Colorado State University
EN-3: Student Life

The Student Sustainability Center’s (SSC) mission is to empower students to advance sustainability principles and practices at Colorado State University and beyond. Through innovation and collaboration with the campus community, they work to raise awareness about opportunities for positive environmental impact and lead projects to achieve personal and institutional sustainability. The SSC is dedicated to increasing student involvement and coordination among sustainable projects in the community. They work to create a strong network of organizations with sustainability in mind, so that they can facilitate students’ ideas on a more efficient and effective level. Other projects include monthly educational workshops, efforts to increase xeriscaping on CSU’s campus, community garden development, and free documentary showings with the City of Fort Collins. Multiple additional student groups formally collaborate with SSC including the Watershed Club, Hemp Club, Net Impact, ASES, Palm Oil Committee, Horticulture Club, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Club, Natural Resource Management Society, etc.

The department of Horticulture and Soil & Crop Sciences, maintains several organic gardens on-campus (and off-campus) which are used for student learning, research, and student-led gardening projects. Projects include a student-led CSA program that gives student's organic farming experience while supplying the community with low cost organic produce.

The Aspen Grille is a student-operated restaurant located in the University Club in partnership with the Hospitality Management Program, on the upper level of the Student Center. The Aspen Grille is open to the public for lunch Tuesday through Friday during the academic year. The Grille maintains its certification by the Green Restaurant Association as a "green restaurant" and focuses on local/sustainable food sources.

The Summit Fund's goal is to enrich students' educational experience by bridging academic coursework with professional experience in managing an actual investment fund. The students who run the fund each semester are charged with achieving the highest return possible while investing in sustainable and socially-conscious investments.

CSU hosts a variety of events and speakers related to sustainability. The largest is the annual Earth Week celebration which includes campus-wide participation and events such as the Earth Day Celebration and Open Your Mind Fair. Throughout the week there is live entertainment, lectures, and activities on renewable energy, gardening, waste reduction, and even a recycled fashion show. The event is free and open to the community. There are also lectures on sustainability issues and symposiums that highlight both undergrad and graduate student research related to sustainability. The 2014 International Colloquium on Global Environmental Sustainability offered three days of sessions on a wide range of sustainability topics with students as the primary focus. Throughout the year, the School of Global Environmental Sustainability offers symposia, lectures, panels, and workshops for students.

The Student Sustainability Center as well as the School of Global Environmental Sustainability run a variety of film series throughout the year which are intended for students.

Pingree Park Mountain Campus is a truly unique experience where students experience nature in a remote mountain setting. Students study tree identification, fire ecology, map and compass use, geology, life zones, and ecosystem interaction. Students learn through instruction and activity; exploring climate change through hikes, watershed research, etc. Additionally, the Outdoor Program through Campus Recreation offers a variety of outdoor activities which emphasize safe and low impact practices. Literature on leave no trace and other environmental principles is available in seminars and via pamphlets at the Rec Center Office.

N/A: CSU does not do themed semesters or years.

CSU runs sustainable living workshops through Housing & Dining Services each year. They also provide four model residence hall rooms, each in a different hall, which are open to students and visitors year round. Model room tours emphasize green living on campus and include “Living Green at CSU” fliers. These fliers encourage students to buy Energy Star appliances, use power strips in their rooms to reduce electricity consumption, bring a bike to campus, etc. Additionally, there is an interactive model green room which students can tour online. http://www.housing.colostate.edu/living-green There is also the Natural Resources and Sustainability Residential Learning Community in Summit Hall open for any student to engage in the research and outreach of the Warner College of Natural Resources. Students who apply for the community collectively register for a freshman seminar class on sustainability and agree to participate in an alternative Spring Break in the local National Parks. Additional events are also organized through the semester. Students are encouraged to engage in a wide range of sustainability activities and opportunities on campus.

The School of Global Environmental Sustainability keeps an active listing of student and professional sustainability positions on their website. The weekly SSC newsletter also includes a sustainbility jobs listing. This listing includes paid jobs, internships & volunteer opportunities both on & off campus. RAMweb, the CSU student portal, also provides a full listing of all student positions open on campus, including sustainability positions.

The campus SLiCE (Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement) office provides a number of co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives including alternative breaks, service learning, and coordinated community volunteering. Sustainability options exist in each of these categories.