A COOLER BLAST this fall

Dear COOLER Community,

As we slide into autumn, we are excited to share that our COOLER BLAST students are diving into their projects with energy and enthusiasm!

COOLER BLAST (Building LASTing Resilience) is a one-semester program that supports students at the University of Northern Colorado in designing and leading mini-projects focused on climate change resilience. This fall, nine students are exploring new ways to make a local impact - from developing a better understanding of transportation in the City of Greeley, to organizing a clothing exchange and educating our community about the impacts of fast fashion.

While this program is short, our students are eager to have an impact. They are gaining hands-on experience in project design, collaboration, and leadership. These are skills that will serve them well into the future as they work to build more resilient communities and professions.

At the heart of what we learn together is the idea that we build resilience by the choices we each make every day. Those choices create ripples of change that strengthen our communities. Our collective action truly make a difference!

We would love to hear from you! What does resilience mean to you? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected].

-Cindy (COOLER Director)

Keeping art supplies out of the landfill

Remember when you took up needlepoint and then gave it up before you finished your first piece when you found out it wasn’t for you? Or maybe it was a set of watercolors someone gave you as a gift, even though you don’t paint. Maybe you are doing art every day, and are in need of some supplies. There is now an option for you!

Helen Villarreal was a participant in the COOLER CLImates program in 2024-2025. She used her participation in the program as the impetus to develop the NoCO Creative Reuse Center for art supplies. She is planning to hold pop-up events at the Downtown Armory in Greeley.

Her next pop-up events are on November 22nd and December 13th. Starting in January 2026, they will be doing them on the first Saturday of each month. Would you like to connect, or do you have supplies to donate? You can contact her at: [email protected], or on Instagram at @nococreativereuse. 

Nov 7: Come As You Are

The Come As You Are festival in Downtown Greeley (at the Moxi Theater) this Friday, November 7th brings together local musicians and artists in a celebration of our creative community. COOLER BLAST student, Dani Morgan, has organized a clothing swap at the event! Bring some clothes and swap them for something new! You can find the event schedule and tickets on their website (comeasyouarefest.com)

Nov. 19: Climate Conversations - Climate and Faith

Join the Citizen’s Climate Lobby at the Greeley LINC Library Innovation Center on Wednesday, November 19th from 6-7:30pm for a discussion of Climate Change and Faith. Everyone is welcome!

Our COOLER Team is always looking for resources that help us better understand how to build climate resilience and protect our planet. Here are a few resources we have come across lately that might help you in your own learning about climate resilience. Let us know if you find other resources you would like to share!

• Can our energy grid can survive a warmer future? Check out this interesting podcast with the founder of the company, Rhizome, that aims to improve the future of our energy grid.

• What is the Climate Cost of AI? Artificial intelligence is changing our world. But what is the environmental cost of these massive computing needs? This podcast with Western Resource Advocates will give you some insight into AI environmental challenges.

• What does it really mean to decarbonize? What challenges do we face in reducing carbon emissions and ramping up renewable energy? This library of videos at the UN Sustainable Development Academy has a rich collection of ideas about how we build climate resilience on a global scale.

Meet the COOLER Team:

COOLER Directors and UNCO faculty: Cindy Shellito (Principal), Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Chelsie Romulo

COOLER Community Director: Arika Virapongse (Middle Path EcoSolutions)

COOLER Evaluation Director: Rupu Gupta (Rupu Gupta Consulting)

COOLER BLAST Student Community Managers: William Hanson and Eryn Kelly