Sustainability

Chancellor Schwartz on What Makes Buffs Bold

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:13:24 +0000

Chancellor Schwartz on What Makes Buffs Bold Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:13

Maria Kuntz

Chancellor Schwartz at the AAPI graduation ceremony this spring.

Coloradan editor Maria Kuntz sat down with Chancellor Justin Schwartz to gather his perspective on what makes Buffs so extraordinary and bold.

You’ve worked and studied at several of the nation’s most respected institutions. What is it about CU students and faculty that sets them apart?

They’re not only focused on their disciplinary interest but also deeply committed to using whatever disciplinary expertise they have to create real impact on the world. In particular, [there’s] a core underpinning — a commitment to sustainability that is really genuine. It’s not an item on a list. It’s very much embedded into the culture of our community.

Alumni are leading space missions, launching startups and advancing climate science. What do you think is happening here that produces such bold, purpose-driven people?

Decades ago, a culture of excellence, doing big things and taking on leadership roles developed in ɫ��ֱ��. And it’s just continued to feed on and develop itself. Now, we naturally attract people with that mindset and core values so that the culture becomes self-propagating.

Tell me about a moment from this past year, maybe involving a student, alum or a faculty member, that genuinely surprised or moved you.

One of the moments that stands out was the first time [my spouse, Dr. G, and I] worked out with the Ralphie handlers in the gym. We witnessed how much camaraderie and esprit de corps there was between them, and then they brought us in seamlessly and naturally. It’s a truly energetic, dedicated and ridiculously hard-working culture.

You’re a year into your tenure. What’s your boldest hope for what people will say about ɫ��ֱ�� five years from now? Not just as a university, but as a force in the world.

Five years from now, we want to be known for having transformed how higher education institutions across the country approach sustainability in terms of academics, implementation and knowledge transfer. I hope we will become a resource for our peers across the country.

When you’re talking to someone who’s never been to ɫ��ֱ��, what do you say to help them understand what’s special about this place?

I would start by saying: Until you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to explain. There are so many people I’ve heard say, ‘I came to visit and knew right away that this is where I was going to stay.’ These are alums who are now 70, who came from out of state 50 or 60 years ago. It’s not just the natural beauty of the environment. There is something energetic and inspiring about the community itself.

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa

Chancellor Justin Schwartz shares how ɫ��ֱ��’s culture of boldness, sustainability and community drives students and faculty to make a meaningful impact on the world.

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Kale, Yeah! ɫ��ֱ��’s Sustainable Dining

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:08:37 +0000

Kale, Yeah! ɫ��ֱ��’s Sustainable Dining Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:08

Sarah Kuta

It’s a chilly, overcast spring day in ɫ��ֱ�� — but you wouldn’t know it from inside the greenhouse at Village Dining Center, where the temperature is always a balmy 65 degrees.

Clad in a baseball cap and an oversized T-shirt, ɫ��ֱ�� junior Tessa Dempster (EnvSt, Geog’26) is harvesting kale from one of the 137 hydroponic towers that fill the temperate 2,700-square-foot room. She carefully pulls a handful of leafy greens from a vertical stand, snips off the stems and tosses the tender leaves into a plastic bin.

When she’s all finished, this kale — grown in just a few weeks using a water-based nutrient solution — will be washed, spun dry and added to the salad bar in the adjoining dining hall.

“We go, like, 15 feet and — boom! Food production ... done,” she said, grabbing another handful of kale. “It’s definitely lessening the environmental footprint, and it makes you feel like you’re working toward a higher purpose.”

Healthy and Delicious

College food can conjure images of gristly “mystery meat” and suspicious-looking casseroles bathed in the glow of buffet heat lamps. ɫ��ֱ�� offers a different vision, providing sustainable, nutritious and delicious meals to students — greenhouse-grown lettuces, colorful vegetables, luscious fruits, scratch-made soups, stone-fired pizzas, hearty grain bowls and fresh-baked breads.

The world is taking notice. This year, ɫ��ֱ�� was rated the No. 1 post-secondary institution for plant-based dining and sustainability on the Humane World for Animals’ 2025 College and University Protein Sustainability Scorecard. In addition, CU was the only university on the list with more than 50% plant-based meals on its menu.

And CU is aiming higher: The university has set a goal of boosting its plant-based menu offerings to 75% by the end of 2025.

Supreme Greens

Campus Dining Services dishes up an estimated 3.5 million scratch-made meals each year, and vegetables play a starring role in several of them. Veggies are a sustainable option since they tend to use less energy, land and water than animal-based foods, and they also produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. They also bring vibrancy, color and freshness to campus dining, according to Eliah Golden, associate director for residential dining and culinary operations for Campus Dining Services.

“This is what allows us to offer so much variety,” said Golden. “I actually shudder at the thought of what a buffet line would look like without vegetables — it would be pretty boring.”

In addition, the university works with local growers and suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of its meals and support the local economy. ɫ��ֱ�� prepares 5,000 to 6,000 pounds of dried pinto beans each year (farmed just a few miles away in Longmont) and spotlights seasonal Colorado produce like organic apples from Ela Family Farms, a fourth-generation orchard on the Western Slope.

“We’re supporting great farms and educating students about local agriculture and seasonality — it’s a win-win,” said Billy Kardys, senior executive chef for Campus Dining Services.

Preparing Future Consumers

With healthy offerings on campus, students can make lifelong food choices that are better for themselves and the planet.

This philosophy is shared by members of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a group of colleges and universities using campus dining halls to help shape the food system of the future. ɫ��ֱ�� has been a member since the collaborative’s inception in 2014, and Golden serves as co-chair of the executive chefs committee.

“We make a huge impact on these incoming ‘consumers,’ as I like to call them,” said Kardys. “When students go out into the world and they’re no longer eating with us, we want them to take these values with them.”

Campus chefs also introduce students to cuisines from around the world.

“We’re with these students at a very formative time in their lives,” said Golden. “Our hope is that they’re going to expand their palate so they have a joy about food, that they’re excited to try new things and international flavors.”

Dining Options for Everyone

For diners with dietary restrictions, allergies, intolerances, religious customs or food preferences, eating out can be a stressful experience.

ɫ��ֱ�� accommodates many diets, from halal and kosher to vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. Campus Dining Services also has a registered dietician who can help students — and reassure parents — with dietary questions and concerns.

In 2022, ɫ��ֱ�� unveiled Libby on the Run, a reimagined version of the Libby Hall dining facility. It’s a full-service, grab-and-go venue that caters to students with four major food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, gluten and wheat.

“We don’t want anyone feeling like they can’t have a happy and healthy college experience because of food,” said Golden. “We wanted to offer a completely safe zone for folks with those allergies.”

“Continuous Improvement”

Dining will continue to play a vital role as ɫ��ֱ�� works toward its campus master plan goal of adding 4,400 to 6,000 on-campus beds over the next 15 to 30 years.

Residence One, a new apartment-style residential building under construction north of ɫ��ֱ�� Creek, and proposed sister property Residence Two will feature all-electric food service facilities — the first of their kind at ɫ��ֱ��. Farrand Hall is also slated for an upcoming renovation, allowing campus dining leaders to reimagine the on-site dining venue, The Alley.

Billy Kardys and Eliah Golden

“We’re going to kick it up like 10 gears and offer a really awesome, quick-service, restaurant-style environment that would be competitive with anything on The Hill or Pearl Street,” said Golden.

In the meantime, Campus Dining Services is experimenting with its first-ever food trailer, a 36-foot-long mobile eatery called “Roaming Ralphie.”

ɫ��ֱ�� dining staffers also hope to expand their educational offerings, including cooking classes offered out of the teaching kitchen at Village Center. They’re also exploring new sustainability initiatives, such as reusable to-go boxes.

“We have a culture of continuous improvement,” said Golden. “We like to set our own bar, and we always want to be better.”

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa; Styled by Chris Caldes

Vegan Coconut Bread (CU Dining’s most-requested recipe from alumni)

Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons ground flaxseed

2 tablespoons water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup coconut milk

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ cup (packed) medium firm tofu (crumbles)

1 ½ cups (packed) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¾ cups shredded sweetened coconut

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Prep: Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan and preheat oven to 350°F.

Wet mix: In a bowl, mix flaxseed and water. Stir in oil, coconut milk, sugar, and crumbled tofu.

Dry mix: In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, coconut, salt and cinnamon.

Combine: Gently fold dry into wet until just mixed.

Bake: Pour into the pan and bake approximately one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

At ɫ��ֱ��, innovative hydroponic farming and plant-based, locally sourced meals are transforming campus dining into sustainable, fresh and delicious food.

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The Stories that Sustain Us: Phaedra Pezzullo's Unique Approach to Sustainability

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:30:53 +0000

The Stories that Sustain Us: Phaedra Pezzullo's Unique Approach to Sustainability Anna Tolette Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:30

Joe Arney

When you’re trying to change the world — in Phaedra C. Pezzullo’s case, by improving the environment — you need more than scholarly publications to create impact.

It’s why one of her favorite stories involves the fact that her first solo-authored book, Toxic Tourism, inspired the lyrics to a punk-rock song by the band The Holland Dutch.

“Something like that reaches people in more profound ways than just talking about policy or politics,” said Pezzullo, ɫ��ֱ�� communication professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI).

In early 2025, Pezzullo opened CMCI’s Sustainability and Storytelling Lab. And while an academic lab in a formal university setting may sound out of step for someone whose work galvanizes protesters and inspires musicians, she sees it as an exciting next step in the shifting conversation around sustainability.

“The lab is already becoming a space where people from a range of disciplines who study sustainability — students, staff, faculty and community partners — can build relationships and consider the role of storytelling in the field,” she said.

“Something like that reaches people in more profound ways than just talking about policy or politics.”

As with any university lab, creating high-impact learning opportunities for students is key.

Activist Becomes Academic

Pezzullo’s formative educational experiences inspired her teaching philosophy. While a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she interviewed activists and community members in Warren County — known as the birthplace of the environmental justice movement — where landfill toxins were poisoning the water source serving a predominantly Black community.

Listening to their voices and adding her own to the cause helped Pezzullo to see how a single story could unlock millions of dollars to clean a landfill. Cleanup work began as she completed her studies.

“I became hooked on stories,” she said. “When we put storytelling into practice in service of complex problems, like sustainability, we discover why communication is captivating.”

It’s part of why Pezzullo doesn’t limit her storytelling to scholarly publications. Her public-facing work on sustainability includes a podcast, Communicating Care, where she explores sustainability issues like plastic bag bans, disability justice and environmental treaties with other voices from the field.

One of these voices was Emy Kane (IntlAf’13), managing director of Lonely Whale, an organization that raises awareness about and offers alternatives to problematic plastics through partnerships with brands and engagement with companies, scientists and the global youth movement.

“When we put storytelling into practice in service of complex problems, like sustainability, we discover why communication is captivating.”

“What inspired me most about Phaedra is her commitment to sharing stories borne from empathy and action,” said Kane. “I’m thrilled to see my alma mater support her platform and research so that the next generation of leaders are equipped with the stories they need to reimagine the systems that run our world.”

Conversations on the podcast helped inform Pezzullo’s 2023 book, Beyond Straw Men: Plastic Pollution and Networked Cultures of Care, which won three national book awards. Highlighting success stories, she said, is important to counteract the defeatism and fatalism that typically accompany sustainability stories — and she’s seeing such sentiments rising, even in her classroom.

Oftentimes, in the wake of a victory, “people point out just how much is still wrong with pollution, with our climate, with the world,” she said. “Success isn’t that there won’t be more disasters — it’s that, with more thoughtful choices, future disasters may be less impactful. And that is a more challenging story to tell.”

Science Demands Better Stories

Amid news of rising temperatures, invasive microplastics and melting glaciers, it might seem frivolous to talk about sustainability in terms of good storytelling. But experts argue that we’ve struggled to make progress on environmental issues because the deeply scientific nature of these problems makes it hard for the general public to relate.

Robert Cox — Pezzullo’s mentor at UNC Chapel Hill, where he remains an emeritus professor — credited his protégé with laying the basis for how understandable stories can change the course on climate.

“All the work being done to communicate climate science in the public sphere is now being talked about in terms of relatable stories that demonstrate the impact of climate change,” said Cox, a three-time president of the Sierra Club environmental organization and co-author (with Pezzullo) of a textbook on the discipline. “Those stories resonate far beyond just the pages of an academic article. Phaedra’s work really laid the basis for the importance of narrative, of storytelling, to make complex environmental issues approachable.”

“Success isn’t that there won’t be more disasters — it’s that, with more thoughtful choices, future disasters may be less impactful. And that is a more challenging story to tell.”

In her lab, Pezzullo is searching for that impact by forging partnerships within CMCI and ɫ��ֱ�� to bring different kinds of expertise to the challenge of impactful storytelling — something she’s already doing as director of the university’s graduate certificate in environmental justice. She’s lectured at universities across the globe and has collaborated extensively with Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment on climate change. In the meantime, she and her students build digital “story maps” that illustrate how Colorado communities are affected by environmental and climate injustice.

Pursuing Stories with Confidence

Independent reporter Anthony Albidrez (MJour’24) took a foundational course in environmental justice with Pezzullo to better understand how journalism supports sustainability through storytelling and rigorous news reporting standards.

Because of his class experiences, Albidrez turned a course project about a stream cleanup in Honolulu, where he lives, into a report detailing how the local unhoused population was blamed for a mess that, when cleaned, amounted to 16 tons of trash being removed from the Makiki Stream.

“I don’t think a group of homeless people can drag tons of trash into a streambed, but from my research, they were receiving the brunt of the blame,” Albidrez said. “Phaedra’s course helped give me the confidence to go beyond the government numbers and explanations and find the real story.”

Pezzullo’s ability to encourage that sort of intellectual curiosity is what Cox most appreciates about her impact. Though he’s quick to credit her with pushing the boundaries of their field, Cox most admires how Pezzullo has guided the next generation of thinkers as they seek to advance sustainability through storytelling.

“So many of her students are pursuing academic, business and nonprofit work in this area, and that speaks to her strength as a mentor,” Cox said. “She is such an unselfish person in terms of contributing her labor to the field of environmental communication — and that’s the kind of champion a story like this needs.”

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Illustrations by Scott Bakal

Professor Phaedra Pezzullo aims to make sustainability issues more relatable by integrating storytelling into environmental communication.

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Thinking Huts Is Printing a Brighter Future

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:24:56 +0000

Thinking Huts Is Printing a Brighter Future Anna Tolette Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:24

Kelsey Yandura

In 2015, “3D printing” still conjured up images of the absurd, the novel or the futuristic — think custom tabletop game pieces, small replacement parts, decorative novelties and even 3D-printed chocolate.

But Maggie Grout (Mgmt’21) has never been one to think small. At just 15 years old, three years before she enrolled as a Buff, Grout walked up to her dad and asked a life-changing question: “What if we 3D-printed a school?”

The answer, in the form of Grout’s nonprofit Thinking Huts, would ripple out to impact not only her own future, but the futures of families and communities across the globe.

Welcome to Bougainvillea

In 2022, seven years after Grout’s initial idea sparked, Bougainvillea was born — a 700-square foot, 3D-printed school in south central Madagascar and Thinking Huts’ first officially completed project.

According to data from UNESCO and the United Nations, sub-Saharan Africa faces the highest education exclusion rates in the world. In Madagascar, the crisis is acute: three-fourths of secondary-age children don’t attend school due to issues like overcrowding and dangerous commutes. One-third won’t complete primary education, and 97 percent of 10-year-olds who finish primary school cannot read simple sentences.

Thinking Huts hopes to change that. Bougainvillea is small but mighty, holding up to 30 students and serving as a beacon of hope for the local community and proof of Thinking Huts’ potential to address the global education opportunity gap.

And while the grunt work of planning and preparing spanned the better part of a decade, the execution was swift — using an industrial-scale 3D printer and a cement mixture, an on-site team printed the modular wall components in just 18 hours. These units were designed to fit together seamlessly, forming a puzzle-like assembly to complete the structure. The roof, doors and windows, handcrafted by local artisans and builders, were added on several weeks later.

Grout recalls: “When I was looking at the walls being printed, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is crazy. It’s finally happening.’”

Patience Pays Off

Thinking Huts was forged at the intersection of two different causes: education and sustainability. For Grout, they are intimately connected.

“We know that in order for us to continue to increase access to education in these communities, we have to have a focus on sustainable building metrics,” said Kristen Harrington, director of development at Thinking Huts. “A lot of organizations focus on speed. But if you’re looking at how to build more holistic communities and better equip families and address the poverty cycle, you have to take the whole picture into account.”

While this kind of long-term, intersectional problem-solving does not lend itself to the immediate gratification of a “quick fix” — each decision requires careful thought, planning and foresight — Grout said the result is lasting.

“It’s not an overnight thing,” said Grout. “We’re trying to set up the next few generations to succeed and go further than us, rather than thinking of the short term. It’s a long haul type of journey.”

A Relational Approach

For Thinking Huts, this kind of holistic approach means focusing on building strong, equitable, sustainable relationships in their partner communities.

“Relationship building is a slow drip,” Harrington said. “It’s an opportunity for us to really assess what’s going to be able to create sustainability in these structures for generations.”

In order to create this sense of longevity, Thinking Huts spends time building trust with community leaders and students, taking their needs and skills into account and assessing how to collaborate with local workers, builders, artisans and technicians. For Bougainvillea, this meant partnering with area manufacturers in the construction process, handing off 3D operational skills that can be applied to future construction projects.

Grout said this relationship-first ethos has roots in her years at ɫ��ֱ��, where she said the people she met were the most impactful, including her mentorship with Mike Leeds (Fin’74).

“I think even now I’m realizing how critical it is to have a network of people around you,” she said. “The relationships I developed are the biggest things that I took away from school.”

CEO with a Story

Grout said her passion for educational opportunities has been a lifelong journey. Born and abandoned in a rural village in China, she was adopted by American parents at 18 months old and grew up in the U.S.

“I think I’ve already always been more aware of how people’s lives are different from mine,” said Grout. “I had big visions from a young age, just knowing my life could have followed a very different path. That’s what drew me more to understanding the importance of education.”

The result is a work ethic and leadership style that Harrington said extends beyond her years and has garnered international attention from major media outlets like Forbes and Good Morning America. In fall 2024, Grout was featured as one of Time magazine’s featured “Next Generation Leaders.”

“Maggie has this true grit and determination,” said Harrington. “She doesn’t want any child to feel like they don’t have the access that she had because she was adopted. So now she can bring opportunity to children in the pockets of the world that often don’t see innovation.”

Honeycomb on the Horizon

For Grout and her team of 10, Bougainvillea is just the beginning. Next up is the Honeycomb Campus. Named for its design of adjoining hexagonal bases, this multi-building project will serve three remote villages on the west coast of Madagascar. The project is set to include solar power and Wi-Fi access and will impact more than 200 students ages four to 16, starting in summer 2025.

When asked about her approach to the future and how she’d encourage other innovators in philanthropy and sustainability, Grout emphasized a sense of hope.

“I know that what we do now will have a major impact later on,” she said. “I am trying to aspire for a legacy of change, even if it takes time.”

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Photos courtesy Thinking Huts

Thinking Huts, founded by Maggie Grout, uses 3D printing technology to build sustainable schools in underserved communities.

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Sustainable Spinouts: Innovation in Action

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:20:54 +0000

Sustainable Spinouts: Innovation in Action Anna Tolette Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:20

Heather Hansen

Imagine strolling down a sidewalk made from algae or building a wall with the help of microbes grown in a bioreactor.

This extraordinary image may sound futuristic, but the technology is already here, thanks to Prometheus Materials, a sustainability-focused ɫ��ֱ�� spinout giving concrete blocks a makeover with the help of environmentally-friendly bio-cement-making bacteria, algae and microbes.

ɫ��ֱ�� civil, environmental and architectural engineering professor Wil Srubar founded the Longmont-based company in 2021 with CEO Loren Burnett and a cross-disciplinary team of ɫ��ֱ�� collaborators, including civil, environmental and architectural engineering associate professors Mija Hubler and Sherri Cook and the late Jeff Cameron, formerly of biochemistry.

The impetus for the research group formed several years earlier around a call for proposals from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) focused on developing new technologies for the military.

“It sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.”

“Our charge from the DoD was to grow a material that had both biological and structural function,” said Srubar. “It sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.”

But the challenge was right for Srubar, who leads ɫ��ֱ��’s Living Materials Laboratory, where researchers aim to create construction materials that are in harmony with the natural world.

“We had been thinking about these concepts for some time,” he said. “But this was the first government investment in this particular area that really catalyzed an entirely new field.”

After two years of “spinning their wheels,” said Srubar, the team had a breakthrough in the lab when they made the first sample of engineered living materials that fulfilled DARPA’s requirements. Srubar said this success required looking back — way back — to life on Earth before humans. They were inspired by formations called stromatolites, stony structures built by microscopic photosynthesizing organisms known as cyanobacteria, which are among the oldest living lifeforms on the planet.

“We know nature has built really strong, tough materials,” said Srubar.

By studying the composition of coral and seashells, for example, the team figured out how to make lab-grown versions of the natural phenomena.

“You apply principles of biomimicry, you bring that process into the lab and beautiful things can happen,” he said.

Now Prometheus Materials, named for the legendary Greek god who introduced fire and other technologies to humans, is making sustainable building materials with a process that combines microalgae with other natural components to form zero-carbon bio-cement and bio-concrete with the major goal of reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.

This is so important because making concrete — the most ubiquitous human-made building material on earth — generates massive amounts of CO2 and contributes significantly to climate change. Global cement manufacturing produces 11 million tons of CO2 every day (roughly equivalent to emissions from all the cars in the world), or about 8% of the world’s total CO2 emissions, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand for cement in the U.S. alone is expected to double by 2050.

As the company realizes its transformative role in the construction industry, it has raised $8 million in private funding in the past year and was awarded a role in a $10 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) that will fund collaboration between a trio of national labs. Within this partnership, Prometheus will join other institutions in the field to establish methods for measuring, reporting and verifying CO2 removal and sequestration in cement and concrete materials.

Environmental Stewardship

Prometheus is just one example of ɫ��ֱ��’s strong network of researchers bringing innovations out of labs and into companies that have real-world impact — the university is a national leader and spinout powerhouse, launching 35 companies in fiscal year 2024 and over 100 since 2016, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. Since 2000, the university has launched 44 sustainability-focused spinouts, including a dozen new companies in just the past few years, said Rees, who leads Venture Partners at ɫ��ֱ��, the university’s commercialization arm for the campus.

According to Rees and Srubar, several factors combine to make ɫ��ֱ�� so effective at generating these kinds of companies: research expertise, commercialization resources, market need and an eagerness to improve our world.

“There’s such a history of environmental stewardship here at the University of Colorado, and in ɫ��ֱ�� specifically, and that’s very much a part of our institutional fabric,” said Srubar. “We do sustainability research really well and it’s one, if not the pillar, of our education and research mission at the university.”

Rees agreed: “It’s a function of our research prowess in that area. There are many highly talented researchers who care deeply about the climate crisis, and so that’s where they’ve oriented their research.”

Those innovations could be used in lots of different ways, but Rees shared, “The innovators are saying, ‘We want to apply these technologies to really important problems.’”

For Srubar and others, the drive to make the world a better place is strong.

“It all begins with a vision and a belief that, first, the world is not static; it can become whatever you dream,” he said. “Understanding that you have the power and the potential to affect change is what really fueled me and our team.”

Rees also sees market need as critical to driving sustainability-focused ventures.

“There is an abundance of funding opportunities and demand from the market to have these types of solutions,” he said. “You’ve got the push from what ɫ��ֱ�� is really good at, and you’ve got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.”

“You’ve got the push from what ɫ��ֱ�� is really good at, and you’ve got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.”

Driving Meaningful Change

Another company with ɫ��ֱ�� beginnings is the well-established, ɫ��ֱ��-based LongPath, founded in 2017 by Greg Rieker, chief technology officer and ɫ��ֱ�� associate professor of mechanical engineering, with colleagues Caroline Alden (PhDGeol’13), Sean Coburn (PhDChem’14) and Robert Wright, former ɫ��ֱ�� senior researcher.

LongPath harnesses quantum technology to detect fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors — and the planet. The company’s breakthroughs in laser technology and quantum sensing, rooted in ɫ��ֱ��’s Nobel Prize-winning optical frequency comb technology, created a leak detection system to do what previous approaches could not: continuously detect invisible-to-the-eye natural gas escaping from pipes on-site at oil and gas facilities.

Finding and patching those leaks is a triple win — in industry cost savings (from $820 to $980 million per year), and improved air quality and public health. LongPath’s technology can identify natural gas leaks that sicken and displace thousands of people each year and cut greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.

Today, LongPath’s Active Emissions Overwatch System is live at oil and gas operations in several states, covering hundreds of thousands of acres. Rieker and his team see the impacts of those systems growing each day, and he estimates that each system saves between 40 and 80 million cubic feet of methane annually.

“Every time we deploy a new system, it really is impactful,” he said, adding the team still celebrates every large leak located. “We’ll nail a big one for a customer, and that’s exciting.”

Similar to Srubar, LongPath’s founders were motivated by protecting the environment.

“Many academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable,” said Rieker. “In 2024, LongPath stopped more than 6 billion cubic feet of methane emissions and counting. That’s impact, and that’s why we launched.”

“Many academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable.”

Wil Srubar of ɫ��ֱ��'s Living Materials Laboratory

Recently, the company received landmark financial backing from the DOE for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company’s monitoring systems.

Another game-changing company making significant strides in sustainability is Louisville-based Solid Power, founded in 2011, based on technology developed by ɫ��ֱ�� mechanical engineering professor Se-Hee Lee and professor emeritus of mechanical engineering Conrad Stoldt (Chem’94).

Similar to Srubar and Prometheus Materials, Stoldt and Lee answered a call from DARPA. Their challenge was to double the energy density of a rechargeable battery.

“The metrics they wanted to reach were unheard of,” said Stoldt, but he and Lee accepted the challenge anyway. “We saw it as an opportunity… and we sat down and determined that, at least on paper, the only rechargeable battery technology that could meet the specs for the program was a solid-state battery.”

Lee and Stoldt partnered with Douglas Campbell, a small business and early-stage product developer, and chief technology officer Joshua Buettner-Garrett to start Solid Power. Along with then-mentor Dave Jansen, the team negotiated a commercialization agreement with Venture Partners (known then as the CU Technology Transfer Office), making the company an exclusive licensee to the university’s intellectual property.

What began as an idea Stoldt said was “bootstrapped” in ɫ��ֱ�� labs, Solid Power is now an industry-leading developer of next-generation all-solid-state battery technology. As their name suggests, solid-state batteries (SSBs) differ from conventional batteries in that the electrolyte powering them is a solid material instead of a gel or liquid. That gives SSBs many advantages over lithium-ion batteries now widely used in electronics, toys, appliances and — critically — electric vehicles.

Solid Power’s design bests lithium-ion cells on safety, cost, durability and battery life — attributes long sought by consumers and automakers. Their technology swaps the flammable liquid in lithium-ion cells with a solid, sulfide-based electrolyte that is safer and more stable across a broad temperature range. Solid Power’s cells also easily outpace the conductivity and energy density of today’s best rechargeable batteries. The result is a smaller, lighter cell that is cheaper and has a longer-lasting charge.

Solid Power, which went public in 2021, employs many Forever Buffs and boasts major partnership deals with BMW and Ford, along with a new 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Thornton.

Their continued innovation was recognized with a recent $5.6 million DOE grant to continue developing its nickel- and cobalt-free cell, and, late last year, the company began award negotiations for up to $50 million in DOE funding. With this project, Solid Power intends to launch the world’s first continuous manufacturing process, allowing the company to produce its critical electrolyte material more quickly and at a lower cost.

From Lab to Marketplace

With the burgeoning success of Prometheus and others, Srubar hopes to inspire other researchers to make the leap to the marketplace. To that end, he was recently named Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship, a new role in the College of Engineering and Applied Science focused on building bridges between labs and the marketplace.

“This is something I’m so passionate about — shining a light for those inspired and driven by a vision to see change in the world and to follow that pathway of commercialization,” Srubar said. “I think ɫ��ֱ��’s reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

“I think ɫ��ֱ��’s reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Emerging ventures at ɫ��ֱ��

PAGE Technologies: Co-founded in 2023 by Elliot Strand (MMatSciEngr’21; PhD’23) and Payton Goodrich to commercialize a low-cost platform to transform agricultural and environmental monitoring, enhance fertilizer use efficiency, improve water resource management and advance climate resilience efforts.
eat meati: Within months of beginning to collaboratively research mushroom root (mycelium) together as PhD students, Tyler Huggins (MEngr’13; PhDCivEngr’15) and Justin Whiteley (MMechEngr’14; PhD’16) knew they’d found a nature-based way to create meat alternatives.
Tynt Technologies: Founded in 2020 by Michael McGehee (ɫ��ֱ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering) and then-PhD students Tyler Hernandez and Michael Strand. After developing the initial technology for energy-efficient windows at Stanford, they moved to ɫ��ֱ�� to complete their work and found the company. Tynt allows users to fully control the light and solar heat entering a home, turning panes from clear to opaque with the touch of a button.
Latimer Controls: Founded in 2022 by Simon Julien (ApMath’21; MS’22) and Zachary Jacobs (ChemBiolEngr’21) to bring to market their innovative solar energy control system that solves the issue of intermittent renewable power. The technology was co-invented by Julien, working as an undergraduate and master’s student in collaboration with Bri-Mathias Hodge (Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering), Amirhossein Sajadi (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Mana Battery: A ɫ��ֱ�� startup founded on discoveries from Chunmei Ban’s laboratory (ɫ��ֱ�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), is developing best-in-class sodium battery technology with the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries.
Green Steel Environmental: a ɫ��ֱ�� startup founded on technology discovered by Mark Hernandez (Environmental Engineering) uses waste from steel manufacturing to replace hazardous chemicals from wastewater treatment.

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Illustrations by Daniele Simonelli

From engineered "living" sidewalks to quantum-fueled leak detection systems, several CU spinouts are bringing earth-focused breakthroughs to the marketplace.

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A CU Education Partnership Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Advocates

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:18:16 +0000

A CU Education Partnership Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Advocates Anna Tolette Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:18

Hannah Fletcher

On a fall day, elementary education majors in Melissa Braaten’s class are busy — busy as beavers, one might say — building mock beaver dams out of water and natural materials in small bins. During this exercise, budding teachers role-play teaching young learners in their future classrooms, asking questions and analyzing beavers’ role in ecosystems.

The climate science lesson is modeled after one that Braaten’s community partners teach at Heatherwood Elementary in ɫ��ֱ�� County as part of Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA). In this particular lesson, student scientists (lovingly referred to as “beaver believers”) study real beaver habitats in the local waterway, where the dams create wetlands habitats for other species and maintain lush surroundings important for the increasingly drier state of Colorado.

Launched by retired fifth-grade teacher Tiffany Boyd (MEdu’92), C4CA brings together retired and practicing teachers, community members, local climate change experts and youth to work together toward climate solutions.

In C4CA, kindergarten through high school students learn about environmental justice issues and play an active role in climate solutions — from sharing flood-mitigation ideas with city council to working with open space officials to address fire risks.

Braaten, an associate professor of STEM education and associate dean for undergraduate and teacher education in ɫ��ֱ��’s School of Education, is a research partner for C4CA and documents how science teaching is powerful when it’s relevant to students’ lives and civic action.

With Braaten as the connector, C4CA educators visit her elementary education classes to share real-world examples and create C4CA’s own “ecosystem” of current and future teachers working together to support young people’s scientific inquiry and leadership in climate solutions.

“A central ingredient for C4CA’s success is that it takes everyone working together to make a change,” Braaten said. “Teachers credit its partner mentorship with inspiring and sustaining their efforts to help children be civic actors working for environmental justice — not only as future adults, but in the immediate present as vital members of our community.”

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Photo by Kristen Boyer/ɫ��ֱ�� Valley School District

Classrooms for Climate Action connects future teachers, students and community partners to engage young learners in climate science.

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From College Roommates to National Business Co-Founders

Julia Maclean — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:55:22 +0000

From College Roommates to National Business Co-Founders Julia Maclean Mon, 03/10/2025 - 13:55

Sophia McKeown

In 2023, Eddy Connors (Bus’21) and Luke Siegert (FilmSt’22) went from college roommates and fraternity brothers to startup co-founders when they launched Goodie Bag, a marketplace for surplus food. The app aims to reduce food waste by offering “perfectly good unsold food” from local businesses at a significant discount. Since its inception, Goodie Bag has expanded nationally to over 200 partnering shops, including OZO Coffee, Charleston Bagels and Blend Juice Bar. Connors, who serves as CEO, talks about the company here.

Eddy Connors, middle left, and Luke Siegert, far left, started Goodie Bag in 2023.

You came up with Goodie Bag during a CU entrepreneurship course. How did it come about?

From the get-go, we wanted to muster up an idea that would both make positive social change and generate profit. There was an opportunity to prevent good food from going to waste by connecting it to people at lower prices. That business idea ended up winning the “Startup Summer” pitch competition.

How did you and Luke go from college roommates to business partners?

As roommates, we would always talk about different business ideas, different industries that needed to be shaken up. We both knew there was so much opportunity to create better outcomes for people and our planet, and that excited us.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in scaling the business?

In the beginning, our biggest challenge was figuring out the technology of our app since Luke and I were not engineers ourselves. We also faced some team challenges that required difficult conversations early and often as we took the company from a school project to a full-time business. Team is everything.

With over 200 partner shops and 45,000 meals saved from going to waste, what are your next big goals for Goodie Bag?

Our greatest goal is to ensure no good food goes to waste. That’s the vision that guides us. As for what’s next, we want to increase our presence in existing markets by partnering with more shops in cities like Denver, ɫ��ֱ�� and Fort Collins.

Reflecting on your journey from CU student to CEO, what advice would you give current students interested in launching their own businesses?

Do it! In all seriousness though, just remember that inaction is always the wrong answer. Know that you’re going to have failures along the way, but as long as you’re able to learn and adapt, it’ll be a worthwhile experience.

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Photo courtesy Goodie Bag

Eddy Connors and Luke Siegert transformed their college project into Goodie Bag, a successful startup that connects local businesses with consumers to reduce food waste.

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Chancellor Schwartz Discusses ɫ��ֱ��'s Sustainability Efforts

Julia Maclean — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:46:52 +0000

Chancellor Schwartz Discusses ɫ��ֱ��'s Sustainability Efforts Julia Maclean Mon, 03/10/2025 - 11:46

What do you want people to understand about sustainability?

Sustainability is the most pressing issue facing humankind in the 21st century. We need to ensure that human life continues on the planet in a manner that gives everyone the opportunity for a life worth living. There is a misconception that sustainability is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) issue — that it’s a problem for scientists and engineers to solve. But sustainability is a human challenge. Our failure or success will affect each of us, and we must work together across disciplines to implement solutions.

ɫ��ֱ�� will soon welcome its first vice chancellor for sustainability. How will this position influence future campus efforts?

I am thrilled that we’ve hired Andrew Mayock, chief sustainability officer for the federal government since 2021, as our inaugural vice chancellor for sustainability. I’ve charged Andrew with advancing ɫ��ֱ��’s reputation for bringing climate solutions to life. As the “face of sustainability” for our campus, he will take an inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to build on our legacy and make ɫ��ֱ�� a household name for sustainability impact across Colorado, the United States and around the globe. I know he is eager to get started!

How can alumni and friends of ɫ��ֱ�� get involved in sustainability efforts?

We’re always looking for partners who are willing to share their insights, time and financial support to advance ɫ��ֱ��’s vision and support our incredible sustainability-focused research and teaching. You also can be an ambassador for ɫ��ֱ�� in your own communities — tell your friends, neighbors and prospective students about what we’re doing in sustainability! Explore how you can minimize your carbon footprint and address issues of concern in your own cities. If you are an employer, you can also engage with ɫ��ֱ�� on implementing climate action strategies in your company or workplace.

In five or 10 years, what evidence will show that ɫ��ֱ�� has advanced in sustainability?

As a campus, we will pursue some “quick wins,” while also working on priorities that take more time and effort. I want to see ɫ��ֱ�� lead the charge in making Colorado the most sustainable state in the nation. In the coming years, we’ll aim to advance both climate education and the implementation of solutions across the United States and beyond, transforming the way higher education drives sustainability.

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa

Chancellor Schwartz reveals the importance of a collaborative approach and the role of alumni in advancing climate action and sustainability on campus and beyond.

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No Car, No Problem at ɫ��ֱ��

Julia Maclean — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:41:54 +0000

No Car, No Problem at ɫ��ֱ�� Julia Maclean Mon, 03/10/2025 - 11:41

When it comes to getting to class at ɫ��ֱ��, “not having a car” would be a tough sell for tardiness — the university prefers students not to have one at all.

“We have a whole toolbox of programs to prevent students from needing to bring a car to campus,” said Brandon Smith, ɫ��ֱ�� assistant director of sustainable transportation.

Most of these offerings are free. All students receive Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus passes and also have access to the university’s electric Buff Buses, BCycle electric bikes, CU NightRide, bike repairs on campus and summer bike storage. A CU ski bus even offers students trips to several ski resorts for $25 round trip.

And Buffs take advantage. In an average week, Buff Buses log about 30,000 boardings, 90% of which are students. In 2023, students rode RTD more than a million times. From January 2023 to November 2024, students took more than 1.3 million trips on BCycle bikes.

The payoffs for sustainable transportation are big.

“More than 60,000 commuters travel into ɫ��ֱ�� per day, and 80% of these are single occupancy vehicles,” said Smith. “However, less than 12% of students drive solo to campus. Imagine what ɫ��ֱ�� and campus parking, traffic and air quality would be like if we didn’t have programs that got most students out of single-occupancy cars.”

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Photo by Casey A. Cass

ɫ��ֱ�� promotes sustainable transportation by offering students free access to buses, electric bikes and other services.

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CU Environmental Center's Legacy of Sustainability

Julia Maclean — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:30:13 +0000

CU Environmental Center's Legacy of Sustainability Julia Maclean Mon, 03/10/2025 - 11:30

Jessica Winter

The first officially celebrated “Earth Day” on April 22, 1970, marked the start of another green legacy: the CU Environmental Center.

A novel concept at the time, the center was founded by environmentally conscious students and acted as an on-campus organization for students to gather, develop and lead projects relevant to environmental issues. Since its inception, the “E-Center,” as it’s commonly known, has led sustainability initiatives, launched programs and partnered with green campus operations such as CU’s renewable energy campaign.

Financed by student fees since 1973, ɫ��ֱ��’s E-Center remains the largest student-led environmental center in the nation in terms of funding and employee support. Its innovative creation more than 50 years ago has inspired many other schools to model their student sustainability programs after CU’s.

“The E-Center is governed by students, funded by students and powered by students,” said Marianne Moulton Martin, E-Center associate director. “Many of our current programs would not have been realized without student leadership and initiatives.”

Driven by passionate Buffs, the center offers a variety of programs that aid sustainability efforts, including a composting program (started in 2004), a campus pollinator garden (installed in 2014) and the Sustainable Buffs program — which invites students to explore how they can live, connect and lead sustainably. The center’s current priorities include developing sustainability leaders, identifying solutions to environmental issues that can be implemented beyond campus, helping ɫ��ֱ�� reach zero waste and zero emissions, and promoting Buff pride through positive environmental impact.

From the recycling program created in 1976 to the first CU Bike Station in 2004, the E-Center has a green legacy that generations of Buffs have carried forward — with its student employees at the helm. In addition to the programs and services the center carries out, its student employees help engage their peers in meaningful conversations about everything from climate justice to environmentally friendly practices in labs.

“As a key partner in sustainability on campus, the E-Center aims to support every student who wants to create a positive change in their community,” said student employee Megan McLemore (IntlAf’26). “So we also act as a liaison, helping students join or start projects they are passionate about, and connecting them with the larger community of Sustainable Buffs here at ɫ��ֱ��.”

“The E-Center is governed by students, funded by students and powered by students.”

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Photos courtesy CU Environmental Center

ɫ��ֱ��'s Environmental Center celebrates 50 years of sustainability initiatives, empowering student leadership and shaping a green campus.

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Sustainability

Chancellor Schwartz on What Makes Buffs Bold

You’ve worked and studied at several of the nation’s most respected institutions. What is it about CU students and faculty that sets them apart?

Alumni are leading space missions, launching startups and advancing climate science. What do you think is happening here that produces such bold, purpose-driven people?

Tell me about a moment from this past year, maybe involving a student, alum or a faculty member, that genuinely surprised or moved you.

You’re a year into your tenure. What’s your boldest hope for what people will say about ɫ�����ֱ�� five years from now? Not just as a university, but as a force in the world.

When you’re talking to someone who’s never been to ɫ�����ֱ��, what do you say to help them understand what’s special about this place?

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Kale, Yeah! ɫ�����ֱ��’s Sustainable Dining

Healthy and Delicious

Supreme Greens

Preparing Future Consumers

Dining Options for Everyone

“Continuous Improvement”

Ingredients:

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The Stories that Sustain Us: Phaedra Pezzullo's Unique Approach to Sustainability

Activist Becomes Academic

Science Demands Better Stories

Pursuing Stories with Confidence

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Thinking Huts Is Printing a Brighter Future

Welcome to Bougainvillea

Patience Pays Off

A Relational Approach

CEO with a Story

Honeycomb on the Horizon

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Sustainable Spinouts: Innovation in Action

Environmental Stewardship

Driving Meaningful Change

From Lab to Marketplace

Emerging ventures at ɫ�����ֱ��

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A CU Education Partnership Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Advocates

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From College Roommates to National Business Co-Founders

You came up with Goodie Bag during a CU entrepreneurship course. How did it come about?

How did you and Luke go from college roommates to business partners?

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in scaling the business?

With over 200 partner shops and 45,000 meals saved from going to waste, what are your next big goals for Goodie Bag?

Reflecting on your journey from CU student to CEO, what advice would you give current students interested in launching their own businesses?

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Chancellor Schwartz Discusses ɫ�����ֱ��'s Sustainability Efforts

What do you want people to understand about sustainability?

ɫ�����ֱ�� will soon welcome its first vice chancellor for sustainability. How will this position influence future campus efforts?

How can alumni and friends of ɫ�����ֱ�� get involved in sustainability efforts?

In five or 10 years, what evidence will show that ɫ�����ֱ�� has advanced in sustainability?

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No Car, No Problem at ɫ�����ֱ��

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CU Environmental Center's Legacy of Sustainability

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You’re a year into your tenure. What’s your boldest hope for what people will say about ɫ��ֱ�� five years from now? Not just as a university, but as a force in the world.

When you’re talking to someone who’s never been to ɫ��ֱ��, what do you say to help them understand what’s special about this place?

Kale, Yeah! ɫ��ֱ��’s Sustainable Dining

Emerging ventures at ɫ��ֱ��

Chancellor Schwartz Discusses ɫ��ֱ��'s Sustainability Efforts

ɫ��ֱ�� will soon welcome its first vice chancellor for sustainability. How will this position influence future campus efforts?

How can alumni and friends of ɫ��ֱ�� get involved in sustainability efforts?

In five or 10 years, what evidence will show that ɫ��ֱ�� has advanced in sustainability?

No Car, No Problem at ɫ��ֱ��