The CSU Sustainability Fund is accepting applications for FY23 funding. Sponsored by the President’s Sustainability Commission, this fund supports sustainability initiatives around the University. This will be the third year for the fund, building on the previous year’s successes.
The fund was created to support grassroots sustainability initiatives at CSU, increasing the range and depth of sustainability on campus. By providing a funding mechanism available to students, staff and faculty, the goal of the fund is to foster collaboration, spark innovative ideas, and encourage participation in sustainability across campus.
Applications are open until Oct. 28. The CSU President’s Sustainability Commission will allocate $25,000 to the Sustainability Fund. Individual project funds may be awarded between $200 and $10,000.
Information sessions about the Fund will be offered on Fridays, Oct. 14, 21, and 28 from 10-11 a.m. Link to join on Teams (all the same link). If you have any questions about the CSU Sustainability Fund, contact Anthony Appleton.
For more information and to access the application, visit green.colostate.edu/csu-sustainability-fund. For more information on CSU’s sustainability efforts, go to green.colostate.edu.
Last year the Sustainability Fund supported seven projects:
Eliminating forever chemicals from CSU Dining Hall food packaging
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals found in many food packaging due to their stain and water-resistant properties. Adrienne Smiley, a doctoral Chemistry student, collaborated with CSU’s Residential Dining Services to test food packaging materials widely used in the dining centers around campus to help eliminate PFAS-containing materials and identify safe and sustainable replacement products. View the Eliminating Forever Chemicals from CSU Dining Hall Food Packaging project presentation.
University Apartments Sustainable Living Challenge
Coming off a successful, but largely virtual, pilot program completed in the 2020-21 academic year, the University apartments received funding to further engage and provide in-person opportunities for residents to learn about living sustainability in on-campus University apartments. View the University Apartments Sustainable Living Challenge project presentation.
Zero Waste Recycle Initiative
The Zero Waste Team continued their Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) membership, a national organization that helps to support zero waste on college campuses. Sam Cummings, President of the student-organized Zero Waste Team, also collaborated with CSU Central Receiving to broaden the scope of electronic waste recycling during Earth Month 2022. View the Zero Waste Recycle Initiative project presentation.
The Patchwork Initiative
Addressing clothing waste and fast fashion, the Student Sustainability Club (SSC) created the Patchwork Initiative to donate, repurpose, and recycle textiles and clothing, while providing educational opportunities for clothing repair. The SSC aimed to have physical locations and pop-ups to bring continued awareness to the importance of textile sustainability. View the The Patchwork Initiative project presentation.
Sustainable tiny house
Given the success of CSU’s first tiny house, Maria Delgado from the Nancy Richardson Design Center aimed to build a second tiny house with her IDEA 450 Design Thinking Collaborative capstone course. The class integrated solar panels, in addition to using all sustainable materials and products throughout the tiny house build. View the Sustainable Tiny House project presentation.
Development of CSU Green Labs Peer-to-Peer Outreach Team
The CSU Green Labs program has developed a body of outreach materials and collected a wide array of resources to help labs at CSU implement best practices for sustainability. This project looked to hire a Peer-to-Peer Outreach Team, who can deliver sustainability solutions to CSU Labs through an intentional, targeted outreach program. This program built the foundation of the program and created a database of contacts and participants for future and continued outreach and engagement through CSU Green Lab Ambassadors. View the Development of CSU Green Labs Peer-to-Peer Outreach Team project presentation.
Environmental Justice Toolkit for university students
In response to student and employee requests for a more coordinated University curriculum and engagement tool for environmental justice, Mindy Hill, from the Center for Environmental Justice, aimed to develop an environmental justice toolkit for students as a one-stop shop to understand how environmental justice connects to each field of study at CSU. The living, digital toolkit also provides pathways to connect to, and coordinate with, the many resources and programs on campus. View the Environmental Justice Toolkit for University Students project presentation.
