Press Releases

Naropa University President Commits to ‘Climate Neutral’ Campus

BOULDER, Colo (October 23, 2007)— Naropa University President Thomas B. Coburn recently committed to sharply reducing and eventually eliminating all of the university’s global warming emissions while accelerating the research and educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.

The pledge came with Coburn’s signing of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, joining the leaders of over 400 other institutions across the country.

“Global warming is a defining challenge of our time,” said Coburn. “Human activities are part of the problem and, likewise, humans have the capacity to solve the problem. That means taking serious action today to stop adding global warming pollution to the atmosphere.”                                                                                        

Examples of sustainability efforts are abundant on the Naropa campus, beginning with a successful recycling and composting program. Paired with a Zero Waste ethic that consciously minimizes throw-away materials, Naropa’s recycling program diverted over 30,000 pounds of waste from landfills in 2005. In addition, it conserved the equivalent of 220 30-foot trees and prevented the release of 796 pounds of air pollutants. The university also recycles electronic equipment and construction materials.

Other ecologically minded practices include a commitment to alternative transportation, eco-landscaping, wind energy and responsible gardening practices.

Alternative transportation includes providing eco-passes for RTD buses to every student and employee, as well as maintaining a fleet of 120 bicycles that are accessible by the community. The university participates in Boulder Carshare, and campus maintenance crews use only biodiesel fuel during the spring and summer. 

Eco Landscaping is on display at the university’s Paramita campus, where a parking lot was recently transformed into a green space complete with subterranean irrigation and an on-site weather station, which protects against both evaporation and overwatering.

Naropa University is operated entirely on wind power and supports two student-run agricultural ventures: the Greenhouse Project and the Permaculture Club. The former will result in a domed structure within which students may cultivate various crops, and the latter studies agro-ecological design theories of how best to gain self-sufficiency in food production.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.