A sustainable transition: Langmaid joins CMC

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Kim Langmaid

Dr. Kim Langmaid, the founder and vice president of sustainability at Walking Mountains Science Center, has accepted a position as associate professor of sustainability studies at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley.

A sustainable transition: Langmaid joins CMC

Dr. Kim Langmaid, the founder and vice president of sustainability at Walking Mountains Science Center, has accepted a position as associate professor of sustainability studies at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley at Edwards. Langmaid began her work at CMC this week.

Markian Feduschak, president of Walking Mountains, offered his gratitude and congratulations to Langford. “On behalf of Walking Mountains’ board and staff, we wish Kim all the best in her new role,” said Feduschak. “While she will certainly be missed in her full-time role here, we are pleased that she will maintain a senior consulting role at Walking Mountains and remain engaged with our board of directors. We are excited about the positive influence she will have on our local students and community leading the sustainability studies program at CMC Vail Valley.”

Dr. Anne Moll, dean of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, Sustainability and Education at CMC, said the combination of Langmaid’s exceptional educational background, leadership skills, deep community involvement, and longstanding teaching and curriculum development at the college determined her appointment.

“She is a visionary individual, with the creation and development of Walking Mountains as a testament to her dedication and capacity to think locally but impact globally,” said Moll. “We are excited to have her vision of sustainability not only for rural mountain communities but for global impact.”

‘A commitment to inspire’

When Langmaid founded Walking Mountains in 1998 it reached 900 people, according to Paul Abling, Walking Mountains marketing and communications director. Today, the organization reaches more than 169,000 annually by providing opportunities to learn about the mountain environment through natural science and sustainability programs.

“All of my experiences starting and working with Walking Mountains have been driven by a commitment to inspire and develop our community through experiential environmental science and sustainability education,” said Langmaid. “This new opportunity as a professor of sustainability studies will continue that trajectory, educating and continually improving our community with an eye to the future.”

Langmaid received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at Colorado State University, a Master of Arts in environmental studies from Prescott College and a Ph.D. in environmental studies from Antioch University New England. In addition to founding Walking Mountains, she is the former director of the graduate program at Teton Science Schools, and has taught in the environmental studies and sustainability education graduate programs at Prescott College.

At Colorado Mountain College, Langmaid was part of the original design team for the college’s bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies.

“My past experiences helping create the sustainability studies program at CMC and then teaching courses part-time as an adjunct faculty were extremely positive,” she said. “The students in this program are diverse and dedicated to making a positive impact. They are an integral and important part of our community and our future.”

A strengthened partnership

Feduschak noted Langmaid’s transition to CMC will create even stronger ties between the college and the science center, both of which serve the local community – and the world. Langmaid plans to continue the work she began at Walking Mountains regarding the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Sustainable Tourism Training programs and the Mountain IDEAL Sustainable Destination program, both of which have designated Vail as a sustainable mountain resort destination.

“Throughout Kim’s career, she's been relentless in her vision for environmental sustainability and has a history of creating tangible results,” Feduschak said. “Her work is even more important now due to our community’s growth and significant local and global environmental concerns.”

Colorado Mountain College and Walking Mountains are both founding members of the Climate Action Collaborative for Eagle County. And, Walking Mountains has multiple staff members and interns who have been or are currently enrolled in the sustainability program at CMC.

“We are pleased that Walking Mountains will be able to strengthen its partnership with CMC due to Kim’s experience at both organizations,” said Feduschak.

Sustainability in everything she does

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From left, Julia Farwell, Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, sustainability studies professor, and Heather Exby, CMC Spring Valley campus dean and vice president at the Spring Valley bachelor's graduation. Farwell was named outstanding bachelor's graduate during the ceremony. Photo Ed Kosmicki

From left, Julia Farwell, Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, sustainability studies professor, and Heather Exby, CMC Spring Valley campus dean and vice president at the Spring Valley bachelor's graduation. Farwell was named outstanding bachelor's graduate during the ceremony. Photo Ed Kosmicki

Sustainability in Everything She Does

By Mike McKibbin

SPRING VALLEY — When it comes to sustainability, there may not be another Colorado Mountain College student who has done more to make a difference than Julia Farwell. Her five-year journey ended with a Bachelor of Arts in sustainability studies at Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the Spring Valley campus.

More than 1,000 graduates are receiving degrees and certificates from Colorado Mountain College May 2-6, at 10 different graduation ceremonies held throughout the CMC district. Graduates from Aspen to Glenwood Springs could choose to participate in ceremonies at the college’s Spring Valley campus.

After growing up in Danville, Illinois, about 120 miles south of Chicago, Farwell earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois and moved to Carbondale in 1996. For 16 years, she worked in the area’s hospitality industry, including management.

“I decided I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life,” she said, so in 2012 she worked for Osage Gardens and took a sustainable agriculture class at Sustainable Settings. It was at Sustainable Settings where she met CMC sustainability students and Adrian Fielder, then instructional chair of sustainability studies and director of the college’s Lappala Center in Carbondale.

Those experiences piqued her interest in the field of sustainability and two years later she took her first class in the program: Leadership, Ethics and Social Responsibility.

“I was hooked,” she said.

Another factor that pushed her toward sustainability was growing up playing in the woods in her backyard in Danville.

“My mom instilled a respect for nature in me,” Farwell said. Farwell originally wanted to get a certificate in sustainability from CMC, but her counselor urged her to seek a bachelor’s degree.“So I took one to three classes a semester,” she said. “That’s why it took as long as it did. But it was really rewarding. CMC staff and faculty are really caring; they are passionate about helping students with whatever it is they need to be able to succeed.

Farwell had an internship at EverGreen ZeroWaste and joined the Carbondale Environmental Board.  She initiated several sustainability efforts for the Town of Carbondale including expanding waste diversion options at annual waste-disposal days and helped the town adopt an Ecological Bill of Rights. And she also brought source-separated glass recycling to South Canyon’s recycling facility.

She volunteered for numerous activities that helped to change how the Spring Valley campus embraces sustainable practices. Farwell organized zero-waste events at CMC, convinced staff to install healthy food vending machines, and helped establish composting at the Spring Valley and Glenwood Springs campuses. That led to similar changes at Morgridge Commons in downtown Glenwood Springs. Those changes helped the college divert the waste it sends to landfills.

In naming Farwell this year’s Outstanding Bachelor’s Student at the Spring Valley campus, program staff have noted that she “embodies sustainability in everything she does.”Along with her classes, Farwell has worked part-time since 2017 for the City of Aspen’s Environmental Health and Sustainability Department. Her boss is Liz O’Connell Chapman, also an adjunct faculty member in the college’s sustainability studies program.

With her degree, Farwell said she has future plans to spend a year with the AmeriCorps program and seek her master’s degree in communication.

“I want to combine communication with sustainability so I can engage diverse groups of people with sustainable initiatives more effectively,” Farwell said. She has already signed up for some communication and new media classes for fall semester.

Farwell praised O’Connell Chapman, as well as Johann Aberger, associate professor of outdoor education, and Adrian Fielder, now Spring Valley assistant dean of instruction, for helping guide and motivate her toward completing her degree. She also praised Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, Spring Valley’s full-time sustainability professor, for his efforts in making “real life” projects part of his courses.

“The program is very experiential, very hands-on, so you don’t have to wait until you graduate before you put what you learn to use,” Farwell said. “The small classes and the student interaction were great, too. I’ve really enjoyed this journey. It’s been such a joy.”

Sustainability Studies B.A. Students Earn International Certification

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Sustainability Studies B.A. Students Earn International Certification

On March 29, three students graduating this May with their B.A. in Sustainability Studies (BASS), Jenna Hendrickson, Kyle Stepanek, and Bri Davidson, earned the Sustainability Associate certificate (ISSP-SA) from the International Society for Sustainability Professionals.

One of their professors, Tina Evans, also took the exam and earned the certificate, and she plans to go on to earn the ISSP’s higher-level certificate: the Certified Sustainability Professional credential (ISSP-CSP).

The ISSP-SA credential demonstrates mastery of a body of knowledge for the sustainability field that is highly relevant to sustainability professionals working in a wide range of positions in business (including nonprofits), government, and education. The ISSP-CSP credential certifies that the holder has strong knowledge and experience in leadership and practice in the field of sustainability.

This accomplishment by the students and their professor is path breaking for the Sustainability Studies program, as they are the first students, and the first CMC faculty member, to earn the certificate. Students learned the content through their extensive coursework in Sustainability Studies and, most recently, through the program’s newly required course titled Careers and Professional Skills in Sustainability (SUS 416).

This course, first developed by Mercedes Quesada-Embid, served as an elective in the BASS for a number of years. The BASS faculty recognized the importance of devoting more attention to helping their student’s transition to work and/or further education beyond completion of the BASS degree, so they have begun requiring this course.

The students who completed the SUS 416 course this year took it as an elective because it was not required of them for their catalog year, and those who completed the ISSP-SA certification, a subset of the full class, did so as an optional part of that course. The students deserve a lot of credit for their preparation and their courage to attempt something that had not yet been attempted by BASS students (or faculty!).

The students are all from the Steamboat campus where the BASS faculty piloted the offering of this credentialing opportunity this spring. The program faculty will be discussing how best to include this opportunity in the curriculum across the BASS sites at the College.

Johnson, Jeremiah

By

Jeremiah Johnson

Dr. Jeremiah Fernandez Johnson

Assistant Dean of Instruction
719-486-4294 | jjohnson@coloradomtn.edu
Pronouns: He/Him

Education

  • Doctorate in Higher Education, University of Denver

Awards/Recognition

  • Harvard Leadership Program in situational leadership styles

Role at CMC

My role is primarily in academic affairs. I work with faculty to deliver innovative and inclusive curriculum. I also work with our community constituents to develop programs that elevate the economic, social, cultural, and environmental vitality of our beautiful Rocky Mountain communities.

Personal Interests

I have one beautiful daughter who is my world. I love to fly fish, camp, ski, and cook. I am a music aficionado and play the saxophone, piano, flute, clarinet, and guitar.

About Leadville

I love that Leadville is so diverse and we at CMC are an integral part of breaking barriers for our community members to earn college degrees.

CMC Earns Honorable Mention in National Climate Leadership Awards

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Adrian Fielder charging his electric car at CMC.

Adrian Fielder, assistant dean of instruction at CMC Spring Valley, fuels up at CMC Carbondale, at one of the college's electric vehicle charging stations. Photo Julie Albrecht

By Heather McGregor

For its collaborative work on electric cars, wildlife surveys and a broad range of other efforts that address climate change, Colorado Mountain College recently earned national recognition.

In January, the U.S. Green Building Council and Second Nature honored the college as one of eight U.S. institutions receiving the 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Awards.

CMC’s award, an honorable mention, is for cross-sector collaboration. It recognizes the college’s students, faculty and administration for partnering with many other organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, monitor changes in climate and support land preservation.

Collaborative efforts cited for the award include working with the Colorado Energy Office to install electric car charging stations at 10 CMC locations, strategizing with community and utility leaders to accelerate renewable energy, and using student scientists to help land and climate organizations create biological baselines.

For example, students in the Roaring Fork Valley are monitoring soil moisture content at stations throughout the valley to provide valuable data for the Aspen Global Change Institute, according to Adrian Fielder, assistant dean of instruction at CMC Spring Valley.

In another project, students and faculty are working with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to conduct a “bio-blitz” survey, documenting plant and animal life in and near the Spring Valley campus and setting a biological baseline.

In Aspen, students and faculty are working with The Farm Collaborative at Cozy Point Ranch to create a demonstration farm, tool library and incubator space for food entrepreneurs, with the aim of building local food resilience as the climate changes.

CMC’s Bachelor of Arts in sustainability studies program hosts annual conferences open to students and invited members of the public. The conferences feature workshops on efforts to develop clean energy jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

College connects on local, national stage

CMC is an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, a national organization for college-level climate and sustainability programs. The association’s resources help keep CMC’s faculty and staff on the leading edge of sustainability education.

These and many other examples of cross-sector collaboration were included in CMC’s successful award application, written by Dr. Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, associate professor of sustainability studies at Spring Valley, and Ed Chusid, CMC grant coordinator.

“Recognition for cross-sector collaboration is an honor and truly symbolic of our sustainability successes here at the college,” said Nathan Stewart, chair of the college’s sustainability studies bachelor’s program and associate professor at CMC Steamboat Springs.

The Higher Education Climate Leadership Awards focused on three key areas in which colleges can make a difference: climate innovation, student preparedness and cross-sector collaboration.

CMC offered examples of its work in all three sectors. For the U.S. Green Building Council and Second Nature, CMC’s collaborative work stood out.

“Combining the expertise of higher education institutions with businesses, cities, states and other stakeholders creates climate solutions at the scale needed to meet today’s environmental challenges,” said Betsy Painter, communications manager for Second Nature.

Award winners are being recognized at the 2019 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit February 2019 in Tempe, Arizona.