Colorado College
Office of Sustainability
Residential Life
GREEN ROOM CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The individual lifestyle choices of Colorado College students impact the college’s
sustainability goals and the wider Colorado Springs community. The Green Room
Certification Program provides a framework for sustainable living and recognizes students
who strive to reduce their daily impact on the environment.
Certification
• Certification is awarded to students who meet criteria outlined in the Green Room
Checklist. Based on the number of
points they receive, students can
earn one of two certification levels.
Get Certified!
Level I: scores 35 points
Level II: scores 60 points
1. Review the Green Room Checklist to see if
you are eligible.
• Students must live on campus in a
2.
Submit an online form evaluating your
traditional hall, language house, or
experience.
small house to participate.
3. Contact the program manager
([email protected] )
Why Participate?
to schedule a room check.
• Reduce your impact on the
4.
If you meet the required criteria, you will
environment
receive your certification sticker and be
• Help Colorado College achieve its
entered in the Green Room Raffle.
carbon neutrality goal by 2020
• Learn how to save money by
**You must submit your application by the first
cutting energy and water use and
Friday of block 4 to receive entry into the fall
changing consumption habits
semester raffle and the first Friday of block 8 for
the spring semester.
Prizes
• Receive a sign celebrating your
achievement to display on your door
• Gain entry into the bianual Green Room Raffle for a chance to win $50 to a
sustainability-related store of your choice (Patagonia, REI, Gearonimo Sports, Old
Town Bike Shop, etc.)
o Certified Level II participants get entered twice!
• Earn a Chipotle party for your residence hall! When half or more of the rooms on
your hall have been certified, the Office of Sustainability will treat the whole group
to dinner.
The following pages include the Green Room Certification Checklist and provide
additional resources for the program.
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THE GREEN ROOM CHECKLIST
The criteria listed below serve as a guideline for sustainable living. Points have been
assigned based on environmental impact, difficulty of implementation, and cost. Review the
list to gauge your eligibility and complete the online form to begin the application
process. Your compliance with listed items will be confirmed during your scheduled room
check. Check the appendix for more details on how to achieve many of these items.
Level I: 35 points
Level II: 60 points
ENERGY
 Install CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) or LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs in
desk and floor lamps, as opposed to incandescent bulbs, to improve energy
efficiency: 3 pts.
 Use a power strip (and switch off at night or when not in use) to avoid “phantom
loads” (the electricity that electronics use even when turned off): 3 pts.
 Choose appliances and electronics that are Energy Star and/or EPEAT certified: 3
pts.
 Check out a drying rack from the front desk 2+ times in a semester, to avoid the use
of a dryer: 3 pts.
o Requires a picture of RA sign-outs from your residence hall front desk.
WASTE
 Carry a reusable water bottle to class and dining halls to avoid purchasing bottled
water/ drinks: 2 pts.
 Use a reusable coffee mug, instead of paper or plastic cups: 2 pts.
 Use reusable shopping bags: 2 pts.
 Use reusable cleaning products, such as rags, instead of paper towels: 2 pts.
 Use school supplies with a high percentage of recycled-content materials (i.e.
notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, etc.): 2 pts.
 Use reusable cups, dishware, and utensils instead of disposable ones in room: 2 pts.
 Donate unwanted goods to a consignment store, such as the ARC, instead of
throwing them away: 3pts.
o Requires receipt of donation.
 Know what you can and cannot recycle at Colorado College: 2 pts.
o See appendix A1 for full list. Be able to recite during room assessment.
 Keep a folder or bin for scrap paper to reduce paper waste: 2 pts.
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WATER
 Use a shower timer to help cut down on water use. If there isn’t a timer in your
shower, contact Lily Biggar about getting one: 2 pts.
INVOLVEMENT
 Consistent involvement in an environmentally related club or paid position on
campus: 3 pts.
o See appendix A2 for list of opportunities.
 Volunteer at the CC Farm: 3 pts.
o Take a selfie at the farm as evidence!
 Encourage a friend to participate in the Green Room Certification Program: 1 pt.
o Requires signature of friend.
TECHNOLOGY
 Install PaperCut onto your computer to connect to CC printers and to reduce paper
waste. Instructions available here: 1pt.
 Set the double-sided feature as the default on your personal laptop: 2 pt.
o See appendix A3 for instructions.
 Subscribe to Colorado College Sustainability List-Serve: 2 pt.
o See appendix A4 for instructions.
 “Like” the Colorado College Office of Sustainability on Facebook: 1 pt.
 Join the CC Ride Share Facebook group to coordinate carpools to the airport, the
mountains, etc.: 1 pt.
OTHER
 Use cleaning products free of synthetic fragrances and dyes, phosphates, bleach and
surfactant nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE’s) to reduce the use of toxic materials (i.e.
Seventh Generation and EO products): 3 pts.
o Check out this list for suggestions.
 Use towels and bed linens made from 100% organic cotton: 3 pts.
 Use natural hair, body, and beauty products: 3 pts.
 Keep a houseplant to improve indoor air quality and your health: 2 pts.
o Check out this list for suggestions.
 Use a natural laundry detergent free of harmful toxins: 3 pts.
o Check out this list for suggestions.
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APPENDIX
A1. Recycling at CC
Be an expert on what you can and cannot recycle at CC.
Do Recycle:
• Plastics #1-#7 (found on bottom on containers)
• Paper
• Newspapers (including inserts) and magazines
• Aluminum, steel, and tin cans
• Aluminum foil
• Flattened cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic milk jugs, yogurt containers, etc.
• Paper towel and toilet paper tubes, cereal boxes, etc.
Don’t Recycle:
• Plastic bags and plastic wrap
• Plastic bottle caps (soda, water, etc.)
• Plastic plates and plastic utensils
• Styrofoam
• Six pack ring holders
• Trash bags
• Tetra Paks and juice boxes
• Tissues, napkins, and paper towels (these should be composted)
Tips:
-Don’t discard recycling in trash bags—it will be thrown out in trash!
-If possible, rinse out containers to remove food residue
-Flatten all cardboard before discarding
A2. Sustainability Related Groups on Campus
Colorado College offers a variety of student groups and paid positions focused on issues of
environmental sustainability. Including:
• EnAct
• Fair Trade Committee
• Colorado Springs Food Rescue
• Food Coalition
• CC Farm Club
• The Good Food Club
• Energy, Environment and
• State of the Rockies Project
Security Project
• Office of Sustainability Intern
• Student Divestment Committee
• Eco-RAs
• EcoFit Audit and Retrofit Team
• Plant Strong
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A3. Printing Double-Sided
For a Mac
Option 1: Printer Setup
1. Dock System Preferences  Print & Fax
2. Select your primary printer form the left menu
3. Select “Printer Setup”
4. Select the double-sided printing option (if possible)
Option 2: Create a Preset (if option 1 doesn’t work)
1. Open to an internet page, document, etc. as if you were about to print
2. File Print
3. Click on the drop down menu below Presents (should say Copies & Pages) and select
Layout
4. In Layout, select the two-sided option
5. To save this setting, click on the Presets drop down menu and select “Save as Preset”.
Name the preset Double-Sided Printing
For a PC
To set a preset:
1. Start Printers and Faxes
2. Right click on primary printer
3. Choose Printing Preferences
4. Choose Page Layout Tab
5. Select “2-sided long edge”
6. Click OK to save as default
To print single sided for individual jobs:
1. Print Properties
2. Select 1-sided
A4. Sustainability Listserv
The sustainability listserv is managed by the Office of Sustainability and provides
updates on campus initiatives and events related to sustainability. Subscribe to the
listserv by entering you information here or by following the directions listed on the
Digest and Listserv page of CC’s ITS website. The official name of the listserv is
SUSTAINABILITY-L.
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A5. Eco-RA’s
The Colorado College Eco-RA program, supported by the Sustainability Office, promotes
peer-to-peer education to foster sustainable living practices on and off campus. All
residential areas, including large residence halls, apartments, smaller campus houses and
off-campus areas are served by one or more student ECO-RA. Selected ECO-RA’s educate
locally in their respective residential spaces, through formal and informal programming,
marketing materials, and events. In addition, ECO-RA’s implement conservation measures
in their residential areas.
The Eco-RAs for the 2016-2017 academic year include:
Xiaoling Keller (Front Range)
Frances Murray (Front Range)
Theodore Hooker (Peaks)
Grace Connolly (Peaks)
Austin Martin (Mathias)
Naomi Tsai (Mathias)
Zak Armacost (Slocum)
Ali Takkunen (Slocum)
CONTACT INFO
For questions or comments regarding the Green Room Certification program, contact
Danny Rodriguez, the 2016-17 program manager.
Danny Rodriguez (’18)
Sustainability Intern for Residential Life
[email protected]
For questions or comments regarding the college’s environmental initiatives and Office of
Sustainability, contact Ian Johnson, Colorado College’s Director of Sustainability.
Ian Johnson
Director of Sustainability
[email protected]
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