I Live Green Profiles at CSU
Updated March 2008
Randy Moench and His Seedlings
Randy Moench nurtures native conifer seedlings at the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery, where he has worked for 20 years. These seedlings are shipped worldwide. 1,000,000 seedlings have already been purchased this year.
And not just anyone can buy a seedling. Seedling sales are limited to conservation practices only. Potential customers must:
- Own 2 or more acres of land
- Use the seedlings for conservation, not landscaping, and
- Purchase a minimum of 30-50 (depending on species and size).
CSU's Forest Service Nursery distributes more than 2 million seedlings for conservation efforts each year. Buying Seedling Trees for your Property
RamWheels and Biking on Campus
One of the most popular mode of transportation for students on campus is by bicycle. Colorado State's campus is connected with bike paths. Fort Collins also has more than 53 miles of well-maintained bike trails and lanes, making bike riding a popular form of transportation in this city.
And if you need to borrow a bike, CSU's RamWheels program will loan you a bike for free, for your transporation needs. Anyone can drop by and check out a bike for a day or two to get around the CSU campus and nearby downtown. RamWheels is great if you're visiting the campus and want a tour, or if you drove to campus but have to get across campus for class or work. RamWheels Program
Sheela Backen and Integrated Recycling
Sheela Backen, the Integrated Solid Waste Program Manager on campus has turned around CSU's recycling program in her 12 year tenure. When she first began with this program in 1997, CSU's recycling rate was 26%. It's now 56%.
Sheela attributes her success to collaboration and customer service — making it as easy as possible to be green. For example, recently they changed the recycling process on campus to single stream or integrated recycling. With less sorting and effort by consumers, there's better results with recycling. Sheela has also been instrumental in CSU's success with the national intercollegiate recycling competition RecycleMania.
Students and the Live Green Community
Students from the Live Green Community pose in front of "Garbage Mountain" at the Larimer County Landfill. Garbage Mountain is a collection of items pulled from the landfill to demonstrate that many items that are thrown away could have been reused or recycled.
Housing and Dining Services offers a Sustainable Living Community for students who live on campus. Located in Summit Hall (a suite-style hall with both double and single rooms), the Live Green floor is open to students in any major and there is no additional fee to participate in the community. The Live Green floor participates in sustainability initiatives and pilot recycling, composting, water conservation, energy reduction, and green power projects.
Sustainable Development Club and Organic Gardening
Members of the Sustainable Development Club on campus work in the organic garden at the Plant Environmental Research Center. Every Thursday throughout harvest time, this club sells its organic produce at a produce stand on campus.