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Sustainability is at the forefront of the CSU organization
DENVER, Colo., Nov. 15, 2017 – CSU Hillel, a campus of Hillel of Colorado, has embraced sustainability through a variety of efforts and is currently the only Hillel House in the country that is certified sustainable by Hazon, the county’s preeminent Jewish sustainability organization. CSU Hillel has a student-run garden and a rotary composter, and also built a chicken coop that the students tend, among their other sustainable and environmentally-friendly activities.
Hazon offers the Seal of Sustainability to Jewish organizations that meet the requirements outlined for the program. “Through the Hazon Seal of Sustainability, we have figured out how we we’re already sustainable, but also where we could improve,” said Alex Amchislavskiy, the CSU Hillel campus director. “The students we serve have been so excited to be a part of our sustainability efforts which makes it easy to embrace and promote. Our students not only get the chance to take care of chickens, for example, but also learn about how they can incorporate sustainability into their own lives.” At CSU, these initiatives provide another way for Jewish students to connect to their identity and heritage.
The CSU Hillel House has already implemented the following environmentally-friendly aspects into their day-to-day activities – fulfilling their goal to be a sustainable organization (photos below):
● Bringing in locally-sourced food through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) which Hillel has secured through generous donations.
● Building and utilizing a rotary compost in the backyard which helps Hillel reduce food waste. Through the compostor, the food that would be going into a landfill becomes fertilizer that is used in the organization’s garden.
● Building a chicken coop through a grant from Hazon. CSU Hillel is the first Hillel House to have a chicken coop where the students tend to the chickens. The chickens provide Hillel with eggs to use during meals, while the chickens help reduce food waste by consuming the food scraps left over from CSU Hillel’s weekly Friday night Shabbat and holiday dinners.
● Creating a garden to grow organic produce that can be used for meals.
● Hillel recently got a set of reusable plates in the meat kitchen. Before getting these plates, all of the plates, bowls, cups and utensils used at Shabbat dinners were disposable or compostable.
● Hillel has made an effort to provide more vegan food at every meal to reduce meat and dairy consumption, as well as to support the diets of all of the students who attend Hillel meals.
● Hillel co-hosted a workshop with The Spoke on the CSU campus, teaching bike safety and providing tips for bike repair, promoting bike culture and lessening the carbon footprint on Fort Collins’ air.
CSU Hillel, a part of Hillel of Colorado, is located at the Merage Hillel House at 720 W. Laurel St. in Fort Collins. To learn more visit www.hillelcolorado.org or follow us on Facebook at CSU Hillel, on Twitter @CSUHillel or on Instagram @CSUHillel.
ABOUT HILLEL OF COLORADO
Hillel of Colorado serves as an important bridge from the Jewish kid world to the Jewish adult world. We empower students to become leaders, and provide a warm and welcoming home-away-from-home for every student, preparing them for Jewish life and leadership on campus and beyond. Our mission is to inspire every student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. In 2016-17, Hillel of Colorado more than doubled its reach, with 1,440 CU, DU and CSU students attending at least one Hillel event. Visit www.hillelcolorado.org to learn more or follow-us on social media on Facebook at Hillel of Colorado, Twitter at HillelColorado and LinkedIn at Hillel of Colorado.
