Partnerships

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Member

CSU is a member of this growing network of colleges, universities, businesses, and nonprofits that are working to achieve a sustainable future.

ClimateWise

Colorado State joined other local businesses in 2003 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of life in Fort Collins

Colorado Anemometer Loan Program

Directed by Michael Kostrzewa of CSU’s Mechancial Engineering Department, the Anemometer Loan Program is a partnership between CSU, the Governor’s Energy Office, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Anemometers are instruments used to determine the feasibility of wind energy in a specific location. The Colorado Anemometer Loan Program assists ranchers, farmers, and homeowners in determining if their site is a good location for small scale wind turbines. Free assistance is provided through the install of wind monitoring equipment and wind analysis by CSU Engineering students.

Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory

The Collaboratory Includes Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In July 2007, CSU and its partners in the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory announced their first major project, known as the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels or C2B2. The Center is a research venture between large and small businesses and the Collaboratory. C2B2 will perform cutting-edge research to develop new biofuels and biorefining technologies and transfer these advances as rapidly as possible to the private sector. Large businesses that have already joined C2B2 include Archers Daniels Midland, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical, DuPont, General Motors, Shell, Suncor, Weyerhauser and WR Grace.

EPA Energy Star Program Partner & Green Power Partner

Housing & Dining Services is a member of the EPA's Energy Star Program, which provides a powerful platform for utilities, state agencies, and other organizations implementing energy efficiency programs to make a bigger difference in their communities. As a Green Power Partner, Housing & Dining Services has agreed to procure at least 4% of its electric usage from green sources.

Go Green Go State!

CSU has made a commitment through an initiative called "Go Green Go State!" to make sustainability a key feature of high-level events such as the President’s Fall Address and the 1870 Club dinner — the university’s banquet and awards program for its top-tier donors — with recycled plates and silverware, and food purchased from local producers.

Federal Presence Near Colorado State

Colorado State University has forged a strong partnership with federal agencies that share research interests with the University and have located branches in Fort Collins or the region to facilitate this strong collaboration with CSU and other research partners. Federal agencies located in the region include the Natural Resources Research Center, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and — CSU’s Foothills Campus — the largest Centers for Disease Control operation outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

CSU researchers served as Lead Authors on current and previous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports and have led the development of the soils components of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. CSU faculty contributed significantly to the Panel’s analyses in climate modeling, greenhouse gas inventory and mitigation, carbon cycle science, terrestrial carbon stocks, and more. Their work contributed to the Panel’s sharing in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

International Partnerships

Colorado State faculty are engaged in a number of collaborative international partnerships related to the environment. CSU’s international environmental projects have included climate change and ecosystems work in Antarctica; work with the Agharkar Institute (governmental research institute) in Pune, India, to develop bioremediation technology for the cleanup of wastewater contaminated with explosives; international projects on river and stream ecology; a monumental, long-term water project in Egypt funded by the nation's government; and a special partnership between the China Academy of Sciences and CSU’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory focused on carbon sequestration and the environment.

Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster

CSU is a lead partner in the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, a clearinghouse announced in 2006 that connects entrepreneurs and major power users with researchers and government officials, encouraging innovation, new job creation, and investment in the region. The Clean Energy Cluster has already produced several technology transfer opportunities including collaborations between Colorado State University's Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory in the College of Engineering and such companies as Solix Biofuels Inc. and Spirae Inc.

Pierre Auger Observatory

Colorado State is the sponsoring institution for Colorado’s involvement in The Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory in southeast Colorado, which provides a new window through which scientists can study the universe's highest energy particles, which shower down on Earth in the form of cosmic rays. CSU, joined by associate member institutions Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University-Pueblo, and University of Colorado-Boulder, along with Lamar Community College, have been part of the effort since 2004 to build the Pierre Auger Observatory Northern Auger Site near Lamar.

President’s Sustainability Committee

To strengthen Colorado State University’s environmental commitment, President Larry Penley created the University Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee, which is charged to lead and integrate the best methods of environmental stewardship into campus operations and to advance the institution’s engagement in sustainability at a local, state, and global level.

School of Public Health

The Colorado School of Public Health will be the first and only school of public health in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. The SPH is collaboratively formed by the University of Colorado-Denver, Colorado State University, and the University of Northern Colorado. The new school will support students, practitioners, and communities, with access to educational programs, innovative research, and community services. Key non-academic contributors to this initiative include the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado 's philanthropic health foundations, Colorado Public Health Association, and other public health leaders and organizations.

Superclusters

Colorado State has launched a pioneering, enterprise-based approach to speed the products of university research to the marketplace: Superclusters. Superclusters are focused on solutions to the great global challenges of infectious disease, cancer, and clean energy. Cenergy, the enterprise arm of the clean-energy Supercluster, is designed to support Colorado’s leadership in building a new energy economy, recognizing that Colorado State is home to one of the world’s finest brain trusts in alternative energy technology, environmental sciences, biofuels, atmospheric science, climate change, and land management.

Talloires Declaration

CSU signed onto the Talloires Declaration in 2001, committing to the establishment of programs in all major disciplines to teach about the environment, population, and sustainable development. The Talloires Declaration was the first official statement of a commitment to environmental stability in higher education. The Declaration is a 10-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations, and outreach. Over 350 university chancellors and presidents have signed in over 40 countries.

U.S. Green Building Council Member

In FY02, CSU Facilities Management joined the U.S. Green Building Council. Council members work together to develop LEED products and resources, the Greenbuild Annual International Conference and Expo, policy guidance, and educational and marketing tools that support the adoption of sustainable building.