University of Colorado Boulder

University of Colorado Boulder is pleased to welcome AASHE to Denver!

Dear AASHE Conference Participants,

All of us at the University of Colorado Boulder are pleased to host you for this important conference. We are thrilled to welcome you to a place where sustainability has a long legacy on our campuses, in government, and in the every day lives of our students and citizens. The state of Colorado is blessed with a strong focus on sustainability, world-class researchers, outstanding national research labs, and an abundance of renewable resources. 

Just as Colorado sees itself as a model of sustainability, our nation’s universities must aspire to leadership in sustainability, research and curriculum for the advancement of society. We thank AASHE for enabling that leadership.  At CU we do this by redefining our impact on the earth. Our leadership in sustainability dates back more than half a century and includes the nation’s first student-led environmental center (1970), the first collegiate recycling program (1976), and the first student-funded wind energy purchase for campus buildings (2000).

Today these student-led practices and innovations have matured into advanced recycling practices across campus and zero-waste sports arenas. The CU student center, health center and recreation center are now becoming zero-waste facilities with the entire campus soon to follow suit.  CU also has become a national leader in green and sustainable construction. We now have five LEED Gold certified buildings on campus and nine more pending LEED certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system.

Last year CU made public our plans to pursue the goal of carbon neutrality. That plan is well underway and focuses on aggressive conservation goals for 2012 and beyond.
Your work here is equally important and we look forward to sharing with you what we have learned, while also incorporating your experiences and accomplishments toward our mutual goal of creating a sustainable future. We must all succeed; the stakes are too high for us to do otherwise.

Best wishes for a great experience in Colorado and beyond.

Philip P. DiStefano
Chancellor, University of Colorado Boulder