CSU Spur to Host National Sustainability Conference in Denver

Three-day gathering will bring 400 climate professionals to Colorado Aug. 17-19

By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com

DENVER — Colorado State University will welcome hundreds of climate and sustainability professionals to Denver this month as the third annual National Sustainability Society Conference comes to the CSU Spur campus Aug. 17-19.

The conference, co-hosted by CSU’s School of Sustainable Futures and the Climate Hub at CSU Spur, is expected to draw about 400 professionals and researchers from around the world. The gathering will highlight research and emerging approaches to climate change, sustainability and environmental policy.

More than two dozen CSU researchers are scheduled to present during the conference, addressing topics ranging from sustainable artificial intelligence and fertilizer production to prescribed fire, forest health and methane emissions.

Wildfire policy will be among the timely subjects addressed. Courtney Schultz, director of CSU’s School of Sustainable Futures and a professor of forest and natural resource policy, studies how policymakers can improve forest health, reduce wildfire impacts on communities and prepare future professionals to address increasingly complex environmental challenges.

CSU researchers will also showcase work aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. AgNext, a CSU research group, is examining ways to better measure and reduce methane produced by cattle. Researchers are studying how feed, genetics and the cattle microbiome interact, with the goal of lowering methane emissions while improving animal performance.

Other research featured at the conference will examine solar radiation modification, sometimes called solar geoengineering. CSU scientist Jim Hurrell is among researchers studying whether reflecting a small portion of incoming solar radiation back into space could reduce some impacts of global warming, as well as the potential risks such approaches could pose.

Methane detection is another area where CSU researchers are working with industry. The university’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center, constructed in 2017, recreates conditions found at oil and gas production facilities so technologies for detecting and measuring methane leaks can be evaluated in a controlled environment.

The conference also comes as CSU continues sustainability initiatives on its own campuses. The university has more than 40 solar installations and is pursuing a goal of using electricity from 100% renewable energy resources by 2030, followed by carbon neutrality by 2040. Composting, energy conservation and geothermal exchange projects are also part of those efforts.

Source: Colorado State University