Laird, Colin

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Colin Laird

Colin Laird

Adjunct Instructor, Sustainability Studies
970-309-2053 | claird@coloradomtn.edu

Education

  • Master of Science, Community Development, University of California, Davis
  • Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Brown University

Research and Writing Interests

  • Collaborative Problem Solving
  • Community Design & Placemaking
  • Local & Regional Economic Development
  • Public Policy
  • Regional Planning
  • Social Entrepreneurship

“Anything given ... can be re-imagined.” - Seamus Heaney

Over the last 25 years, I have worked to develop community-based solutions to challenges faced at many levels of society — from transit funding and youth development to affordable housing and sustainable development.

I helped catalyze regional cooperation in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys among area governments through projects (on issues such as transportation, affordable housing, youth development and indicators) and annual and monthly events (such as the State of the Valley Symposiums and the Mountain Mayors meetings).

In 2007, I helped create the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation, which fostered the partnership to transform the Carbondale Elementary School into the Third Street Center. I served as Executive Director of Third Street through the development and construction phase (2008-2010) and rejoined Third Street Center as Executive Director again in July 2014.

Third Street Center is a self-sustaining, nonprofit community center and community development corporation that is home to 36 organizations (26 nonprofit, 8 artists and two small businesses). Since opening in 2010, Third Street Center has become a regional hub and community institution. Over 100 employees work in this solar powered facility, which hosts 3000+ meetings in its community rooms.

I think of Third Street Center as an example of “applied sustainability.” In the course on Social Entrepreneurship, I help students explore the opportunities and challenges of building a more sustainable world by combining business principles and social mission.

CMC Professor Staib Wins an Emmy

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Associate Professor of Social Science Patrick Staib and his father, Walter Staib.

Associate Professor of CMC Social Science Patrick Staib and his father, Walter Staib.

Associate Professor of Social Science Patrick Staib with his EmmyCMC Professor Patrick Staib won an Emmy for his work as Producer/Co-Host for the “A Sentimental Journey Through Nicaragua”- A Taste of History TV series. Staib's father, Walter, also won an Emmy for his role as Program Host/Moderator.

Patrick is an Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Affiliated Faculty with the Sustainability Studies degree program at CMC Steamboat Springs.

The episode was a tribute to Patrick's mother, Gloria, who passed away in 2016. The cooking and history show episode delves into the culture and cuisine of Gloria’s homeland, Nicaragua.

This was his first episode at the reigns as producer. It was “trial by fire,” Patrick said. “It was an example of applied anthropology.”

Read the complete Steamboat Pilot story: CMC professor wins Emmy for work on ‘A Taste of History’ episode

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.