Pushing Boundaries

Where the Buffalo ride

Megan Maneval — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:19:42 +0000

Where the Buffalo ride Megan Maneval Wed, 09/24/2025 - 09:19

This is how the Buffalo Bicycle Classic helped a first-generation CU student discover strength, purpose and community.

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3 ways Limelight Hotel Boulder aligns with campus sustainability values

Megan Maneval — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:08:08 +0000

3 ways Limelight Hotel Boulder aligns with campus sustainability values Megan Maneval Wed, 09/17/2025 - 11:08

The Limelight Hotel Boulder, which officially opened its doors on Aug. 20, includes a number of design features that align with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s sustainability values. Located in the northwest corner of campus, the hotel is designed to receive LEED Gold certification standards, in alignment with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s sustainability goals.

Click images to enlarge

The hotel represents the result of years of dedicated collaboration between ��ɫ��Ƶ, the city of Boulder and a wide range of community stakeholders. As the largest facility of its kind in Boulder, the conference center hotel has long been recognized as a key community project—one expected to boost economic activity and contribute to the revitalization of the University Hill business district.

“The Limelight Hotel Boulder will provide an expansive meeting and event space for our faculty and community leaders to showcase the groundbreaking research and creative work taking place on our campus and throughout Boulder to peers and collaborators,” said ��ɫ��Ƶ Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “We are excited to partner with a company like Limelight that shares our sustainability values and has thoughtfully incorporated design features that reflect those values.”

All-electric design for a greener grid

The building is powered entirely by electricity, making it the largest all-electric hotel in the country, according to Limelight. Being all electric (with the exception of the outdoor fire pit areas) means there is no on-site combustion used to heat the building. This, along with the decarbonizing Colorado grid (state law requires an 85% reduction by 2030 and 100% by 2050), means the building will steadily decarbonize over time. This design choice aligns with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s climate goals.

The building’s mechanical systems also include hot water storage, which enables the electric heating system to store the energy and ramp down during peak periods on the electricity grid, thus supporting system resilience and cost-effective, clean electricity. Its high-performance exterior walls and roof assemblies significantly decrease the need for heating and cooling.

Inside guest rooms, low-voltage LED lighting and thermostats are controlled by sensors that shut off lights and adjust temperature set points when guests leave their room and return to previous settings when guests return.

Sustainable construction and site planning

The hotel was built on a former gas station site, requiring environmental restoration before construction began. Soil decontamination and improved underground water management were key early steps, and its prefabricated wall framing system helped reduce construction waste.

Additional features include a rainscreen façade system for durability and energy efficiency, pilings that allow water to flow beneath the parking structure and landscaping that uses native plants to reduce water consumption.

Food and beverage operations with a climate lens

Inside the hotel, the kitchen and dining areas are also fully electric, which is reshaping the status quo for high-end, high volume commercial kitchen equipment and appliances. The food and beverage team has implemented a range of sustainability practices, including:

All food waste being composted in partnership with BioGreen 360
A commitment to eliminating single-use plastics, with compostable alternatives and reusable items prioritized
Sourcing approximately 40% of ingredients from local and regional providers, including Boulder Bread Works, Wood Grain Bagels and local farms and breweries
In-house preparation of items like pasta and smoked pastrami to reduce packaging waste
Creative food waste reduction strategies, such as using scraps to make stocks, tartare and pickles

More about the Limelight Hotel Boulder

Number of guest rooms: 250
Other amenities: Ground-floor restaurant, public outdoor plaza
Event space: 15,000-sq-ft ballroom and 10,000 sq ft of meeting space
To book a space: Campus entities contact Conference Services; non-campus affiliates contact Limelight

The Limelight Hotel Boulder, which officially opened on Aug. 20 on ��ɫ��Ƶ's campus, includes a number of sustainable design features. As Boulder's largest meeting and event space, it aims to foster community collaboration while advancing climate-conscious practices in hospitality.

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��ɫ��Ƶ librarians step up for student creators in award-winning publication

Megan Maneval — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:12:09 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ librarians step up for student creators in award-winning publication Megan Maneval Fri, 09/12/2025 - 08:12

In a world of concrete canoes, dissolvable textiles and adhesive biomaterials for the heart, student creators have unique information needs. A new book by ��ɫ��Ƶ librarians shares how libraries are stepping up to task.

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��ɫ��Ƶ's green summer: 7 sustainability moves you may have missed

Megan Maneval — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:51:04 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ's green summer: 7 sustainability moves you may have missed Megan Maneval Wed, 09/03/2025 - 06:51

��ɫ��Ƶ’s campus was buzzing with sustainability progress this summer. With Chancellor Justin Schwartz placing sustainability at the forefront, the university has been making significant strides in research, education, operations and engagement—turning vision into action while many were away.

Buckley Center for Sustainability Education established

A $10 million gift from a ��ɫ��Ƶ alum will transform the way sustainability is taught at ��ɫ��Ƶ—empowering students and faculty to create a more environmentally sustainable future in the face of a changing climate.

No more single-use beverage plastics

��ɫ��Ƶ has finalized a 10-year pouring rights agreement with PepsiCo Beverages that will eliminate all single-use plastics from campus beverage services, advancing the university’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).

Be a Sustainable Buff

If you are looking for ways to get involved with sustainability at ��ɫ��Ƶ, the Environmental Center’s Sustainable Buffs program is a great place to start. Learn more.

Boulder Climate Ventures launches

The Leeds School of Business program made ��ɫ��Ƶ the first U.S. public university in Breakthrough Energy’s global network, joining MIT and Stanford.

Campus decarbonization plan

The university has launched a multiphase decarbonization project to transition its campus district heating system from steam to low-temperature hot water, selecting engineering firm Salas O'Brien to design the plan that will help ��ɫ��Ƶ achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

From plastic to fertilizer

With a Research & Innovation Office seed grant, the Emergent Nanotechnology Lab team has begun research to develop new bioplastics made to be used as fertilizer at end of life.

Leeds received a transformative gift

A significant gift to the Leeds School of Business at ��ɫ��Ƶ will expand experiential learning, enhance student success and mental health, and support faculty excellence—all in service of the mission to elevate business as a force for good.

Off-site solar array breaks ground

��ɫ��Ƶ has partnered with Pivot Energy to begin building a 5-megawatt off-site solar array that advances the university's Climate Action Plan by expanding renewable energy use.

��ɫ��Ƶ made major sustainability strides this summer, including launching a campus decarbonization plan, eliminating single-use beverage plastics, advancing bioplastics research and securing transformative gifts to boost sustainability education and business.

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A positive influence

Megan Maneval — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 20:09:49 +0000

A positive influence Megan Maneval Thu, 08/14/2025 - 14:09

A new textbook edited by Erin Willis, associate professor in the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, aims to show how scholars can think about disability in their own research.

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Innovating the future of planetary exploration: Workshop concludes at LASP

Megan Maneval — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:39:17 +0000

Innovating the future of planetary exploration: Workshop concludes at LASP Megan Maneval Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:39

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

About 180 scientists, engineers and other stakeholders from around the world recently joined a hybrid meeting at LASP, sponsored by NASA, to discuss innovative new technologies and instrumentation to be developed for future planetary missions.

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Cycling tradition meets biomechanics at CU

Megan Maneval — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:14:05 +0000

Cycling tradition meets biomechanics at CU Megan Maneval Mon, 08/04/2025 - 14:14

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

In time for Buffalo Bicycle Classic, ��ɫ��Ƶ researchers challenge cycling norms that stiff cycling-shoe soles are essential for efficient riding.

In time for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic, ��ɫ��Ƶ researchers are challenging cycling norms that stiff cycling-shoe soles are essential for efficient riding.

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Grad student pioneering restoration methods for Colorado grasslands, reconnecting with ranching roots

Megan Maneval — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 12:32:53 +0000

Grad student pioneering restoration methods for Colorado grasslands, reconnecting with ranching roots Megan Maneval Fri, 07/25/2025 - 06:32

INSTAAR master's student Hunter-Geist Sanchez is following a lifelong love of nature to develop new methods for preserving natural areas and rangelands. As a sixth-generation Coloradan, he hopes his research can help keep grasslands sustainable as the West heats up.

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5 CU innovators changing the world

Megan Maneval — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:54:48 +0000

5 CU innovators changing the world Megan Maneval Thu, 07/17/2025 - 12:54

Coloradan

From quantum science to journalism, these five ��ɫ��Ƶ students, alumni and faculty are making bold, world-shaping contributions.

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��ɫ��Ƶ shines on global sustainability stage

Megan Maneval — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 19:39:54 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ shines on global sustainability stage Megan Maneval Tue, 07/15/2025 - 13:39

At the recent Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress, held for the first time in the United States, ��ɫ��Ƶ made a powerful showing—solidifying its role as a global voice in sustainability research, education and skills training.

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Pushing Boundaries

Where the Buffalo ride

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