Accomplishments
Global Warming: In 2007, CoPIRG at CU Boulder, with
a team of 22 Climate Action
volunteers, ran a drive to collect comments to Chancellor Bud Peterson,
requesting that he sign a commitment to make the campus a leader in
reducing
our impact on global warming. The team gathered more than 700 requests
from CU students in less than a week and ended up convincing Chancellor
Peterson to sign onto the American University and College President's
Climate Commitment letter. The chapter also
gathered over
1,000 student signatures encouraging Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to
reduce global
warming pollution
CoPIRG at UC Denver won
initial approval in 2007 for a large solar array to be installed on campus that will
produce solar power on site. This
will be the largest solar project on any college campus outside the state of California.
Textbooks: Students working with
CoPIRG at UC Denver spent the 2006-2007 school year working to develop a plan
and potential budget for a textbook rental program. This program will help
students save money on textbooks by letting them rent, rather than purchase,
their books for a number of classes. CoPIRG Student Chapters plan to bring this
program to campus over the course of the next year.
New Voters Project: Our New Voters Project, working
with a coalition of student governments and campus organizations,
registered over 72,000 young voters in 2004, including over 8000
students at CU-Boulder.
Ecopledge: CoPIRG Student Chapters' Ecopledge
campaign works to convince corporations to take simple steps to protect
our environment. We convinced Whole Foods to discontinue the sale of
products containing genetically modified ingredients in their stores.
We also convinced Staples to stop selling paper in their stores that
came from old growth forests.
Hunger and Homelessness: In 2007, 45 people joined
CoPIRG to volunteer during the 23rd annual Hunger Cleanup. We raised
over $2000 for the Gemini House, an adolescent shelter run by the
Family Tree. Our annual Hunger Cleanup raised over $3500 in
2006 to fight poverty. The money raised helped to support local,
national, and international anti-poverty efforts, including the Family
Tree shelter in Denver and the Carriage House in Boulder.
Forest Protection: As part of a national coalition,
CoPIRG Student Chapters played a critical role in convincing the
federal government to protect 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in
our national forests with the Roadless Rule.
Past Accomplishments: CoPIRG Student Chapters
has a long history of accomplishments. Among those: In the 1980s, we
helped to pass the Lemon Law, a law forcing full disclosure of any
previous accidents when selling a used car. We also qualified and
passed the Motor Voter ballot initiative, an initiative which allows
people to register to vote when they get their driver’s license.
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