Welcome Back to School! August updates from the ASCP

August 2020

From August 17th-21st the ASCP will be providing interactive content to help new and returning students, faculty, and staff get excited about sustainability on the Auraria Campus and while working from home! Tune into our social media accounts, website, and daily mini-newsletters all week to stay in the loop.

Each day we will be highlighting one or two of our seven sustainability pillars which include waste, renewable energy, alternative transportation, and more. Check out our events list at the end of this newsletter for more information!

Auraria Bike Shelter Breaks Ground

The ASCP has teamed up with the CU Denver Colorado Building Workshop to design two covered and secured bike parking locations on the Auraria Campus! This will provide more security for those that already bike to school or work and will hopefully encourage others to give it a try. These shelters are student designed and will be a beautiful addition to our historic campus. They will hold about 50 bikes each and include bike ‘fix-it’ stations where tools and a pump will be available for community use. For more information on the bike shelter's purpose and progress, check out our blog.

A New Normal and Inclusive Change

Welcome “back,” Auraria! This fall marks a new “normal” for all of us as we navigate a global pandemic, a racial justice movement and an upcoming presidential election. Now more than ever, the ASCP recognizes the need to address social sustainability and its intertwining with environmental and economic sustainability. We are working on some forthcoming educational programming around environmental justice, but if you have ideas you’d like to share, please reach out to scp_contact@ahec.edu.

Sustainability Workshops, Eco-Rep Updates, and Event Protocol

We will be hosting Sustainability workshops again beginning next month. All Auraria Campus students are able to attend! CU Denver students are eligible for a Sustainable Leadership Certificate. For more information and/or to sign up click here.

Be sure to check our events calendar in early September,

as we will be updating it in the next few weeks.

We will not be formally running our Eco-Rep program this fall due to limited staff capacity and COVID-19, but we will occasionally have volunteer opportunities for students to get involved on campus (ie: waste bin sticker deployment, campus litter clean-up day, etc.).

Advisory Committee Student Volunteers Needed!

Are you interested in making Auraria more sustainable? We're looking for a student volunteer from each school to participate in our ASCP Advisory Committee! This committee meets bi-weekly, September - April. Click here for more information.

If you are interested, please reach out to chris.herr@ahec.edu for more information.

On and Off Campus guides for Back to School

While we won’t see much of each other in person this semester, we’re excited to welcome you to the Fall 2020 semester. Here are a few resources to help you stay sustainable this fall on and off campus:

-Auraria Campus Waste Sorting Guide (applicable on campus and within the Denver metro area serviced by Green for Life recycling/waste)

-Bike Guide (be sure to lock up properly to avoid theft!)

-Greening Your Home Office Guide (to help keep your energy consumption and waste down while working/studying remotely)

Our Zero-Waste team has compiled a sustainable swag guide that will help the Auraria Campus become more environmentally conscientious when deciding on prizes for events. This guide helps readers understand the process by which many small giveaway items are created an shipped while providing eco-friendly swaps

for these items. Click HERE to browse the Swag Guide.

Take our Survey

Complete the U.S Census

Our Sustainability Hero this month is Christa Saracco! Christa is an active participant in the Connect Auraria Community Garden (a partnership with Denver Urban Gardens). Christa's passion for gardening started about five or six years ago when she began experimenting with organic gardening in pots and a small dirt area behind her town house. When a chance to participate in the Auraria campus community garden opened,

Christa jumped at it!

Read More!

ASCP Welcome Week Preview

Friday, August 14th

Social Media, Website

A sneak peek at what Welcome Week will entail and how you can get involved with campus sustainability!

Welcome Week Day 1 - Alternative Transportation

Monday, August 17th

Virtual

Learn about the ASCP and CU Denver CAP collaboration on a new campus bike shelter, RTD pass suspension, bike repair stations, and more.

Welcome Week Day 2 - Education and Outreach

Tuesday, August 18th

Green Offices, Sustainability Workshops, Eco-Reps, oh my! This day will highlight what the ASCP has done in the past, our plans for the upcoming school year, and how students, faculty, and staff can get involved.

Welcome Week Day 3 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Wednesday, August 19th

How many LEED certified buildings are there on the Auraria Campus? What does LEED certified even mean?! What are our campus solar panels up to?

Bikes Together Outdoor Fix-A-Flat Parties @ Mariposa

Wednesday, August 19th

1060 Osage St, Denver, CO 80204

"Bring your mask & your flat tire and we will show you how to fix your flat. We will provide extra tubes, tire levers, patches, pumps, tools, and friendly instructors. We will be outdoors and socially-distanced. Suggested donation $0-$15 (credit card and cash accepted)."

Welcome Week Day 4 - Food & Garden and Water Conservation

Thursday, August 20th

Tour the Auraria Campus garden and give us feedback on how the garden can serve you, learn about Auraria's steam weed killer, and hear from MSU Denver's OWOW Center on water conservation and protection practices that are implemented on campus.

Welcome Week Day 5 - Waste Diversion

Friday, August 21st

The finale of Welcome Week ia all about waste! Since we are such a large campus, it is important that we are mindful about how we dispose of waste. Today will include waste sorting highlights and statistics about our campus, sorting guides for your home and on campus, and interactive games about event waste.

2020 Summit for Recycling Conference

Tuesday & Wednesday, August 25th-26th

Virtual

"The annual Summit for Recycling is Colorado’s only conference and exhibition that brings together businesses and organizations dedicated to the principles of the circular economy and material waste reduction, recovery and diversion. This is the 31st year of the conference.

The virtual event is complete with keynotes, interactive networking, and educational sessions and workshops."

Learn More

Apiary Tours with The Peoples Bees

Saturday, August 29th

Living Systems Institute

14020 West 32nd Avenue

Golden, CO 80401

"Whether you're interested in beekeeping, looking to broaden your gardening skills, or just curious about our services, please join us on the last Friday of every month for a free tour of our apiary!"

Learn More

2020 Summer Bike Challenge

June - September

This summer, Bike to Work Day has created a Pedal Pursuit Scavenger Hunt which promotes traveling by bike instead of by car throughout Greater Denver. Track your progress via GPS and win prizes. Click this link for the full list of instructions:

Pedal Pursuit

Greater Denver Farmer's Markets

All summer long; end dates vary by location

One of many events that makes Denver summers so special are our numerous Farmer's Markets. Help reduce co2 emissions caused by shipping produce, bread, and other food products by shopping local! Remember to follow social distancing protocols while shopping.

The full list of markets can be found here:

Markets