March 23, 2006                                                                                                64LCB#13

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDENT UNION

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Sponsored by:            Jeremy Jimenez                     Tri-Executive

                                    Mebraht Gebre-Michael       Tri-Executive                        

                                    Mike Monsalve                     Representative

                                    Ashley Moore                                    President, Legislative Council

                                    Katie Wolf            First Vice-President, Legislative Council

                                    Chante Waters    Second Vice-President, Legislative Council

                                    Windy Alarcon                       Representative

                                    Zenia Cordova                        Representative

                                    Stephanie Jilling                     Speaker, Representative Council

                                    Feven Netsanet                      Representative

                                    Jessica Bralish                       Senator

                                    Cayla Chavez-Murphy          Senator

                                    David McAdams                    Senator

                                    Max Mascarenas                  Senator

                                    Zoli Williams                          Representative

 

           

 Authored by: Robert DuRay           UCSU Environmental Director

                                    Dave Newport                        E-Center Director

                                               

A Resolution

Eco-Social Leadership Vision Statement

________________________________________________________________________

Resolution History

 

This Resolution presents a strategic vision for CU-Boulder that addresses pressing social equity and diversity challenges through environmental leadership. This is accomplished by channeling material, fiscal, and human resource assets derived from environmental conservation efforts into programs and practices that produce social equity results. One example of this concept is a current UCSU program that recycles computers, upgraded and refurbished by students, and places them in the homes of low-income, precollegiate people of color and underprivileged communities. This strategic approach, scaled up to a university-wide vision and applied broadly, will produce substantial social equity and diversity benefits for the university while stimulating significantly improved environmental conservation efforts and their resultant cost savings. This Resolution expresses UCSU’s desire to infuse this strategic approach into all facets of university life

 

The University of Colorado at Boulder is globally respected for its excellence in environmental and sustainability issues. This international status stems from strong academic and research commitments—and in large measure from a lengthy history of student activism and resource commitment for advanced environmental programming. For instance:

 

  • In 1970, CU-Boulder students founded and funded the Environmental Center in UCSU—and charged it with improving the environmental performance of the university and assisting students with environmental issues.
  • In 1976, CU-Boulder students fielded the nation’s first student-funded and operated campus recycling program. That program has returned significant savings to the university (e.g. an audited net of $235,000 in FY 2001-02 alone) that otherwise would have been programmed for solid waste disposal and management costs.
  • In 1991, CU-Boulder students voted to self fund a buss pass purchase program that led to dramatic increases in bus ridership. That program has led to millions of dollars of costs savings for the university’s general fund that otherwise would have to be programmed for increased parking facilities, traffic mitigation, and related costs.
  • In 2000, CU-Boulder students voted to self fund the purchase of alternative energy supplies for student buildings. Operated by the UCSU Environmental Center, these programs and others have helped stimulate campus energy conservation measures that have returned millions of dollars to the general fund of the university that otherwise would have to be programmed for increased energy purchases.

 

Students have also funded other environmental efforts through their underwriting of the Environmental Center’s activities. Collectively, projects relating to water conservation, Integrated Pest Management, purchasing, green building, composting, outreach and education develop significant returns on investment for the students—and for the general fund of the university.

 

As CU-Boulder prepares to meet future needs related to increasing environmental, fiscal, and social challenges, UCSU will no doubt be called on to continue their support of these programs. 

 

UCSU seeks to build on this legacy of cooperation by broadening the benefits of UCSU’s largesse to better address priority social issues. UCSU believes this can be done within the context of existing budgets cooperatively between UCSU and campus administration.

 

UCSU sees many such opportunities to channel material, fiscal, and human resources derived from campus environmental conservation efforts into positive social outcomes that benefit worthy people of color and other disadvantaged populations, help improve campus diversity, and improve community social justice and equity.

 

UCSU’s vision of sustainable social equity and environmental leadership for CU-Boulder will produce mutually beneficial results. By linking social outcomes to environmental conservation, greater participation in conservation programs will be stimulated. This returns more cost savings to the university which, in turn, enable more social equity enhancements, and so forth.

 

Accordingly, this Resolution seeks to partner with the administration to

cooperatively implement this vision into all appropriate facets of university operations.

 

                                               Resolution Summary

 

Whereas, CU-Boulder faces significant social equity and diversity challenges and is exploring all appropriate responses to meet these difficult issues, and

 

Whereas, UCSU and CU-Boulder have demonstrated leadership in environmental conservation efforts that have provided positive social equity outcomes, and

 

Whereas, UCSU and CU-Boulder also have a strong history of social activism and leadership. This vision would provide a framework for those working on social issues to partner with those working on environmental issues and create strong unified movement that incorporates many of the student groups and student leaders on campus, and

 

Whereas, UCSU and CU-Boulder environmental conservation efforts have returned considerable cost savings to the university and continue to do so, and

 

Whereas, the outreach dimension of this program provides a significant recruiting tool to draw students of color as well as other underprivileged students to the University, and

 

Whereas, adoption of this strategic vision and its articulation by UCSU and university leadership as a core principle governing all appropriate university operations is consistent with adopted values and would substantially increase the benefits and cost savings of ongoing environmental, social equity and diversity programs.

 

THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED by the Legislative Council of the University of Colorado Student Union, THAT:

  1. The Vision for Sustainable Social and Environmental Leadership at CU-Boulder is hereby adopted as a core principle and practice for all UCSU operations, and

 

  1. UCSU leadership and the Environmental Center Director are hereby authorized and directed to formally and informally present this vision to all appropriate administrative officials, including, but not limited to,  the Board of Regents, CU president Hank Brown, CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DeStefano and his staff, Provost Susan Avery and the Presidential, Chancellor, and Provost Search committees.

 

  1. UCSU leadership and the Environmental Center Director are hereby authorized and directed to continue discussions with the above named leaders and their successors and assigns until an agreement to implement this vision is reached and returned to UCSU for approval.