In recent years, UCCS has made great strides toward sustainability but we are excited about perhaps our most significant accomplishment yet:  starting this fall, every student matriculating at the university will be required to take a course and demonstrate knowledge in sustainability.  Sustainability is an integral component of the new Compass Curriculum, the campus-wide undergraduate, general education program to provide the right tools, knowledge and experience for students' success in today's world.  UCCS is one of the first universities in the country to require sustainability knowledge for all graduates. Read More

Water is known as the lifeblood of any community. Colorado is no stranger to water issues when it comes to water rights, floods, droughts, and the aftermath of fires. How has UCCS committed to saving this ever-important resource? The next time you're in Summit Village, take an extra second to notice one of the 233 high-efficiency toilets that was made possible by a project initiated by three freshman. Read more.

Finding a pre-packaged plastic bottle of water on campus this fall is not as easy as it used to be. Pre-packaged water is no longer sold on campus, part of a campus-wide initiative to "Take Back the Tap," which encourages faculty, staff and students to utilize reusable containers, bottle filling stations or just plain old tap water from faucets. "It is estimated that 45 percent of what's inside a pre-packaged bottle of water comes from a tap anyway," Linda Kogan, director, Office of Sustainability, said recently. "And Colorado Springs municipal water is among the best in the country - there's just no reason to waste money and resources buying bottled water." Read more.