Dear COOLER Community,

With the arrival of September, we hope you are enjoying cooler days! As we have shared in previous newsletters, September is warming faster than any other month here in Northern Colorado. This has shifted our first frost date about 10 days later in the fall. As a result, in mid-September, I still have tomatoes ripening and zucchini blooming in the garden. While, our warming climate brings with it some difficult challenges, I will put the extra garden produce to good use and consider this part of my effort toward climate resilience.

A little COOLER BLAST

As we begin a new school year, I want to share some updates on the COOLER project. We are nearing the end of our funding from the National Science Foundation, and we are presently seeking funding from other sources to continue COOLER. Our pilot program in 2024-25, COOLER CLImates, was a success, and we would like to find a way to continue and improve on that program. But we do not have the resources to run the full program again this year.

However, we have just enough funding remaining to support another cohort of students in developing mini-projects around climate resilience this fall semester. You could think of this as a ‘mini-CLImates.’ We call it COOLER BLAST, and we hope to run a program that, while short (the program ends in January 2026), is impactful. We are recruiting nine students to develop and complete small projects focused on climate resilience in the community and/or on campus. We are also recruiting two students to help us run the program and keep some of our other COOLER project activities rolling, such as this newsletter and our YouTube ‘Ask-Me-Anything’ series. We will share their progress in the coming months!

Looking ahead, as we move into 2026 and wrap up COOLER BLAST, we intend to keep the COOLER project alive by continuing this newsletter, posting updates on social media, and offering occasional workshops and seminars for our community. We hope to continue to serve as a hub for connections on climate resilience between the UNC campus and the northern Colorado community.

Thank you for being a part of our community — we cannot do this without you!

Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]. We are always eager to highlight local events and activities, as well as strategies and ideas that help keep us all safe and build a more sustainable world. 

-Cindy (COOLER Newsletter Editor)

A bit about our student team…

One by one, we have been introducing you to the students who have supported us over the past year, and have been sharing their aspirations for making the world a better place. These students have supported us through the development and implementation of our COOLER CLImates program, and we could not have done it without them!

Meet Kyle Thoutt!

Roles in COOLER: CLImates Cohort Manager for Faculty, AMA (Ask-Me-Anything) producer

Kyle Thoutt is a Geology major at UNCO. He has a strong passion for the environment and landscape of Colorado. Seeing first-hand the impacts of drought and wildfire on our ecosystems has fueled his motivation to contribute to our efforts to address climate change. For the past year, he has supported COOLER through his work in helping to manage the CLImates program, as well as supporting our events and communications. He says that he was drawn to work with COOLER because this work aligns with his own values.

“I’ve always been drawn to projects where science, community, and climate action overlap. COOLER isn’t just about raising awareness—it’s about creating tangible change and connecting people to real solutions, and that’s something I wanted to be a part of.”

He says that COOLER has shaped his perspective on the role of science in society. “I’ve learned that climate change work is as much about people as it is about science. It’s not just data—it’s about building trust, meeting people where they’re at, and showing that change is possible when communities come together.”

After UNC, Kyle hopes to find work in geology or paleontology research, and continue learning how Earth systems respond to change. He hopes to find ways to bridge research with education.

He says that one of the things that helps him keep a positive outlook is, “seeing the creativity and resilience people bring to the table. Whether it’s local conservation projects, students getting excited about sustainability, or communities adapting in innovative ways—it reminds me that while the challenges are huge, so is our capacity to respond.” He also urges people to build resilience and sustainability in their lives by starting with the things they care most about, then build from there by connecting with others working toward the same goals. Ultimately, collective action can have an impact.

Climate Conversations

Join Climate Conversations at the LINC Library Innovation Center (501 8th Ave, Greeley) hosted by the Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) Greeley chapter. CCL is a non-partisan organization that promotes solutions to the current climate crises. The goal is to provide information on various topics surrounding climate issues, to show many sides of the discussion and to get citizens thinking about solutions and obtain a better understanding of the situation. Free and open to the public, from 6-7:30pm on the following dates:

• September 17: Wildfires

• October 15: Book Discussion Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World (Katharine Hayhoe, 2021)

• November 19: Climate and Faith

2025 NOCO Climate Meetup

Join your fellow NOCO climate activists for an afternoon of networking and education! The 2025 NOCO Climate Meetup will be held on Sunday, September 21st in Centennial Park, Loveland at the Main Shelter from 12-5pm. Sponsored by Climate Reality of NOCO and Citizens Climate Lobby Greeley, this event includes games, music, vegetarian food, and a wide variety of speakers—including our very own COOLER lead Cindy Shellito!

If planning to attend, please fill out this RSVP form!

Weld County Youth Environmental Leadership Summit - WC YELS

Let’s help young people discover a passion for taking care of the planet! The University of Northern Colorado, in collaboration with the Sustainable Living Association, is hosting the first Weld County Youth Environmental Leadership Summit on October 2nd. More than 400 students from Weld County School District 6 will spend a day at UNC, learning about climate, the environment, and sustainability from UNC students and faculty. The day will will include lots of opportunities for hands-on activities and time to chat with current students and alumni who have a passion for the environment. If you would like to learn more, click here.

Creating and Re-Dreaming Our World

Envisioning the world we want to create and then moving forward to build it requires us to align our values, our intentions and our actions. Mindfulness and contemplative practices can support us in this work. This conference will focus on contemplative practices that support college students. Click here to access conference registration, or access it through the QR code below.

How sustainable is your morning cup of coffee?

The National Coffee Association estimates that 66% of American adults rely on coffee to get moving in the morning. But we know that disruptions in rainfall patterns, changes in the distribution of pests and diseases, and rising temperatures all have an impact on coffee production. Climate change will force coffee producers to adapt or shift production to new locales. The production of coffee also has an impact on climate, through deforestation and a very high carbon footprint. How can you make that morning routine a bit more sustainable? Check out this article for some ideas!

(Thank you to Miriam for sharing this resource with us! If you have a resource that you think would benefit the COOLER community, please share with us at [email protected] )

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 Student Community Managers: Stay-tuned — new managers coming soon!