5th Annual Sustainability Summit |
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ï»żThursday, November 11th 9:30am-1:30pm
Kettle Creek
Join us in-person or watch the live-stream as we hear from UCCS faculty, staff and students highlighting their sustainability efforts and successes!
We're excited to announce our keynote speaker for this year's summit will be Patricia Cameron, Founder and Executive Director of Blackpackers, a local, COS nonprofit organization 'meeting those at the intersection of underrepresentation and economic vulnerability.'
Blackpackers mission is two-fold:
1.) To provide gear, outdoor excursions and outdoor education for free or at subsidized cost
2.) To connect participants with volunteer opportunities, internships, jobs, and post-secondary education resources to create a pipeline from outdoor industry careers.
Check the website for a full agenda and how to RSVP! This event will also have a livestreaming opportunity. Free lunch will be provided to in-person attendees.
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UCCS third-most sustainable university in Colorado |
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For the fourth consecutive year, UCCS is one of Coloradoâs most sustainable higher education institutions, according to the Sierra Clubâs national magazine.
âThe Sierra Clubâs âCool Schoolâ rankings are a reflection of our entire UCCS community,â said Kimberly Reeves, interim director of sustainability. âThe program uses a robust methodology. Our ranking shows that campus partners are working hard to improve their processes and programs, and commit to a more sustainable UCCS.â
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âWe still have a long way to go,â Reeves continued. âWeâre excited to complete the universityâs third Sustainability Strategic Plan and identify opportunities to continue reducing our carbon footprint.â For more information on how to engage, Reeves noted, visit the Sustainability Strategic Plan website.
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Beers Made By Walking returns to Colorado Springs for 10th anniversary hike |
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Ten years ago the UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA) commissioned artist Eric Steen to launch the first Beers Made By Walking â a program that invites brewers to go on nature hikes and urban walks and make new âplace-based beersâ inspired by plants from the trail. On Aug. 31, GOCA brought BMBW back to Colorado Springs for a special 10th anniversary hike with four local brewers at Sondermann Park.
Hikers were accompanied by local craft brewers from Atrevida Brewing, Cerberus Brewing, Goat Patch Brewing, and Local Relic Artisanal Ales. After gaining inspiration from the walk, the breweries were tasked with creating new hike-inspired beers that will tap in the Spring and be featured at a special event tasting planned for spring 2022 at GOCA Downtown. These place-based beers serve as drinkable, landscape portraits of the trail.
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The hike was led by the Catamount Institute, a non-profit dedicated to developing ecological stewardship through education and adventure. Also participating on the project is the Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance, with a goal to engage citizens in conversations and actions that will lead to water protection and enhancement.
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Community Forms balances art and infrastructure |
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Form and function. Play and structure. When skateboarder, artist, and UCCS Associate Professor of Visual Art Matt Barton speaks about his Community Forms project, he often points to the battle of balancing such ideas to create an installation thatâs valuable both functionally and artistically.
âI had the idea of doing some public artwork using concrete fabrication methods similar to skate parks, but I was thinking about approaching those methods more naturally and thinking about forms that would invite gathering spaces,â Barton said.
In late 2020, Barton teamed up with Black Cube, a nonprofit art museum in Denver, to design a public art installation that would attract more than visual admiration. It would also inspire interaction.
âA lot of public space doesnât seem inviting for people to actually gather. Sometimes it seems like itâs deliberately designed to discourage it.â
While Barton worked through the early stages of development with Black Cube, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) put out a call for submissions for its first ever arts and mitigation grant. The grant would be awarded to projects that called attention to flood water mitigation.
Photo credit: Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post.
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5 ways to experience the arts this week -
Until Oct. 29: EPA: Environmental Performance Agency
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October is Arts Month in Colorado and the Pikes Peak region. In celebration, the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS and the Galleries of Contemporary Arts have more than 20 performances, exhibitions and cultural events planned for the upcoming month.
On Oct. 1, visiting artist collective Environmental Performance Agency (EPA) opened its new exhibit at GOCA Downtown. The new exhibit, titled âUndesirable Plants Declare: A Participatory Public Review,â brings the Environmental Performance Agencyâs work to the unceded territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho Peoples, to investigate the diverse multispecies lifeways and teachings of spontaneous urban plants (aka weeds). Viewers will be invited to discover how to become present, grounded and engaged with the land around them.
The exhibition will be on view through October 29, 2021. Admission for all events and regular gallery hours is free and open to all.
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The Office of Sustainability is Hiring! |
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The Office of Sustainability is hiring
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Sustainability Assistant focusing on events and marketing - SEAN Job Code: 27032830 and
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Sustainability Assistant focusing on zero waste - SEAN Job Code: 27032823.
The full job descriptions for these work study positions and the application process can be found on SEAN.
The UCCS Office of Sustainability supports and engages the UCCS and broader community through educational campaigns, updated infrastructure, programs, project, events, and more! Join our collaborative and engaging office that fosters the development of leaders that strengthen community, protect our natural environment and address social challenges of our time.
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