Contact: Dan Omasta, Director of Sustainability for UCSU Daniel.Omasta@colorado.edu, 303-847-9903 Jason Gonzales, Director of Media Relations for UCSU Jason.A.Gonzales@Colorado.edu Boulder, Colo. - Student leaders from all four University of Colorado campuses will present the Board of Regents with a set of formal sustainability policies at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the club level of Folsom Field at CU-Boulder. The policy asks the Regents to recognize the efforts of all four schools and their commitment to the American College and Universities President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to establish a LEED building standard, and to meet Gov. Bill Ritter’s Greening Government Executive Order. That order hopes to establish the following goals by 2012: • 20 percent energy intensity reduction • 20 percent reduction in paper consumption • 10 percent reduction in water consumption • 25 percent volumetric reduction in petroleum fuel use • A “zero-waste” goal for all construction projects and the operations of all facilities. Dan Omasta, Sustainability Director for the University of Colorado Student Union (UCSU), said this event is significant because “CU will be one of the few university systems in the country to establish a formal sustainability policy. This is an effort to not only promote sustainability and the environment, but save money in times of budget shortfalls and reduce our burden on traditionally underrepresented communities.” Student leaders hope to see all new buildings and renovations receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, like Wolf Law – “a building that saves the campus $250,000 every year in energy use,” according to Omasta. Omasta said the UCSU offices, located in the University Memorial Center (UMC), also hope to go “zero-waste” in the near future. The policy being presented Wednesday is right in line with the University’s long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability. In 1976, students at the University of Colorado at Boulder partnered with facilities management to create one of the first recycling programs in the country. Since then, students and administration have purchased universal bus passes and wind credits to offset their carbon footprint, and have created a sustainability fund that allows campus members to receive grants for energy and environmentally-related projects. In 2006, Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson signed the ACUPCC, ensuring that the University calculates its ecological impacts and creates tangible programs to reduce its environmental effects. In mid-October, the University will release a Carbon Neutrality Plan as part of that commitment. Thanks to the University’s efforts, Sierra Magazine recently named CU-Boulder the most eco-enlightened university in the nation.