Current Issue

Editor’s Note

Forest Fire

With their health failing, Rocky Mountain forests are becoming more vulnerable to massive wildfires like the 1988 inferno that devastated Yellowstone National Park. Photo: Larry Mayer/Billings Gazette.

When Chancellor Coombe signed on to the Presidents Climate Commitment last year, we decided the time was right to start working on an issue of the University of Denver Magazine devoted to the environment. This is that issue.

Rather than use the issue to explore all that DU is doing to help the environment, we elected instead to bring University of Denver expertise to bear on some of the most pressing environmental concerns facing the state of Colorado — our home, and home to more than half of our readers.

As we began work on this issue, we were thrilled to have fellow DU alumna Penelope Purdy (MA ’98) join our team as a guest editor. For those of you who don’t already know her from her 21 years as an award-winning business and environment writer for the Denver Post, Penelope is a fierce environmental activist and committed outdoorswoman. We greatly value the guidance she provided in determining this issue’s direction. Be sure to read her article about forest health.

As we worked on the content for this issue, we also examined the magazine’s environmental footprint and began investigating ways to mitigate our impact. The magazine you hold in your hands is printed on elemental-chlorine-free paper certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council. And, beginning with the fall issue, the magazine will be printed on paper containing 10 percent post-consumer recycled waste.

There are a few things you can do to help DU become more eco-friendly. If you don’t want to receive the University of Denver Magazine or prefer to receive your DU news online instead, please take a few moments to cancel your free subscription by calling 303-871-7954 or e-mailing ipioneer@du.edu. Even if you opt out of the print magazine, you can still stay in touch by visiting DU Today, our daily news site.

We also encourage you to share your ideas with DU’s new Sustainability Council, which is charged with measuring and managing the University’s environmental footprint. The council’s monthly meetings are open to the DU community; to find out more, contact the council at green@du.edu.

We’ll continue following DU’s environmental initiatives and impacts in the University of Denver Magazine. Please stay tuned.

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