Colorado College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The mission of the Campus Sustainability Council is to make Colorado College a model for campus and community sustainability. The CSC works to design, promote, and implement initiatives that are ecologically viable, economically sound, and socially just, now and for future generations.The CSC plays a key role in raising campus awareness and keeping sustainability issues at the forefront, reminding us all to live up to Colorado College’s core value of nurturing a sense of place and an ethic of environmental sustainability.

Co-chairs Student: Bryna Coyle (Sustainability Intern) Faculty: Mark Smith (Economics & Business) Staff: Luke Cammack (Patron Experience Manager – FAC) Students Lily Weissgold (CCSGA) Quinn Yawger (Sustainability Intern) Rob Gardner (Sustainability Intern) Benjamin Swift (Sustainability Intern) Ben Kirchman (Sustainability Intern) Zach Benevento-Zahner (Sustainability Intern) Westly Joseph (Sustainability Intern) Naomi Tsai (Sustainability Intern) Annabelle O’Neill (Sustainability Intern) David Lamis (Investment Club Chair) Jordan Schrage (EnAct Chair) Faculty Kat Miller-Stevens (Business/Econ) Eli Fahrenkrug (Chemistry) Tyler Cornelius (Environmental Program) Staff Ian Johnson (Director of Sustainability) Mae Rohrbach (Office of Sustainability Paraprofessional) Denise Sheridan (Environmental Health & Safety Coordinator) Lori Hamacher (Executive Assistant to the President) George Eckhardt (Campus Planner) Tom Allen (Sodexo) Dave Barfield (Sodexo) Kelly Banet (Director of Parent/Family Giving) Denise Walker (Major Gift Officer) Darren Ceckanowicz (EV Program Technical Director) Mark Ferguson (Campus Operations & Plant Manager) Cecelia Gonzales (Horticulturist) Austin Kumm (Bon Appetit) Randy Kruse (Bon Appetit) Tyler Dexter (Bon Appetit) Keith Beck (Housing Maintenance Supervisor John Lauer (Associate Vice President – Student Life) Tess Powers (Director of Faculty Research Support) Michael Brubaker (Mechanical Services Engineer) Jasmine Wallack (Civic Leadership Paraprofessional – CCE) Katharina Groves (Director, Applications & Security – ITS) Don Herbst (Senior Technical Events Specialist) Angelina Rice (Assistant Director of Events – FAC) Gerri Anne Reid (Administrative Assistant – Business & Economics) Melanie Alexander (Assistant Director of Recreation) Nikkita McPherson (Diversity & Inclusion Program Coordinator - Butler Center) Community Members Alicia Archibald (Safety/Recycling Education – Bestway Disposal) alicia@bestwaydisposal.com Stephen Payne (Account Manager – Colorado Springs Utilities) sbpayne@csu.org Ryan Trujillo (Sustainability Director, Colorado Springs) rtrujillo@springsgov.com Linda Kogan (Sustainability Director, UCCS) lkogan@uccs.edu Jane Ard-Smith (Colorado Springs Sierra Club) janeardsmith@comcast.net

The Office of Sustainability fosters communication, collaboration and coordination between sustainability stakeholders in the CC community. The Office serves to develop and support campus initiatives, working closely with the Campus Sustainability Council and the student environmental action group, EnAct, to make the Colorado College a model for campus and community sustainability.

During the last several years, the Campus Sustainability Council (CSC) has been instrumental in driving sustainability initiatives on campus. By increasing its membership to include a diverse group of faculty, staff and students, the Council has been able to successfully influence the wider campus community. The Council was responsible for adding the various sustainability components to the College's Strategic Plan. Last year, the Council pushed the administration to prioritize sustainability in its professional staffing, leading to the creation of the sustainability paraprofessional position. Furthermore, in the last few years, the Council has lobbied for and successfully increased the College's dedicated budget for sustainability projects. The money has helped support the construction of a campus greenhouse, an online energy monitoring system, and campus signage for sustainability features. The council has also lobbied for increased support for the Office of Sustainability staff and funding for carbon offsets. The Council presented a plan and strategy for reaching the College's carbon neutrality goal by 2020. In 2015, the Campus Sustainability Council has been integral in advocating for a carbon neutral library drafting a petition and unanimously voting to support a carbon neutral library. The CSC has created a Sustainability Action Plan to be signed by the President of the college. This plan outlines specific sustainability projects with clear goals, responsible parties, and deadlines. The CSC has reconfigured its subcommittees to include: Investments, Conservation Campaigns, Green Sciences, Academics, Operations, and Communications/Community Outreach. These subcommittees have created individual action plans for the year of 2015.

Sustainability Director collaborates with faculty, students, staff, and community to develop and direct programs and projects that support the sustainability goals outlined in the college's strategic plan through a liberal arts learning approach. Responsibilities include: directing the Office of Sustainability, promoting education and research focused on campus sustainability, and fostering a collaborative and innovative sustainability community at Colorado College. Required qualifications include: master's degree in a related field plus a minimum of three years of related experience (working in a sustainability and resource conservation management position); proficient with computer software programs such as word processing, spreadsheets, data visualization, presentation and web site development tools; excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to think critically and solve problems; good judgement and ability to handle confidential/sensitive information with discretion; excellent organizational and analytical skills; self-motivated; ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment (establishing and meeting deadlines, often in the midst of changing priorities); tact and sensitivity to work with divergent views on sustainability; ability to operate standard office equipment. Travel and/or attendance at meetings or other functions outside normal business hours may be required. Preferred qualifications include: PhD in a related field; familiarity with Colorado College or another private liberal arts residential college; experience with greenhouse gas inventories, carbon emissions, and offsets.

The OoS Paraprofessional manages the OoS Intern teams (currently consisting of nine paid interns, fifteen dedicated volunteers, seven Eco RA's and a Swap Space Manager), provides mentorship to sustainability-based student groups (EnACT and the Sense of Place Living/Learning Community) and supports the Campus Sustainability Council and the Sustainability Director in achieving the sustainability goals outlined in the college's strategic plan through a liberal arts learning approach. Responsibilities include: serve as the primary contact for the OoS student teams, serve as primary point of contact to the campus community and to the public regarding matters related to sustainability and to the overall office operations, attend a broad variety of meetings and events on and off campus to represent the OoS as appropriate, assist with overall logistical support for the OoS, plan and oversee Sense of Place trips, serve as an advisor to EnACT and the Sense of Place LLC, coordinate the assembly and submission of reports and/or data to meet reporting deadlines, manage the Eco Fund, oversee marketing and advertisement for the Office of Sustainability, assist with programmatic development and delivery for campus events, serve as office receptionist, perform word processing, filing, proofreading, photocopying, and scanning, support and contribute to the goal of achieving greater diversity at Colorado College, promote a culture of safety and environmental protection by working in a safe manner, and act in a socially responsible manner and model environmental sustainability by exercising financial prudence, using college resources wisely, and supporting ecological initiatives and innovation. Required qualifications include: bachelor's degree from Colorado College; significant experience with campus sustainability efforts, projects, and data collection; ability to take initiative (self-starter, able to make decisions independently within the limits of designated authority); ability to coordinate a large and diverse staff of student interns, volunteers, Eco RAs, Living Learning Communities, and others involved in the sustainability effort at CC; ability to represent the OoS in a professional manner at meetings and events on and off campus with a variety of stakeholders including community partners, faculty and staff, students, and parents; ability to perform research and analysis, and write compelling reports; basic computer skills. Preferred qualifications include: expert knowledge of OoS organization and operations; valid driver's license and van certification; personal interest and commitment to sustainability.