New Solar Array will offset over 70% of Library's Electricity Use!
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After a year of effort toward expanding our solar portfolio on campus, we are happy to finally announce that we've signed a contract with Namaste Solar to install 779 kW of solar energy on the rooftop of the Auraria Library!
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Quick Facts:
- Will produce average of 1,050,000 kWh a year (roughly enough to power 130 homes)
- Will offset over 70% of library's electricity usage
- Will save an estimated average of $50,000 a year in energy costs
- Will prevent 1.2 million lbs CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year
- One of the largest singular rooftop array in downtown Denver
- Expected Completion Date: October 2019
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Above: Current 75 kW array on the Arts Building. The library array will increase our capacity by almost 10x!
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After researching and planning for more than a year, the final proposal was approved in the fall and we’re ready to move forward to ‘breaking ground’ this month. Once this project is completed, it will provide more than 70% of the Library’s annual electricity needs! One of our primary directives as a program is to reduce the ecological footprint of the Auraria Campus, and this project alone will save an estimated 1.2 million pounds of CO2e from the atmosphere each year. This array is expected to last at least 25 years, which would total over 31 million lbs of CO2e! This will be the 2
nd
array on our campus, and bring our total solar capacity to 854 kW.
This solar project was driven by the feedback we received from students via survey response in 2017 and 2018 where Renewable Energy consistently ranked a 1
st
or 2
nd
priority by many of the students surveyed. So, we drafted a comprehensive PV Road Map (you can download it
here
) to identify the best opportunities for solar on campus. The Library was an obvious choice because it is a shared building that all institutions use and will benefit from and the roof is large and very new!
We’re very excited for this project and can’t wait to share more information as the project unfolds
.
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Steam Weed Killer to replace RoundUp Use
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The ASCP is helping to fund a steam weed killer that will reduce herbicide use on campus! A joint proposal of the ASCP and AHEC Grounds, the steam weed killer will reduce our use of Glyphosate (RoundUp) by 50%! Glyphosate has been classified by the World Health Organization as "probably carcinogenic to humans," threatens the gut bacteria of pollinators (bees and butterflies) and leaches into our waterways during storm runoff. We will use the steam weed killer on flower beds, sidewalks, and mulched areas but will not be ideal for grass areas (hence the 50% reduction). While the tool does use water, it will only increase our water consumption by 0.0001-0.0002%.
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Compost Expansion keeps rollin'...
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Last week we deployed compost bins outside of the Simply Fresh Cafe in North Classroom! The restaurant has been purchasing and using compostable clamshell containers for quite some time, and now they can all make it into a compost stream where they will be able to break down and turn back into soil (along with uneaten food)! We also had a new compost dumpster placed next to the library, which will enable us to expand compost more readily in this neighborhood (hopefully parts of the Science building soon)!
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Earth Week was a Success!
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Thanks to those of you that came out for our Earth Week festival! The event was very successful. Here are some quick takeaways:
- Hundreds of people took a pledge to adopt a sustainable behavior
- We collected/diverted over 200 lbs of e-waste with our partner, Blue Star
- We diverted 265 lbs of clothing from the landfill via the clothing swap and 85% of this clothing was taken home by students
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The Auraria Garden is OPEN! Last weekend a group of plot owners got together to clear leaves and debris from the landscaping, organize the shed and pickup cigarette butts and trash. We are all very excited to continue learning together and to *hopefully* get our compost pile in proper working order this year. The garden is full for the 2019 season, but stay tuned for garden workshops and events open to the public.
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Check out our social media pages to learn about events and get involved!
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Diana Ojeda + AHEC Custodial
The AHEC custodial crew has been instrumental in helping the ASCP implement both our compost and Green Offices pilot programs this semester. They've helped us with
numerous
last minute requests (such as delivering bins for event composting or gloves for waste audits); they've come to the office with questions on compost so that they can "get it right"; and a number of them have attended Alpine waste tours or trainings we've held. The other afternoon, Diana (a shift supervisor) nearly dropped everything to help us collect information on water fixtures for our ongoing Water Action Plan project. We're enormously grateful for their collaborative spirit and their willingness to jump in the ring with us. We look forward to working more closely with them (and jumping in the ring with
them
) in the future as we strive to improve our waste diversion goals. (Pictured left: Diana Ojeda and Paula Meza of AHEC Custodial Team).
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CU Wellness Center
A big shout out to the folks at CU Wellness Center who installed a compost receptacle in their kitchen during Earth Week! Thanks for your commitment to the earth, CU Wellness!
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Water Conservation
by Anthony Gambino
Everyday we use water for just about everything. We use it for cooking, cleaning, showering, drinking, and plumbing. We even have an entire amusement park dedicated to water! But what we fail to acknowledge many times, is the water used for the things we don’t directly see. Water is used in industrial and agricultural processes to make just about every product in our life in one way or another. According to the USGS, “Industrial water use includes water used for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product”
1
. This hidden water use is often referred to as our virtual water footprint and it can be much higher than we might realize. Take hamburgers for example: from beginning to end (starting with the cow and ending on our plates), one hamburger costs around 460 gallons of water! Just about everything we love has a water tag attached to it, including coffee (1 cup = 34 gallons), eggs (1 egg = 52 gallons), shirts (1 shirt = 660 gallons), pants (jeans = 2,000 gallons), beer (1 = 19 gallons), and one of the biggest culprits of all… chocolate! (1 bar = 449 gallons)
2
. At a time of rising population and demand, especially in the west, water use is more important than ever. It may not be on our minds every time we turn on the tap, but we should take the time to consider our impact and become more conscious water consumers. For more information on behavior changes you can make around conserving water read
THIS POST
from our guest student writer, Stephanie. For more information on the virtual water footprint of common products, visit
https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/what-is-water-footprint/
.
2
Water Footprint Network. "Water footprint of crop and animal products: a comparison." Retrieved from:
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Mental Health During Finals:
Mental health and well being is an incredible important form of sustainability. Make sure to take care of yourself these next two weeks as you're wrapping up final projects and tests! Check out the following events aimed at wellness:
- "Hang in There" Hammock Time, 10 AM - 2 PM on 9th Street Plaza. Check in at the Health Center at Auraria table for availability (all students)
- Yoga and Pilates at the Health Center (all students)
- CU Denver Wellness Week at CU Wellness Center (CU only)
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May 6-17: Vision Zero Auraria
, 6-8 PM, Speer and St. Francis. FB Event
here
May 8: Medication Take Back Day,
8:30 - 4:30, Health Center at Auraria (Plaza 150). More info
here
May 8:
LEED v4 Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
, 4:30pm-6:30pm, Enterprise Coworking 3000 Lawrence Denver,
register
May 9:
Electric Vehicle Charging Station Workshop
, 9am-11am, Confluence Small Business Collective 75 Waneka Parkway Lafayette,
register
May 10:
Establishing Native Grasses Seminar,
9am-12pm, 220 Water Avenue Berthoud,
register
May 10:
Water Operator Apprenticeship Program Informational Session,
11:30am, Plum Creek Water Purification Facility Castle Rock,
register
May 10: Spring Plant Sale, Denver Urban Gardens.
10 AM - 3 PM. FB Event
here
.
May 13:
16
th
Annual Rocky Mountain Environmental Engineering Student Conferenc
e, 8am-6pm, University of Colorado - SEEC Building,
register
May 14:
Socially Responsible Investing
, 6pm-7:30pm, Elevations Diagonal Branch 2960 Diagonal Highway Boulder,
register
May 14:
Plant-Pollinator Relationships,
6pm-7pm, High Plains Environmental Center 2698 Bluestem Willow Drive Loveland,
register
May 15:
Western Disposal Facility Tour
, 11am-12pm, Western Disposal Services 5880 Butte Mill Road Boulder,
register
May 15:
Less Screen Time More Green Time
, 4pm-5pm, Westgate Community School 12500 Washington Street Thornton,
register
May 15:
Volunteer to Support Refugees at DeLaney Community Farm
, 8:45am-12pm, DeLaney Community Farm 170 S Chambers Rd Aurora,
register
May 18:
Volunteer at an Organic Garden
, 10am-2pm, Jovial concepts 5045 W 1
st
Ave Denver,
register
May 28:
Restoring Native Vegetation (1) For Small Lots, Farms, and Ranches
, 6pm-7pm, High Plains Environmental Center 2698 Bluestem Willow Drive Loveland,
register
June 10:
AWWA Water Conservation Division Social Event,
5:30pm-8:30pm, Tivoli Brewing Company Tap House 900 Auraria Pkwy Denver,
register
June 18:
Restoring Native Vegetation (2) for Urban and Suburban Developments
, 6pm-7pm, High Plains Environmental Center 2698 Bluestem Willow Drive Loveland,
register
July 27: Sustina-A-Fest
, 12pm-7pm, Acacia Park 115 E Platte Ave Colorado Springs,
register
August 24:
1
st
Annual Sustainability Festival
, 10am, Jeffco Fairgrounds 15200 West 6
th
Avenue Frontage Road Golden,
register
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On Campus
Resources
Off Campus
Resources
Alliance Center
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JOBS CORNER
Have a sustainability-related job you'd like to advertise? Email scp_contact@ahec.edu with a description! We have lots of students graduating this spring and in pursuit of careers :
)
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Every year, the ASCP reviews or drafts dozens of proposals brought to us by students, staff, and faculty. Do you have an idea that could make the Auraria Campus more sustainable? Let us know!
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Stay Connected with us & follow us on
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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