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The Campus Sustainability Council hosted a listening session on April 11, where the group provided an update to the campus community and heard feedback from audience members.

Sustainability project updates

The council provided updates on the following:

Vice chancellor for sustainability

Andrew Mayock joined the listening session via Zoom to introduce himself, where he acknowledged this is a challenging time in the world of sustainability and how it is critical for us to act to catalyze change.

Project updates flash round

A number of stakeholders provided brief updates on sustainability projects:

• Pouring rights: CU �鶹ӰԺ is negotiating with vendors and is working to completely eliminate single-use plastics.
• Operations:
  • $220,000 grant received to pilot a window retrofit system
  • Two grants received to study geothermal feasibility
  • Efficiency projects are ongoing, further buildings in planning
  • $3.4 million in state/federal grants to expand electric bus fleet
  • Breaking ground on the East Campus solar array
  • Breaking ground on a virtual net metering solar array
  • Piloting temperature set controls in select buildings
  • Next iteration of design for decarbonization plan underway
  • Identifying behavior changes campus can implement to start meeting CAP goals with regard to Scope 3 emissions
• Common curriculum: Faculty passed a new shared set of undergraduate�� learning outcomes focusing on the theme of sustainable futures; implementation is in progress.
• Campus Sustainability Summit: Student showcase included 40 projects with cash prizes; student-led Climate Action Plan class presentation; Chancellor Justin Schwartz hosted a panel on leadership.
• Right Here, Right Now: CU �鶹ӰԺ is co-hosting along with the University of Oxford on June 5 during a 24-hour global livestream.
• Green chemistry commitment: The Environmental Board is collecting signatures of support to get CU �鶹ӰԺ to sign onto an international green chemistry commitment.
• Zero waste and plastics: The Sustainability Council passed a zero waste policy that supports big initiatives that focus on single-use plastics and food waste.
• Transportation:
  • The Transportation Working Group is developing a Transportation Demand Management plan, which originated from a Sustainability Council proposal, to reduce single occupancy vehicle use.
  • Two articulated electric buses will be added to the Buff Bus fleet. This is part of the $3.4 million grants listed above during the flash round.
  • Electric vehicle charging is being expanded across campus: Six ports are being added in May 2025 at two locations on Main Campus (two in Lot 310 and four in Lot 204). Two ports are being added at Smiley Court this summer.
  • A project has been started to add DC fast charging in Lot 308 (across Regent Drive from the C4C). Timing likely in 2026 dependent on hardware delivery schedules.
  • A “commuting concierge” is in the works that will help campus constituents best get around campus.

Recognition of retiring council members

Heidi VanGenderen and Virginia Schultz, graduating student Alex Chamberlin and Environmental Center Associate Director Marianne Martin were recognized with gifts and a tree planting.

Public comment

The council received comments around the following topics:

• Ensuring furniture waste following move-out is handled sustainably
• A change in curriculum to focus more on sustainability, particularly in the college of engineering
• Including information about the common curriculum during new faculty orientation
• A need for collaboration between programs that might need the same resources when developing a common curriculum
• Ensuring university-affiliated events are zero waste