News

MENV Student Team Wins Global Competition

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:29:05 +0000

MENV Student Team Wins Global Competition Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2024 - 15:29

A team of graduate students from the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's (CU) Masters of the Environment (MENV) program won the C40 Students Reinventing Cities competition to transform Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, California into a sustainable and resilient community.

C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s leading cities, representing over 700 million people and 25% of the global economy, united to confront the climate crisis. Committed to using an inclusive, science-based and collaborative approach to cut their share of emissions in half by 2030, C40 is helping the world to limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. Since 2020, the network has hosted the global Students Reinventing Cities competition each year to harness the power of youth to reimagine urban areas into green and thriving neighborhoods.

The ��ƷSM��ӰƬ team (left to right: Joe Josleyn, MENV Sustainable Food Systems ‘24; Mia Westphal, MENV Urban Resilience and Sustainability (URS) ‘25; Mikayla Zeitlin, MENV URS ‘24; and Benji Satloff, MENV URS ‘25)—self-titled “Nova Heights” in the spirit of innovation and progress—was drawn to the historic Lincoln Heights Jail site in Los Angeles, one of the competition’s 17 participating sites to choose from. After three months of proposal brainstorming, planning, development, and review, the team proudly put forth their submission: “Valverde Commons.”

Understanding the historical and cultural significance of the Lincoln Heights Jail—as well as the greater Lincoln Heights area—the team prioritized community values throughout the iteration process. Starting with key stakeholder engagement interviews, the team consulted community activists, urban developers, and local government representatives to inform site design that would authentically serve the local community. This engagement ensured that the team approached their work with a community-first mindset, especially important as an external student team that lacked personal ties to the community at hand. “Our goal for this project was to understand how we could best serve the local community, and then design a site that provides housing, community services and job opportunities. We hope Valverde Commons will stand for generations to support the people of Lincoln Heights,” said team member Benji Satloff.

The team then researched sustainable development principles such as social housing, energy efficiency, and nature-based solutions. Combining each team member’s respective expertise in urban planning, food systems, and sustainable development, they crafted an equitable and resilient design that both honors the site’s history and empowers its future. Their concept transforms the 210,800 square-foot brownfield into a vibrant, mixed-use community hub replete with affordable housing options, local food production, and economic development opportunities.

The team named the redeveloped site after Nancy Valverde, a local LGBTQ+ activist who was unjustly imprisoned at the Lincoln Heights Jail, in an effort to pay tribute to her legacy and foster a sense of place, healing, and community pride. The completed Valverde Commons plan boasts numerous urban green spaces, a market hall, a community resilience center, and an apartment complex.

The team presented their winning proposal to L.A. District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Director of Environmental Justice, Lizzeth Rosales from Mayor Karen Bass’ office and urban development representatives, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback. Councilmember Hernandez highlighted the Valverde Commons proposal as intentional, feasible and inspiring for the Lincoln Heights Community and beyond. Councilmember Hernandez and the mayoral staff plan to circulate the team’s proposal to inspire new sustainable development projects in L.A.

The ��ƷSM��ӰƬ team’s success in the C40 competition could not have been made possible without the expertise and support from MENV program faculty Alice Reznickova, Megan McCarrol, William Shutkin and two other MENV teams that submitted strong proposals for sites in Salvador, Brazil and Copenhagen, Denmark. This rare and rewarding opportunity provided them with practical experience directly applicable to their aspiring professional careers in climate resilience planning, local government, and sustainable development. “This project gave me an amazing opportunity to apply all the concepts I was learning in the classroom to a real world case study. I plan to utilize this project and the proposal to enhance future projects and careers in urban development and sustainability planning” said team member Mia Westphal. The students’ achievement reflects their dedication and forward-thinking approach, exemplifying the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration in tackling complex urban challenges.

Alice Reznickova, Teaching Associate & Capstone Lead in MENV, who supported the logistics of the competition, highlighted the exceptional talent of MENV students: "I am beyond impressed with what the three groups accomplished in this competition - their collaboration brought three innovative proposals for sustainable, resilient, and community-centered approaches to urban redesign. This is the third competition MENV students won in the last year - along the AES Energy Innovation Challenge and the Net Impact Case Competition hosted by the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Leeds School of business . It's exciting to see MENV emerge as a hub for innovation and student excellence at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ!"

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Introducing New Curriculum Pathways at MENV: Tailor Your Education to Your Career Goals

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 20:52:37 +0000

Introducing New Curriculum Pathways at MENV: Tailor Your Education to Your Career Goals Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/25/2024 - 14:52

We're excited to announce the launch of three dynamic curricular Pathways as part of the Master of the Environment (MENV) professional graduate program. These pathways exist within and across the five specializations and are designed to help students signal to employers that they’ve accumulated a range of knowledge, skills, and practical application within a given area of expertise relevant to the sustainability field. What is a Pathway?

A Pathway is a curated suite of courses focused on key areas of relevance to the sustainability field. Pathway options focus on a particular industry, a particular subject matter area, or a suite of skills applicable across the field. Different from specializations, Pathways offer a flexible yet focused learning experience, guiding students on the relevant courses to take within a given area of expertise so that they gain the necessary skills and tools to stand out to potential employers after graduation. Although Pathways are not included on your academic transcript like specializations, completing a Pathway allows students to develop and highlight expertise in a particular area—an invaluable asset when applying for jobs.

At MENV, we are offering three Pathways to help you shape your educational journey based on your career interests:

Corporate Sustainability Pathway (CSP)

As sustainability becomes a core business priority across industries, professionals equipped with the tools to balance profitability with social responsibility are in high demand. The Corporate Sustainability Pathway focuses on teaching students how to integrate sustainability into business strategies by addressing economic, social, and environmental factors.

This pathway emphasizes:

Ethical governance

Reducing environmental impacts

Promoting social responsibility

Whether you're aiming to work in corporate sustainability teams, sustainability consulting, or environmental responsibility roles, CSP equips you with the knowledge to create long-term value for businesses and society.

Law, Policy, and Planning Pathway (LP3)

For students passionate about driving policy change, the Law, Policy, and Planning Pathway offers a deep dive into the intersection of law, public policy, and planning. LP3 is ideal for those looking to influence climate action, resilience, and sustainable development in both public and private sectors. The pathway covers a wide range of disciplines—from legal frameworks to planning and stakeholder engagement.

Key areas include:

Climate resilience

Sustainability planning

Legal and policy advocacy

Students in this pathway will be prepared to take on roles where they can shape visionary sustainability strategies in government, nonprofit, and corporate environments.

Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation Pathway (SEFP)

Sustainability projects involve many stakeholders, from local communities to global organizations. The Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation Pathway helps students develop skills in communication, outreach, and inclusive engagement—critical tools for creating collaborative solutions in sustainability.

This pathway prepares students to:

Engage diverse stakeholders

Facilitate inclusive decision-making

Advocate for underrepresented voices

If you’re passionate about fostering dialogue and ensuring all perspectives are included in the decision-making process, SEFP will equip you with the tools to drive meaningful and ethical outcomes in sustainability projects.

Chart Your Own Path

Choosing the right Pathway is an important step in customizing your educational experience. Depending on your interests and career goals, each Pathway offers unique opportunities for growth. If you’re unsure which Pathway is the best fit, we’re here to help! Feel free to reach out to our team at MENVAdmissions@colorado.edu for personalized advice.

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Beneath the Canopy – MENV Students Observe Conservation in Brazil

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 17:41:10 +0000

Beneath the Canopy – MENV Students Observe Conservation in Brazil Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/01/2019 - 11:41

Brian De Corte , MENV Student

Five MENV classmates and I spent the last two weeks in Brazil for a class titled, “Sustainability in Brazil.” The purpose of the course was to investigate socio-environmental development, governance, and leadership in the Amazon and Atlantic forests of Brazil.

Our two-week trip broke out into two parts: one week in the Amazon Rainforest in the state of Acre, and the other in the Atlantic Forest in the southern region of the state of Bahia. For context, the two locations are about as far apart as Washington D.C. and Las Vegas, NV with equally divergent socio-environmental contexts.

Despite their differences, Acre and Southern Bahia share awe-inspiring rainforest ecologies that are known worldwide for their biodiversity. In both cases, development pressures threaten the existence and function of local ecologies and the livelihoods of those who depend on the forest.

In Acre, we visited a state that is relatively sparsely populated where many residents depend directly on the land for their livelihoods. Most of the state is covered by primary Amazon forest (about 87%), but pressures are mounting to convert forests into grazing lands for cattle ranching — an activity that is intended to increase economic output per unit area.

Cattle husbandry serves as a source of assurance and economic stability for local people. We heard from residents that cattle function as a bank account for those who own them — their value grows over time and they can be sold off quickly in economically challenging times. Thus, many Brazilians perceive the conversion of forest to ranchlands as a desirable economic development pathway.

The value of the Amazon Rainforest is unquantifiable yet often difficult to access. The forest holds an incredible abundance in food, timber, medicine, and cultural value, not to mention a major stabilizing force for global carbon and water cycles. Forest-dependent economic development pathways offer a major opportunity to conserve the forest but must deliver sufficient economic value to provide comparable livelihoods to that of local ranchers.

While in Acre, we visited with individuals and organizations that are demonstrating strategies for dignified forest-based livelihoods. Throughout the week, we visited with forest extractivists (brazil nuts, rubber, timber), factory workers, indigenous leaders, and environmental educators. Through their work, these individuals and communities are proving the immense value of the forest and perpetuating its preservation.

Leaving behind the truly incredible Amazon Rainforest, we flew to Southern Bahia where we spent the last week of our trip. The region is densely populated with people living in and among primary Atlantic Forest, cabrucas (shade-grown cacao agroforests), and beautiful beaches. Southern Bahia has been recognized as one of the world’s top five biodiversity hotspots for its incredible diversity of vascular plants.

Forest clearing has been commonplace for several decades with recent estimates suggesting only about 16 to 25 percent of the land area remains covered by original forest. Cacao production constituted the main economic activity in Southern Bahia for about two centuries before a disease outbreak devastated cacao production. The recent decline in cacao production has left the region in immediate need of economic development.

About a decade ago, a development project was proposed with the purported benefit of providing a much-needed boost to the economy of Southern Bahia. The project entails the construction of a deep-sea port to enable the international export of iron ore from inland Bahia. Major railroad construction will accompany the deep-sea port as a means for transporting iron ore across Bahia. All told, the deep-sea port and associated railroad construction project will likely produce a relatively small number of jobs for a limited period of time (predicted about 30 years) and cause a host of environmental damage to the Atlantic Forest, beaches and marine ecosystems.

Our class met with the individuals and organizations that are actively exploring sustainable development the produces long-term economic returns without degrading the surrounding environment. Over the course of the week, we met with agricultural producers (cacao, fruit), value-added processors (chocolate, furniture), a professional development organization, a community-based tourism organization and environmental organizations, each of whom are creating value to the local economy without collateral environmental damage. Currently, a collaborative effort is underway to reverse the decision to build a port and manifest a community-driven economic future that can provide for Southern Bahia for generations to come.

Throughout our time in Brazil, we observed the challenge of creating economic development that can support human communities without adversely impacting the surrounding environment. Both in Acre and Southern Bahia, development that prioritizes short-term economic gain threatens local environments with unique ecologies. Although the challenge is formidable, I feel inspired by the individuals that challenge prevalent socioeconomic pressures and are working to discover and develop truly sustainable pathways to economic development. Inspired by these individuals, I will even more fervently advocate for the adoption of agricultural systems that give back to the land as much as they take, allowing future generations to inherit more fertile soils and cleaner water than their parents received.

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2019 Capstone Feature: Mad Agriculture

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 17:13:30 +0000

2019 Capstone Feature: Mad Agriculture Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/28/2019 - 11:13

Lander Karath , MENV Student Assistant

Over the course of Summer 2019, MENV will feature various Capstone Projects to keep the community updated on the accomplishments of our students and partner organizations. The Capstone is the centerpiece of the MENV program and is a year-long project that partners students with an organization from the public, private, or non-profit sector. Students gain real-world, professional experience that serves as a springboard for their future careers.

Capstone Project: A New Agrarian Paradigm

Partner Organization: Mad Agriculture

Student Team: Jane Cavagnero, Brian De Corte, Sarah Meade, Garrett Stoll

With a mission to restore society's "relationship with Earth through the story, community, and practice of good agriculture," Mad Agriculture has very ambitious goals. Founded by Phil Taylor – a farmer and sustainable agriculture advocate who is a food systems research associate that teaches in the Masters of the Environment program – the non-profit organization is working with farmers in Colorado and beyond to instill sustainable practices in the industry.

For Mad Agriculture, these sustainable practices mean regenerative agriculture. While many definitions of the practice exist, it is generally agreed that regenerative agriculture is a set of farming methods that provide ecosystem services through increased biodiversity, enhanced soils, and improved watershed quality. According to Terra Genesis International, regenerative agriculture also aims to capture carbon, provide safeguards against the effects of climate change, and increase farmers' yields.

Four MENV students joined the Mad Agriculture team this fall to help the organization meet its Colorado goals. The group of four, which consists of Jane Cavagnero, Brian De Corte, Sarah Meade, and Garrett Stoll, is working with Front Range farmers to encourage and solidify regenerative practices in local agriculture. To promote regenerative methods, the Capstone team is utilizing a systems-thinking approach that relies on already-developed best practices, ecological context, economic constraints, and the region's political landscape.

At the end of the project, Cavagnero, De Corte, Meade, and Stoll will produce a regenerative demonstration farm plan, a bi-annual magazine for radical agriculture writing, a farmers market outreach program, and a carbon economy service package. Additionally, the team will further grow Mad Agriculture’s Community Forums – a monthly event series that facilitates conversations surrounding issues facing the Front Range agriculture community.

Given the rising popularity of regenerative agriculture, the team of four is thrilled to be at the forefront of a shifting economic model. “Our Capstone team is excited to be immersed in regenerative agriculture-focused projects, as the movement is steadily growing and gaining traction around the globe,” said Meade. “Since Mad Agriculture focuses their efforts on many domains of the regenerative agriculture movement, we have broad exposure to varying activities such as farm planning, policy, emerging markets for regenerative products, and new community-based structures.”

To date, the Mad Agriculture Capstone team has immersed itself in Front Range farming through meetings, farm visits, outreach events, and community forums. In doing so, the team has begun to find solutions to the barriers that prevent farmers from adopting regenerative agriculture practices. Additionally, they have also seen what it takes to instill change in Colorado farming communities.

"As Mad Agriculture begins developing its structure, our team of fellows has been right alongside," said Cavagnero of the organization's work. "Working with such a fast-paced startup has given us all insights into what it takes to get a nonprofit off the ground."

As the team works to produce their deliverables over the summer, several exciting events are on the horizon. One such event is Slow Food Nations, an international food festival and gathering of food systems thinkers. Additionally, the team will partake in a "field trip across the Great Plains" to better understand farmer needs for transitioning to regenerative agriculture.

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Colorado has 2.8 million acres of state trust lands, but most is closed to the public. Sportsmen are trying to change that.

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 15:21:58 +0000

Colorado has 2.8 million acres of state trust lands, but most is closed to the public. Sportsmen are trying to change that. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/24/2019 - 09:21

JUDITH KOHLER , The Denver Post

A sportsmen’s group that found 9.52 million acres of federally managed public lands in the West can’t be accessed by public roads is now looking at state-owned lands. In Colorado, a majority of those are off-limits to the public.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and onX, a Montana-based digital mapping company, released their findings on Colorado on Wednesday at the Outdoor Retailer, a national outdoor recreation trade show that runs through Thursday in Denver. The Colorado analysis is the first TRCP has unveiled, with reviews of 10 other Western states expected later this summer.

About 16 percent of the roughly 2.8 million acres of state trust lands in Colorado is landlocked, meaning the land can’t be reached by public roads. Another 20 percent of the state lands are open to hunters and anglers from September through February, thanks to leases or easements acquired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The majority of the lands, or 64 percent, are closed by the state to recreation. Joel Webster, director of TRCP’s Center for Western Lands, said Colorado is an outlier because other Western states generally allow the public to recreate on state-owned lands.

“We all know the importance of access for the outdoor industry,” Webster said. “The $887 billion (industry) depends on access to public lands.”

Outdoor recreation generates about $887 billion in spending annually and supports jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

A state report released in 2018 said fishing, hunting and wildlife watching in Colorado produce about $5 billion in economic contributions annually.

Gov. Jared Polis said Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado State Land Board are working together to open more trust lands to hunting and angling.

“Colorado is arguably the most beautiful state in America, and I’m committed to expanding the public’s access to our treasured federal and state-owned land,” Polis said in a statement. “I’m delighted that Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Public Access Program for sportsmen and women will be growing by more than 100,000 acres in time for the upcoming 2019 hunting season. We will continue looking at more opportunities to increase access in the near future.”

“If we’re serious about recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters and anglers, we really need to prioritize and simplify public access,” said Liz Rose, a sportswoman and a University of Colorado-Boulder graduate student.

Rose is working with another sportsmen’s group, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, on a study of public recreation on Colorado state trust lands.

Although state trust lands are public lands, they aren’t managed the same as federal public lands. The law requires federal lands, including those overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, to be managed for multiple uses.

A 2018 report by TRCP and onX, known for its hunting app, found that 9.52 million acres of federally managed lands across the West cannot be accessed by public roads. So, the public cannot use them unless they can access them by other means — aircraft or water — or they get permission from surrounding private landowners. In Colorado, 269,000 acres are landlocked.

However, state trust lands are generally managed under a different mandate. Most Western states were granted the trust lands upon statehood with the objective of managing them to raise money for schools and other public institutions.

The approach to managing the lands has varied among the states. In some cases, states have sold big chunks or nearly all of the trust lands. Many times they are leased for livestock grazing, mining and drilling or private recreation. Colorado voters in 1996 created the Stewardship Trust, which said that 10 percent of the trust lands be managed to maintain the natural values and are held to a higher standard of care.

Webster said some Western states, including Arizona and New Mexico, charge the public fees to recreate on the lands, which allows access while still meeting financial obligations. Some activities, like off-roading, might be prohibited, he said.

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Students Travel to Chamonix to Study the Policy and Science of Climate Change in Alpine Regions

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Jun 2019 20:16:41 +0000

Students Travel to Chamonix to Study the Policy and Science of Climate Change in Alpine Regions Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 06/15/2019 - 14:16

Lander Karath , MENV Student Assistant

In May 2019, 13 representatives from the University of Colorado Boulder traveled to Chamonix, France to study the policy and science surrounding climate change in the Mont Blanc region. Led by Mark Squillace, an acclaimed professor of natural resources law at Colorado Law, the group consisted of a mix of 12 Masters of the Environment and law students.

For 10 days, the group partnered with a local science non-profit to examine the areas in which the tri-country region has succeeded and failed in addressing a warming future and rapidly-changing ecosystem. The town of Chamonix served as an ideal basecamp from which the team conducted fieldwork, traveled to the alpine tundra, and learned from local experts.

Chamonix is a French town of 10,000 people that sits near the borders of Italy and Switzerland. Residents live in the shadow of Mont Blanc, the highest point in the Alps at 15,781 feet, and its surrounding massif. The mountains serve as Europe's launchpad for alpine adventure, with visitors traveling from around the globe to ski, mountaineer, trail run, ride, and paraglide among the jagged peaks.

Chamonix wasn't always an adventure hub. Prior to the influx of European travelers, Chamonix and the surrounding valley was sparsely populated and mainly used for agriculture. The valley rapidly changed with the arrival of British adventurers in the 1700s, which jumpstarted the area's recreation economy. The town now sees five million visitors every year – roughly the same as Yellowstone National Park, but in a much smaller place.

The Mont Blanc Massif is also unique in its management scheme. Three countries – France, Italy, and Switzerland – all manage significant parts of the range. Because of the separated ownership, coordinating land management is a particular challenge, as each country has different priorities, goals, and history. This has become particularly clear as ecosystems rapidly evolve due to climate change.

Fortunately, several local organizations are working to study the ecological changes occurring in the region, with the hope of educating policymakers in all three countries. The Centre de Recherches sur les Écosystèmes d'Altitude (CREA), or Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems in English, is one of those organizations, as was the leading partner of the Colorado team during their time in France.

Founded in 1996, CREA specializes in the study of natural mountain environments. According to the organization's website, CREA "is a pioneer and leader of citizen science in France and maintains a strong commitment to participatory science, aiming not only to encourage the understanding of ecology, but also to directly involve the public in innovative scientific research."

In their 10 days with CREA, the University of Colorado team studied the organization’s approach to researching ecosystems – both in the classroom and in the field. It also learned how the organization approaches policy not from a place of advocacy, but rather with the goal of providing information to decisionmakers. Throughout the partnership, the visiting students helped CREA brainstorm ways in which to better present information to policymakers and techniques to create meaningful policy action.

Other highlights of the partnership with CREA included the study of frogs, where students confirmed observations of alpine wetlands made through remote sensing. Additionally, students traveled to the Plan de l'Aiguille Refuge for two nights to immerse themselves in the alpine ecosystems they were studying. While the entire landscape was covered in snow, it served as a stark reminder of the harshness and uniqueness of the area.

The University of Colorado also partnered with local alpinist and activist, Zoe Hart. Hart, an ambassador for Patagonia, gave students the perspective of local advocacy organizations. She discussed Patagonia’s environmental work in Europe and the U.S. and how individuals can best create change within their communities.

She also highlighted the conflict surrounding dams and hydroelectric energy production. The student team learned about Patagonia's approach (anti-dam) but also had the opportunity to visit a local hydroelectric project. The Nant de Drance plant, located across the border in Switzerland and currently under construction, will utilize pumped storage to produce energy when production is low across the bridge. While proponents laud its potential efficiency, many believe that new dams are not the answer to a need for clean energy.

After 10 jam-packed days with CREA and Hart, Squillace and the majority of the students traveled to Italy to enjoy a hike to the Refugio di Bonatti outside of Courmayeur. The 14-mile hike provided a new perspective of the massif and a light-hearted conclusion to the course.

Now that the University of Colorado team is back in Boulder, students are taking time to reflect on their experience and record their findings. With many entering future careers in land management and policy creation, they hope their time in Chamonix will provide examples of how science and policy can partner to create outcomes that are in the public interest.

Policy & Climate Change in the Mont Blanc Region is a yearly course offered by the Masters of the Environment program at the University of Colorado Boulder. For more information about the course, please contact Mark Squillace at mark.squillace@colorado.edu.

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2019 Capstone Feature: Colorado Water Conservation Board

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 19:39:14 +0000

2019 Capstone Feature: Colorado Water Conservation Board Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/11/2019 - 13:39

Lander Karath , MENV Student Assistant

Over the course of summer 2019, MENV will feature various Capstone Projects to keep the community updated on the accomplishments of our students and partner organizations. The Capstone is the centerpiece of the MENV program and is a year-long project that partners students with an organization from the public, private, or non-profit sector. Students gain real-world, professional experience that serves as a springboard for their future careers.

Capstone Project: Updating the Colorado Water Plan – Analysis & Basin Integration

Partner Organization: Colorado Water Conservation Board

Student Team: Bianca Valdez, Hannah O’Neill, Jakki Davison

With its soaring Rocky Mountains, Colorado is home to many watersheds, including the Colorado River Basin. From the West’s most famous river to the smallest mountain tributary, the state’s water is in increasingly high demand as the regional climate changes.

In other words, Colorado water is a pretty big deal.

In 2015, the importance of conserving Colorado’s water resources brought together state agencies, hundreds of stakeholders, and 30,000 public comments to create the Colorado Water Plan. Overseen by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the plan examined the state’s water needs with respect to a growing population and an increasingly dry climate. Since its start, the plan has successfully integrated statewide climatic, population, and water modeling with local concerns to identify future needs and target water infrastructure projects.

As the state approaches a 2020 update to its original plan, the Colorado Conservation Board has tapped the MENV student team of Bianca Valdez, Hannah O’Neill, and Jakki Davison to support the charge for a revamped plan. Over the course of 2019, the team of three will analyze past planning documents to better inform the 2020 version.

Since the Colorado Water Plan is only in its first iteration, the opportunity for impact from the Capstone Project is high. “This is only the second iteration of the [Colroado Water Plan], and we have the opportunity to influence not only the current update of this important planning document but future cycles as well,” O’Neill said in an interview.

Since starting the project in January, O’Neill, Valdez, and Davison have thoroughly studied the “Basin Implementation Plans” for the state’s nine water basins. The task was a major undertaking, with each plan consisting of roughly 950 pages. However, the team created a unique coding system to create a narrative around the potential changes the Water Conservation Board could take – a process all three maintained has been the most exciting part of the project so far.

For the remainder of the summer, the O’Neill, Valdez, and Davison are planning to research the water planning processes for other states and countries with a similar climate to Colorado. In September, the team will present a summary of their recommendations to the Colorado Water Conservation Board at the Basin Roundtable Summit in Winter Park. In December, the team will provide the state with an official write-up of their recommendations and materials to engage and educate the various parties affected by the plan.

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The Brink: Stories of Environmental, Social and Economic Justice

Anonymous — Thu, 23 May 2019 07:37:42 +0000

The Brink: Stories of Environmental, Social and Economic Justice Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/23/2019 - 01:37

KGNU

The Brink is a radio storytelling project about what is needed to transition to a more just environment and society, which tells stories of inequality, struggle and transformation. The word “brink” has dual meaning: that which exists at the margins and a critical turning point. The Brink is a project of Assistant Professor David Ciplet’s graduate course Power, Justice and Climate Change in the Environmental Studies Program at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ, in partnership with KGNU and the Just Transition Collaborative. Listen to the series from winter 2018 here.

Fracking Along Colorado’s Northern Front Range

By Heather Sackett

Colorado’s Northern Front Range has experienced a boom in hydraulic fracturing over the past decade. Known as “fracking,” hydraulic fracturing is a way of extracting oil and natural gas from underground rock by injecting pressurized liquid into it. Much of the boom has been concentrated in Weld County, which is the number one producer of oil and gas in the state. This has led to fracking wells and drilling rigs popping up amid the new suburban housing developments of the small town of Erie, which straddles Weld and Boulder counties.

Listen to Fracking Along Colorado’s Northern Front Range:

Garment Workers Wages: The Real Cost of Fast Fashion

By Ana Bogusky

We all wear clothes, but the fashion industry’s “fast fashion” model is unsustainable. Garment workers, in any country, may face inequalities and injustices as they work long hours for little pay. Activists Dominique Mueller and Elizabeth Cline are working to build awareness and improve conditions. Listen as they explain how complex the issue is, and a worker tells us just how low their hourly wages can be.

Listen to Garment Workers Wages: The Real Cost of Fast Fashion

Environmental Racism in Denver Schools: Examining the Air Quality Gap

By Cristal Cisneros, Grace Carlin & Kelsey Tayne

In this story, we look at an issue of environmental injustice in Denver. Many students attending schools in Denver that serve predominantly students of color are exposed to poor air quality on a daily basis. This has serious health implications for students at these schools. This issue is connected to histories of racism and segregation, through practices such as redlining.

Listen to Environmental Racism in Denver Schools: Examining the Air Quality Gap:

Equitable Access to Public Land on the Front Range

By T. J. McLemore and Hunter Meldman

Colorado’s front range boasts a stunning amount of public land and open space. But these spaces are not equally accessible and welcoming to all residents of the region. In this story, we explore how organizations like Denver’s CityWILD and Boulder’s El Centro Amistad are acting to remedy barriers to inclusivity and access to public land.

Listen to: Equitable Access to Public Land on the Front Range

Change is Coming in the Far North

By Alexandra Michell and Jenna Sampson

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a 20 million acre expanse of land on Alaska’s North Slope. It is home to the Inupiat village of Kaktovik and the breeding grounds of the Porcupine Caribou, the primary food source for another Native group, the Gwich’in people. As the Trump administration pushes legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up to drilling, the Gwich’in people express concern for their well-being and culture, while some Inupiat people of Kaktovik support drilling for the potential economic benefits it may bring. But the debate is not black and white, and legislation is live in Congress now to protect the Refuge from drilling.

Listen to Change is Coming in the Far North:

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Colorado Is Entering A New Environmental Era...Maybe

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2019 15:53:42 +0000

Colorado Is Entering A New Environmental Era...Maybe Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/20/2019 - 09:53

Grace Hood/CPR News

More than a dozen new energy and environment bills are headed to Gov. Jared Polis for a signature. They cover an array of issues from the oversight of electrical generating companies to how companies have to factor climate change into their decision making to the nitty gritty of how oil and gas drilling is governed in the state.

“Given the priority we saw voters make of energy and the environment this past fall they were a really an important part of this past legislative session,” said Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado, an environmental nonprofit.

While momentous, the actual impacts of some policies are yet to be determined. At least two — the oil rule and greenhouse gas reduction goals — will see many details decided in rulemaking by state agencies.

Agencies will release basic ideas on their plans for new regulations. Then they’ll release a draft rule for the public to weigh in on. Some environmental groups plan to put pressure on the state to hold evening sessions, so the public has a better chance to share their concerns.

The oil and gas law, for example, will require at least a half-dozen rules to be written or rewritten. That means it could take years -- not months -- to completely spell out details of measures that could have the biggest impact on curbing climate change.

“So the outcome of this session we won’t know fully for multiple years to come,” said Scott Prestidge, communications director for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Here’s a list of the key energy and environment bills:

Just Transition From Coal-based Electrical Energy Economy. Creates first-of-its-kind Just Transition office, and makes grants available to coal transition workers.
Electric Motor Vehicles Public Utility Services. Allows electric utilities to apply to the Public Utilities Commission to build electric vehicle charging stations.
Protect Public Welfare Oil and Gas Operations. 29-page bill makes health and safety a priority for regulators and launches more than a half dozen rulemakings on things like flowlines, adopting additional methane controls.
Collect Long-Term Climate Change Data. Directs state health officials to collect greenhouse gas emission data annually, and make data available to local governments.
Community Solar Gardens Modernization Act. Allows community solar gardens to expand from 2 to 5 megawatts.
Modify Innovative Motor Vehicle Income Tax Credits. Current law phases out EV tax credits at the end of 2021, new law extends tax credits through 2025.
Electric Vehicle Grant Fund. Allows for more flexibility in how EV Grant Fund administered by the Colorado Energy Office is used.
New Appliance Energy and Water Efficiency Standards. Appliances and plumbing fixtures sold in Colorado will have to meet new energy efficiency and water efficiency standards.
Building Energy Codes. Local governments required to adopt one of three international energy conservation codes when they update building codes.
Climate Action Plan To Reduce Pollution. Directs Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent by 2025, 50 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050.
Housing Authority Properties. Allows public housing authorities to participate in state PACE program, a way to finance clean energy projects.
Front Range Waste Diversion Program. Creates Front Range landfill fee that goes to help communities meet waste diversion goals.
Sunset Public Utilities Commission. 81-page bill gives new charter for state electric utility regulators, including a move in 2020 to calculate the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions in certain utility proceedings.

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NIDIS Partners with the University of Colorado to Enhance Tribal Engagement and Understand Drought Impacts on Outdoor Recreation

Anonymous — Thu, 16 May 2019 21:51:32 +0000

NIDIS Partners with the University of Colorado to Enhance Tribal Engagement and Understand Drought Impacts on Outdoor Recreation Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/16/2019 - 15:51

NIDIS

Publication Date: May 16, 2019

NIDIS and the University of Colorado-Boulder Masters of the Environment Program are teaming up on two drought-related research projects. One project team will examine drought vulnerability and information needs for the outdoor recreation industry. The other project team will develop a NIDIS tribal engagement strategy and other tools to ensure tribal communities have the drought data and resources they need. Both projects will be completed by the end of 2019. Contact us at nidis.program@noaa.gov for more information on either project.

Outdoor Recreation Project

The primary objective of this project is to identify and meet the drought information needs of various outdoor recreation sectors in the Intermountain West. The project aims to expand the scope of available resources by interviewing and surveying stakeholders to identify undersupplied types of drought information. In order to close these information gaps, the project will deliver recommendations to NIDIS regarding new content for the U.S. Drought Portal. In doing so, this project aims to reduce the drought vulnerability of business owners in the outdoor recreation sector, and in particular, water-based outdoor recreation activities, such as skiing, whitewater rafting, and fishing.

In addition to these content recommendations, this project will produce a suite of documents including summaries of stakeholder survey and interviews, profiles of generalized stakeholder informational needs, risk and vulnerability analyses, and a working prototype of a web-based drought tool for the outdoor recreation industry. Ideally, the work can be replicated in other Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) regions.

Tribal Engagement Project

The goal of this project is to strategically address the drought information needs of tribal communities in the Missouri River Basin and Midwest regions. The project team will map key tribal contacts and boundary organizations for each region and identify capacity gaps. From there, they will develop a tribal drought vulnerability map, corresponding tribal drought snapshots, and gaps and needs to solidify drought early warning in collaboration with communities and partners. All of these will ultimately feed into a NIDIS Tribal Drought Resilience Engagement Strategy that will build drought resilience by strengthening collaboration with indigenous communities.

Initially, the project will focus on tribes in Missouri River Basin and Midwest; however, the experiences in these regions, along with the engagement strategy, could be rolled out in all of the NIDIS DEWS regions.This would benefit tribes nationally, particularly those who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of drought and have the least capacity and resources.

CU-MENV Program

The Masters of Environment is an intensive 17-month professional graduate program at CU-Boulder. Specialization areas include Environmental Policy, Sustainability Planning and Management, Renewable Energy, and Sustainable Food Systems. A major component of the program is a year-long Capstone project, which students develop in collaboration with their chosen partner organization.

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