and include many people from around campus and the community.  The need for food security programs drastically increased with COVID-19. VRC stepped up with mobile Food Pantries over the summer and the opening of Buff Pantry in the fall. The program is providing access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally relevant food, to support our students to be successful.  It is worth noting that Zero Hunger is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.  

Hayden Dansky, Outstanding Alumni Award

• In 2009 as part of an environmental ethics class project, Hayden realized how much healthy and delicious food goes to waste.  Research with other students showed there was enough food going to waste in Boulder County to feed every food insecure person.  Hayden, a 2011 alumni, founded Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) and continues to serve as the executive director.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has stepped up even more to serve the growing needs of the Boulder County community.  Since the non-profit’s founding, Hayden has grown the organization to a team of eight staff and 150 active volunteers, who have worked to donate 3.4 million pounds of produce to residents of the city of Boulder and the greater county.  BFR now works with 20 local food donors to deliver food by bicycle to more than 40 Boulder county recipient sites including affordable housing, pre-schools and daycares, shelters, food pantries, and community centers.  Hayden is passionate about reducing food waste and creating more participatory and accessible food systems.  Read more 

CU Green Labs Award Descriptions

JSCBB Autoclave Eco-Mode Project, Partnership for Lab Sustainability  

• This award recognizes the work of a group of engaged scientists who use the autoclave equipment in the Jennie Smoley Caruthers Biotechnology building.  This award recognizes their effort to research and implement  a successful water saving project for the JSCBB autoclaves.  Autoclaves are used in science to sterilize research materials and biowaste.  Those involved are Nicole Kethley, Dave Simpson, Alison White, Steve Haemmerlein, Annette Erbse, Laura Maguire, Tom Rivas, Elizabeth Stoneham, and Abby Horn. When they learned that the building autoclaves use 6 gallons of water for every minute of drying, they began an extensive project to determine what could be done to minimize water use.  They educated users and programmed the autoclaves with a water-savings mode option that is resulting in an ongoing savings of at least a quarter of a million gallons of water per year.   The implementation of the project has been done in a transparent and professional manner which has resulted in a consistent user experience.

Emerson Grey, Individual Achievement 

• As a graduate student and Eco-Leader in the Bryant Lab in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Emerson has stepped up to not only implement sustainability initiatives in the lab where he works, but also to help with efforts within the Jennie Smoley Caruthers Biotechnology Building.  At a time when CU Green Labs was experiencing contamination issues within its pipette box recycling collection, Emerson volunteered to routinely monitor the bins on multiple floors of the building and address contamination issues when needed.  Additionally, he has been working to integrate information on the CU Green Labs Program into graduate student recruitment for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.  

John Malecha, Individual Achievement 

• John has consistently worked on sustainability efforts throughout his entire time in graduate school at CU Boulder.  In addition to being the Eco-Leader for the Gin Lab where he implemented resources saving efforts, John has volunteered for 5 years to be the Chemistry Department Team Lead for the CU Green Labs Program.   In that role, John has organized green chemistry webinars, promoted solvent recycling, shared green lab efforts at new graduate student recruitment and orientation events, helped create and distribute a CU Green Labs survey measuring undergraduate student interest in green chemistry education, and assisted with fume hood sash competitions. John’s commitment has helped to grow a culture of sustainability in research on campus.

Matthew Wise, Individual Achievement 

• During the pandemic, the Chemistry teaching labs had to alter their approach to include the use of at-home lab kits supplied by a vendor. As the Director of Chemistry Instruction, Matt went above and beyond to enhance safety, minimize chemical and material use, and avoid disposal of hazardous materials down the drain. Matt determined additional steps within each experiment where reduction of materials could be realized.  He worked with the vendor that supplied the kits to provide them feedback regarding excess chemicals included in the kits. He included these topics within the coursework of the chemistry labs and provided a "teachable moment" to students regarding proper disposition of chemicals and the issues surrounding chemical disposal. Lastly, he and his colleagues established a process for students to return unused excess chemical reagents for proper disposal through EH&S.  These efforts demonstrate Matt’s strong commitment to sustainability and ability to teach students about connecting sustainability to science.   

Matthew Bedeaux & Paul Rastrelli, Student Leadership Award

• This award recognizes their work in organizing the CU Global Climate Strike events and calling on the campus community to take climate action.  Matthew and Paul have worked tirelessly in their efforts to lead Friday climate strikes on Norlin Quad since September 20, 2019. These climate strikes have brought together students, staff, faculty, and community members in further increasing awareness about the Climate Emergency and stressing that immediate action needs to be taken.  These efforts have brought a portion of the campus community together and made them aware that their voice is meaningful when it comes to enacting change. Strike attendees have been given numerous resources for how to get involved on campus and how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Rick George, Individual Achievement Award

• This award recognizes Rick George’s leadership in sports sustainability programs at CU Athletics Department and the PAC-12.  When Rick George became the sixth Athletic Director to pilot CU’s sports programs in 2013, he inherited the nation’s first NCAA Division 1 sports sustainability program, Ralphies Green Stampede. RGS is a partnership between Athletics, the CU Environmental Center, Facilities Management, and an array of supporting units across campus. RGS had started a few years earlier and was already the leading collegiate sports sustainability program.  Rick was ready to do more.  With the construction of the Champions Center, the renovation of Dal Ward, and the new Indoor Practice Facility for football and track and field, Athletics brought forth four LEED Platinum buildings—the greenest, most high performance buildings that can be built. 
  
  In 2015, Rick ideated and drove the creation of the Pac-12 Sustainability Conference which forged the Pac-12 Sustainability Working Group. Sports and sustainability professionals from the Pac-12’s twelve great universities now work side by side to advance sustainability across a combined 241 different varsity sports programs. In doing so, they influence the sustainability behaviors of millions of students and fans of those teams as the fans go about their lives at home, work and play.
  
  Rick’s commitment to social equity and inclusion shows with hiring practices and strategy.  Rick put together an Athletics Diversity and Inclusion conference that is a model for engagement and impact. Rick is committed to insuring that the benefits and actions of sustainability and climate action are spread equally across all members of society, not just the privileged. 
  
  In 2019, as part of his commitment to phase out single-use plastics, Rick created a partnership with Ball Corporation to showcase the global rollout of the Ball Aluminum Cup for athletics beverages. Additionally, he cemented CU’s status as the global leader of college sports sustainability when he became the first US collegiate Athletic Director to commit CU to abide by the United Nations Sports for Climate Action agreement.  Rick is now leading the rest of the US college sports category to themselves sign off on the UN commitment and step up their games. On Earth Day 2020, several other US universities will be announcing their signature of the UN commitment thanks in part to his leadership.  

Colleen Scanlan Lyons,  Individual Achievement Award

• Colleen Scanlan Lyons has demonstrated outstanding leadership in advancing partnerships for environmental conservation prioritizing the people who are most directly impacted by tropical forest conservation efforts. Through her work with the Governors' Climate & Forests (GCF) Task Force, and specifically through the GCF Task Force Global Committee for Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities, Colleen has mobilized connections between indigenous leaders, local community organizations, subnational governmental representatives, and the California Air Resources Board. These partnerships are enabling inclusive forest conservation efforts in GCF Task Force member states and provinces while simultaneously fostering low-emissions rural development initiatives on jurisdictional scales. Colleen's leadership on creating the Global Committee for Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities has provided a forum for members' voices to be heard by policymakers, governments, researchers, and international institutions considering carbon markets and carbon market standards which predominantly affect the indigenous peoples and local communities on-the-ground in tropical forest regions that will be the direct beneficiaries of carbon market payments. 
  
  The engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities with governments and other stakeholders has been a direct result of Colleen's propensity to foster meaningful connections between diverse actors. Her commitment to making the voices of these often marginalized peoples heard in climate policy forums and beyond shines through her tireless efforts to engage with, connect, and empower indigenous peoples, local communities, subnational governments, and civil society partners all over the world.  Colleen's efforts with the Global Committee and beyond have inspired students (both graduate and undergraduate, in MENV, ENVS, and other programs) to pursue research, projects, and careers in inclusive environmental conservation and sustainable development. Her power to connect students, employees, and professionals in the broader community has created enduring networks of environmentalists, economists, researchers, and others pursuing collaborative engagement with indigenous peoples and local communities around the world. 

Leaf Van Boven, Green Faculty Award

• This award recognizes Leaf van Boven’s commitment to student learning and behavior change research.  Leaf is a Professor in the Psychology Department in the College of Arts & Sciences.  Leaf understands that research and teaching exercises are often times of self- and world-exploration.  Leaf has honored this through actively listening to what issues students find important, as well as encouraging respectful and open communication in the classroom setting.
  
  Leaf has not merely settled into a successful research career, but he has sought to push the boundaries of disciplinary endeavors while he has pursued work in the areas of creative climate communications and behavior change. He is helping to establish a center for Creative Climate Communication and Behavior Change (3CBC).  His participation in a collaborative meeting with industry leaders, policy makers, policy analysts, and social-behavioral scientists to explore behavioral responses to developing carbon dioxide removal technologies resulted in ongoing research and a manuscript conditionally accepted at Royal Society Open Access.  He co-edited a special issue of Behavioral Public Policy on the topic of Behavioral Climate Policy.  He worked with Citizens Climate Lobby to develop and improve training protocols for citizen lobbyists.  He organized an invited symposium on Psychology and Climate Change, a special plenary session at the Association of Psychological Science meetings (now postponed until 2021). He organized a Colorado Climate Retreat Sept. 7-9, 2017 that brought together the collective wisdom of many local CU professors, City of Boulder Environmental Planners, and students to generate a vibrant sharing of research, ideas, and conversation.  He also participated in the Center for the American West event on the panel of experts for "Why are we stuck on dealing with climate change and how do we get ‘unstuck’?"
  
  Leaf’s commitment to student and citizen growth and learning continues to deepen and he effectively works on research, teaching and service fronts together.  

Janet Walker, Individual Achievement Award

• Janet Walker works with Planning, Design and Construction and is committed to achieve zero waste in the RL2 building.  This award recognizes her many efforts to improve recycling infrastructure & outreach and to minimize waste generation. While many proctors make a great effort to disseminate and promote recycling info to their buildings, Janet has taken her efforts further by helping to design the waste stream coming into her building and attempting to replace many of the items with reusables, especially food service ware.  Janet has helped to advance sustainability on campus by educating a broad array of constituents about the merits of zero waste.  More importantly, she has designed a system to allow people to practice zero waste.
  
  Janet initiated a program to buy reusable service ware so PD&C events, including Town Halls with the public, Lunch & learn presentations with vendors such as architects and engineers, holiday appreciation events, and staff potlucks,  could be conducted without the use of disposables.  Janet shares information on zero waste tools and initiatives with the building occupants as well as the broader campus sustainability professionals.  Her actions have inspired others, both in the building and across campus. 

Facilities Management Environmental Services, Special Recognition for Departmental Achievement

• Facilities Management (FM) Environmental Services deserves recognition for their work to expand campus compost collections.  This effort is a partnership. The background and budget work were led by FM Environmental Services. The expansion and service support was a team effort between FM Environmental Services, FM Custodial Services, and the Environmental Center Recycling outreach program.  CU Boulder Facilities Management (FM) has been slowly adding compost service to buildings since 2011. The goal was five new locations per year and in all newly constructed buildings. The reason for the slow expansion was the cost. Compost on campus was being collected by an outside vendor at a cost for each stop. Each building, using a twice per week collection schedule, would cost over $3,500 per year to add service. With over 60 buildings to add, the projected cost to complete campus expansion was out of reach.  FM Environmental Services figured out a way to cut cost and to speed up expansion. By internalizing collections, campus compost expansion was able to increase rapidly with 30 locations in FY20.  

Christian DiSalvo, Special Recognition for Student Leadership

• Christian Louis DiSalvo deserves recognition for his work in advancing CUSG’s carbon emissions reduction programs.  Christian has worked diligently with the Environmental Center and CUSG to calculate carbon emissions and offsets for both organizations. This work has included collecting data from the UMC, the Rec Center, and CUSG's cost centers, meeting with experts on campus to hone calculations, creating templates and workflows to document his work process, giving presentations to the Legislative Council of CUSG, and working alongside CUSG to develop a more robust annual carbon offset plan.  Christian embarked on a student group volunteer project to inventory carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.  He grew into a role of expertise and leadership that will make a lasting impact.  The carbon inventory efforts mark an important step for the university in mitigating its scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions.   Christian's work with CUSG has led to discussions about how the student government can decrease its emissions over time by monitoring data and setting incremental goals. Decreasing emissions is an even more important step than offsetting them, and CUSG is confident that his detailed accounting work will boost these efforts.

CU Green Labs Program

• Stem Cell Research & Technology Resource Center
  • Partnership for Lab Sustainability Award for creating a managed, shared equipment resource and space available to researchers at CU Boulder and beyond.
• CHEMunity - Green Chemistry Scholarships
  • Partnership for Lab Sustainability Award for their ongoing collaboration to create an opportunity for CU Boulder students to receive green chemistry education.
• EH&S Radiation Safety Office
  • Departmental Achievement Award for their actions to reduce the amount of research-related radioactive waste going to low-level radiation landfills.
• Cherie Summers
  • Individual Achievement Award  for her leadership and advocacy for efficient use of building space, research equipment sharing, and resource conservation in Engineering.
• Benjamin LaFavor
  • Individual Achievement Award for going above and beyond to divert materials from landfill at the loading dock of a large laboratory research building.
• Mitchell Magrini
  • Individual Achievement Award for years of overseeing the Cristol Chemistry collections of brown lab glass and lab metal containers for recycling. 

This year, there are six campus sustainability awardees and four special recognition certificate recipients:

• Jordan Hammer, Student Leadership
• Phaedra Pezzullo, Green Faculty
• Travis Torline, Student Leadership
• Upward Bound, Departmental Achievement
• Turner Wyatt, Outstanding Alumni
• Campus Dining Services Culinary Procurement Team, Partnership for Sustainability
• Campus Dining Services Catering, special recognition for Departmental Achievement
• Housing Facilities Services Stores/Warehouse, special recognition for Departmental Achievement
• Liam Brodie, special recognition for student leadership
• Jordan Nahabetian, special recognition for student leadership

Additionally, there are six awards for the Green Labs program:

• Animal Bedding Composting, Partnership for Lab Sustainability
• Facilities Management Recycling, Departmental Achievement
• Dustin Quandt, Individual Achievement
• David Simpson, Individual Achievement
• Megan Schroeder, Special Recognition
• Cynthia Torres, Special Recognition

Campus will also recognize departments who have earned or renewed their Green Office certification in the past year: 

• Recreation Center
• Undergraduate Exploration & Advising Center
• CU Student Government

The awards will be presented by David Kang, Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability, and members of the awards committee.

2018 Campus Sustainability Awards

Outstanding Alumni: Tyler Huggins, Justin Whiteley

Departmental Achievement: Distribution Center, Environmental Health and Safety Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Group

Individual Achievement: J.P. Bechtel, Curt Huetson, Rayna Oliker, Ron Thompson, Darren Willett

Special Recognition: Kayla Adair, Steven Stuart, Heather Winner

2017 Campus Sustainability Awards

Individual Achievement: Rosa Hernandez, Lisa Jetton

Partnerships for Sustainability: Williams Village North Grey Water System, Recreation Center

Outstanding Alumni: Tandean Rustandy

Student Leadership: Monica Rowand

Special Recognition: Village Commons Dining and Community Center (VCDCC) Bio-Digester Project

2016 Campus Sustainability Awards

Civic Achievement: Vince Aquino

Departmental Achievement: Athletics Department, INVST Community Studies

Outstanding Alumni: Sarah Kauss, Amy Livingston

Special Recognition Certificates: Campus Dining Services, Partnership for Sustainability, Gina Tavenner; Individual Achievement

2015 Campus Sustainability Awards

Civic Achievement: Dr. Carol Kearns and Dr. Diana Oliveras

Green Faculty: Rebecca Safran

Individual Achievement: Gale Day

Partnerships for Sustainability: Susan Clarke and JoAnn Silverstein

Student Leadership: Tyler Fair, P.D. Gantert, Franky Navarette, Katie Raitz, Simon Mostafa, Michael Gilmore, Sam Kaiser, Amanda Aldridge, Austen Bernier, Surya Castillo and Liz Gangware

Special Recognition Certificates: Facilities Management Planning, Design & Construction, Departmental Achievement, Victor Hernandez, Individual Achievement, Dave Danielson, Individual Achievement

2014 Campus Sustainability AwardsGreen Faculty: 

​Max Boykoff

Individual Achievement: Mark Lapham, Megan McGrath, Virginia Schultz

Departmental Achievement: OIT Academic Technology Services

Student Leadership: Miranda Redmond, Matt Ribarich

Civic Achievement: Nii Armah Sowah

Special Recognition Certificates, Center for Community Garden, Partnership for Sustainability, Closed Loop Film Plastics Program, Partnership for Sustainability, Population Conversation Program, Civic Achievement, Jacqueline Richardson, Individual Achievement

2013 Campus Sustainability Awards

Outstanding Alumni: James Balog, Graham Meriwether

Individual Achievement: Robert Dixon, William Franz

Departmental Achievement: Facilities Management Custodial Services

Partnership for Sustainability: Housing & Dining Services

Green Faculty: Paul Komor

Student Achievement: Shimshon Rapaport

Special Recognition Certificates: Facilities Management Meridian Implementation Team, Departmental Achievement, Trades Services, Facilities Operations, Departmental Achievement, Garry Street, Individual Achievement, T. Pepper Clayton, Individual Achievement

2012 Campus Sustainability Awards

Partnership for Sustainability: Boulder Food Rescue, Fair Food Task Force

Departmental Achievement: National Snow and Ice Data Center

Green Faculty:Beth Osnes, David Payne

Student Leadership: Samantha Weintraub

Special Recognition Certificates: Jonathan Akins, Individual Achievement, Carrot Mob Initiative by Gretchen Christoph, Swithin Lui, Wren Suess, Nathan Zick-Smith and Half Fast Subs, Partnership for Sustainability, Kristin Creamer, Individual Achievement, Environmental Health and Safety, Departmental Achievement, Facilities Management CAD Department, Departmental Achievement, Facilities Management Turf and Irrigation Teams, Departmental Achievement, Pieter van der Mersch, Individual Achievement, Don Seeley, Individual Achievement

2011 Campus Sustainability Awards

Notable Achievement: Jimmie Baker and Jon Monserud, Lori Lander

Student Leadership: Christina Aalto

Individual Achievement: Jerry Greene, Individual Achievement, Shannon Horn, Kathryn Ramirez‐Aguilar, Peter Arts

Outstanding Alumni: Unreasonable Institute - Daniel Epstein, Teju Ravilochan, Vladimir Dubovskiy, Nikhil Dandavati, Tyler Hartun; Fabian DeGarbo; Coby Gould

Departmental Achievement: Volunteer Resource Center

2010 Campus Sustainability Awards

Civic Achievement: ​Geoffrey Rubinstein

Honorable Mention: Elyse Cadogan and Human Resources, Special Recognition for Green Office Innovation, Allison Hart for Individual Achievement, Deanna Lund for Individual Achievement, Curt Huetson for Individual Achievement

Individual Achievement: Kristin Epley

Inter-disciplinary Leadership: ​Mark McCaffrey

Partnerships for Sustainability: Kyle Baker and John McKenzie, Baker Hall

Student Achievement: Dan Omasta, Scot Woolley, Bryant Mason, John Hallett

2009 Campus Sustainability Awards

Departmental Achievement:​Office of Orientation

Honorable Mention: Distribution Center, Departmental Achievement, Kelly McGregor, Energy Conservation

Individual Achievement: ​Lisa Lampe, Energy Conservation

Legacy Achievement: ​Paul Tabolt

Student Achievement: ​Julie Hayes, Environmental Justice and Social Equity

Sustainability Leadership: ​Ralphie's Green Stampede: Athletics Department, Facilities Management, Centerplate, White Wave and Environmental Center

2008 Campus Sustainability Awards

Green Faculty: Jim White, John Zhai, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

Honorable Mention: Larry Brand and Joe Bogetich, Outstanding Alumni, Bursar’s Office, Payroll and Benefit Services, Facilities Management, Housing, Admissions, Registrar’s Office, Wardenburg for Paper Waste Reduction, Sarah Haynes, Student Achievement

Individual Achievement:  Jeff Darling, Green Purchasing, Brian Zublin, Recycling

Outstanding Alumni: ​Ethan Van Duzer

Social Equity and Environmental Justice: ​Computers for Youth Project

2007 Campus Sustainability Awards

Climate Leadership: ​Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson

Departmental Achievement: ​Housing and Dining Services Facilities Services for Energy and Water Conservation

Green Faculty: ​Mike Hannigan, College of Engineering

Honorable Mention: Amy Harris, Student Achievement, Sigma Pi Fraternity, Recycling

Individual Achievement: Amin Gheysar, Department of Housing and Dining Servies, for Waste Reduction and Recycling

Outstanding Alumni: ​Paul Weissmann, State Representative

Student Achievement: Carrie Gibadlo, Environmentally-Responsible Products

Sustainability Leadership: ​Moe Tabrizi, Facilities Management

2006 Campus Sustainability Awards

Departmental Achievement: ​Housing and Dining Services

Honorable Mention: ROTC Department and Jon Krueger, Athletics (recycling), Steven Engel, Senior Instructor, Leeds School of Business (green faculty), Michael Hughes, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning (green faculty)

Individual Achievement: ​Lauren Heising

Special Recognition: ​University of Colorado Solar Decathalon Team

Water Conservation: ​Robert Burke, Pipe Trades Shop, Maintenance and Operations Division, Facilities Management

2005 Campus Sustainability Awards

Departmental Achievement: ​Facilities Management Turf Management Team (Alan Nelson, Ed von Bleichert, Ryan Heiland, Zach Cameron)

Green Faculty: Tom Dean, Lisa Barlow

Honorable Mention: Recycle-Mania campaign team (Susan Davis, Nama Illo, Marcie Cole, Molly Chappell, Rachel Cragg, Amy Kuo, Rebecca Wallach, Sarah Engel, Corey Reynolds, Jack DeBell plus another 6-10 volunteers. Plus the helpful program partners: Amin Gheysar in housing and Ed von Bleichert, Jessica Rossi and the FM collection crews.) University of Colorado LEEDS School of Business

Legacy Achievement: Will Toor

2004 Campus Sustainability Awards

Energy Conservation:  ​Energy Pledge Card Campaign

Honorable Mention: ​Moe Tabrizi, Facilities Management

Individual Achievement: Sue Wallace, Department of Housing,Ed von Bleichert, Facilities Management

Lifetime Achievement: ​Al Bartlett, Department of Physics

Recycled Products Purchasing: ​Colorado Daily

Student Achievement: ​Eugene Pearson, President of ASSG, 2nd Vice President of Legislative Council

2003 Campus Sustainability Awards

Green Building: ​Solar Decathalon Team

Hazardous Waste Reduction: ​EH&S Hazardous Materials/ Hazardous Waste Unit

Honorable Mention: ​Professor John Taylor

Individual Achievement: ​Robin Newsome-Suitts

Outstanding Alumni: Tom Cowing, Carly Weir

Recycled Products Purchasing: ​Wilderness Study Group

2002 Campus Sustainability Awards

Green Building: UMC

Green Faculty: Bernard Amadei, the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Judith Curry of the Department, Aerospace Engineering

Individual Achievement: John Bruning, Facilities Management, Sam Sandoe, University Communications, Dave Smith, the Department of Computer Science

2001 Campus Sustainability Awards

Alternative Transportation: ​Joe Roy, Parking and Transit Services

Departmental Achievement: ​Transportation Services

Hazardous Waste Reduction: ​Scott Harvey, Facilities Management

Individual Achievement: ​Ginger Cassady, Student

Outstanding Alumni: ​Ed von Bleichert, Environmental Operations Manager, Facilities Management

Recycling: ​Department of Housing

Resource Conservation: ​University of Colorado Student Body

2000 Campus Sustainability Awards

Hazardous Waste Reduction: Mary Ann Dornfeld, Facilities Management Grounds, Department of Housing Food Services

Outstanding Alumni: ​Pete Grogan, Co-Founder of EcoCycle and Director of Recycling for Weyerhauser Corporation

Recycling: ​Facilities Management Custodial Division

Resource Conservation: UCSU Recreation Center

Waste Reduction: ​Property Services

1999 Campus Sustainability Awards

Alternative Transportation: ​"Facilitating Transportation" Master Plan Task Force

Green Faculty: ​Adrienne Anderson, ENVS

Individual Achievement: ​Kathy Noonan, ENVS Student

Outstanding Alumni: ​Brian Mohr, Southwest Regional Office of the Sierra Club

Recycling: Suzie Chambers, Solid Waste Advisory Board; Mailing Services Department; Emil Bonnes, Housing Department; Garian Vigil, student employee in the Office of the President

1998 Campus Sustainability Awards

Alternative Transportation: ​Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Parking Services

Green Faculty: Cathy Comstock, Farrand Academic Program, Marty Walter, Mathematics Department

Hazardous Waste Reduction: ​General Chemistry Lab Coordinators: Elaine Butler, Bob Meyers, Rob Palmer, and Merl Schachet

Individual Achievement: Maureen Van Camp, Media Library, Shana Morrow Trombley, Former Student Administrator to Administration

Outstanding Alumni: ​Steve Kelton, Western Disposal

Recycled Products Purchasing: ​Larry Finch, Housing Department

Recycling: Jimmie Baker, UMC, Athletic Department

Resource Conservation: Pieter vander Mersch, Facilities Management, UCSU Recreation Center

Waste Reduction: ​Theresa Rogers, UCSU

1997 Campus Sustainability Awards

Alternative Transportation: Bill Herbstreit, Financial and Business Svcs., University of Colorado Student Union

Green Faculty: ​Paul Wehr, Sociology

Hazardous Waste Reduction: ​Patty Feist, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Individual Achievement: Ana Johnson, Parking Services, Al Bartlett, Physics, Carly Shurtleff, UCSU

Outstanding Alumni:  Jan Hardin, State of Georgia Purchasing Div., Eric Kessler, aide to Secretary of Interior, Marianne Moulton, Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project

Recycled Products Purchasing: Newell Fogelberg, Printing and Copying Svc., Buying and Contracting

Recycling:  Lisa Adair, Facilities Management, Norlin Library Periodicals Room

Resource Conservation: Tom Cowing, Facilities Management, Facilities Management, Co-Gen plant

Waste Reduction: Alan Nelson, Fac Man Grounds Crew, Golden Panda Restaurant, UMC, Computing and Networking Services

Water Conservation: John Madsen, Facilities Management, Facilities Management Irrigation Crew