We are so excited to add the MSU Denver Center for Visual Art (CVA) to Platinum Status in our Green Offices program! Pictured above is Cecily Cullen, Director and Curator at MSU Denver's CVA.  We had the chance to speak with Cecily about how the Green Offices program fits into their mission at the CVA. Read what she had to say below, or find the full interview here!

 

“CVA's mission is to spark dialogue about issues we are facing in society, both locally and globally. Because of that, we often host exhibitions that focus on climate change, environmental issues, or other sustainability-related issues. I wanted to make sure that we were not just preaching about sustainability practices or problems with sustainability, but to ensure we were living out the solutions and embedding those solutions into our practice.”

 

The ASCP oversees the Green Office certification program for interdepartmental offices on the Auraria Campus to engage in sustainability practices at their own pace. Ranked on points, offices and their eco-leaders can initiate sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives into campus office environments. The goal of this program is to inspire behavior changes while reducing campus-wide waste and carbon emissions through ecologically minded procurement practices, composting, recycling efforts, and reducing electricity usage.

 

Once eco-leaders have initiated environmentally sustainable changes, they can schedule an office audit with an ASCP representative who allots points based on their success in each category. They are then assigned a level of certification (bronze, silver, gold, or platinum) accordingly.

 

Congratulations, CVA! Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our campus sustainability mission.

Waste diversion is a large pillar of sustainability. Landfills cause greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Proper waste sorting means less waste in our landfills and less greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the practice of recycling and composting decreases the extraction and production of new materials from our planet.

 

Unfortunately, Colorado tends to divert less waste than the national average. In 2021, 95% of the state's landfilled waste could have been recycled or composted. This is commonly the result of inadequate programs and practices. Thankfully, in 2022 the state passed Producer Responsibility for Recycling Packaging and Paper, which increased access to free recycling to all Colorado residents. The city of Denver also launched a composting initiative in 2023 to increase access to municipal composting. These are big wins in sustainability through government programs. However, the state continues to see low waste diversion totals. This is where YOU come in!

 

Practices in waste diversion are just as important as programs. It is important that we respond to government programs in positive ways, by sorting our waste and having good sustainable practices. 

 

In fact, the Auraria Sustainable Campus Program leads a robust Waste Diversion effort! From 2022-2023, our WD team diverted 21.4% of campus waste in the form of compost and recycling. When you throw your trash out, you may have noticed bins around campus that allow you to sort your waste. These “tri-stream bins” allow consumers to put waste into the landfill, recycling, or compost. If these materials are sorted correctly, then they will reach the proper destination at the end of their life. 

 

Although there are signs on our tri-streams to help consumers sort correctly, some items aren't straightforward. Some of the trickier items still end up in the wrong places. Every couple of weeks, we also host a Waste Audit where volunteers can help sort the waste to make sure items get to the proper facility. 

 

The recycled waste is transferred from campus by Republic Services. However, the ASCP houses 95% of compost operations here on campus! The Compost Team transports and sorts all waste placed into the compost tri-streams and larger, green compost bins you might see around campus. You can be sure that if the waste you place into the compost tri-stream is sorted correctly, it will make its way to the compost outpost on campus!

 

We at the ACSP are grateful for the passing of the compost referendum, the petition for which was signed by 2,000 students and passed with a 70% vote of approval by the student body in 2020. The compost referendum serves as a hallmark for sustainability on the Auraria campus without which we could not have done this work

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Interested in how we all help to reduce Auraria's ecological impact and dependence on fossil fuels? Check out our team page!