COOLER New Year's Updates

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COOLER UNCO
January 23, 2024

2023 Greeley Climate Recap

Every year we hear stories about new temperature and rainfall records. How did Greeley fare in 2023?

While Greeley may not have set the record for warmest year (that still belongs to 2012, with 2021 coming in a close second), it was a remarkable year for late spring precipitation. On average, Greeley receives about 14.5 inches of precipitation each year. In 2023, we reached that value in late June, and ended the year with a total of 19.5 inches of precipitation. Most of that extra rain fell in May, June and July, which kept gardens green until late summer. In fact, June 2023 was the wettest June on record in Greeley!

The higher rainfall is not necessarily a sign of things to come. Rainfall (and snowfall!) can be highly variable from year to year, and changes depend on subtle shifts in the the jet stream, which steers storms across the country, or changes in evaporation or humidity over the oceans. What we can expect in a warmer world is likely more variable rainfall, with some years that are very wet, and some that are very dry. Ultimately, this is challenging for water resource managers and people who depend on a steady supply of water, so finding ways to conserve water is always wise!

Please keep us updated on your own challenges and successes to build resilience to climate change! Email us at [email protected].

Student Scene!

Our choices as consumers ultimately have an impact on the environment. While it’s often difficult for students to feel they are playing a big role as consumers, the small choices you make each day, about where to buy your coffee or where to pick up a gift for a friend can make a difference! Supporting local business ensures your money stays in the community. For anyone looking to actively practice sustainable consumerism, here are some small, local, businesses to support in Greeley, Colorado:

  • Charley & Co. Market (2310 W. 17th St., Greeley, CO 80634): a unique boutique. The Downtown Oddity Parlor (906 9th Ave., Greeley, CO 80631): a unique gift shop.

  • John Galt Coffee (709 16th St., Greeley, CO 80631)Margie’s Java Joint(931 16th St., Greeley, CO 80631): a local coffee shop.

  • Lincoln Park Emporium (822 8th St., Greeley, CO 80631): an antique shop.

  • Mariposa Plants & Flowers (801 8th St #110, Greeley, CO 80631)

  • Midnight Oil (827 10th St., Greeley, CO 80631): a local bookshop.

  • Warm Hugs(809 10th St., Greeley, CO 80631): a local boutique.

  • Sew Downtown (3820 W. 10th St. B3, Greeley, CO 80634): a sewing shop.

  • Trinkets and Treasures (709 10th St., Greeley, CO 80631): a shop with items from multiple vendors.

  • Zoe’s Cafe (715 10th St., Greeley, CO 80631)

Activities

November Climate Conversations in Greeley

In November, COOLER participated in an event sponsored by Dr. Karen Barton and funded by the U.S. State Department TIES program and Fulbright at the Library Innovation Center (LINC) in Greeley. The event featured several community groups, including Citizen’s Climate Lobby, Mi Familia Vota, 350.org, and Sustainable Windsor, Climate Reality Project, and Earth Guardians. Attendees had an opportunity to learn the basics of felting while discussing the impacts of climate change on their lives. Overall, the event was a fun way to bring together community members to talk about a difficult topic that impacts us all. UNC students were also interviewed for Karen Barton’s podcast, Geographies of Hope and Resilience.

Participants at the Climate Conversations event learn skills in felting while discussing impacts of climate change.

Sharing Global Strategies to Build Drought Resilience

Dr. Duc Viet Nguyen, a hydrologist and lead researcher on water management and drought early warning systems in Hanoi, Vietnam, visited UNCO during the week of January 16th to help us better understand some of the challenges we all face in a warmer world, specifically related to water management. His visit was organized by COOLER and supported by the Fulbright Program and UNC’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. While his work focuses in Vietnam, his work is relevant to all of us who live in regions susceptible to prolonged drought.

Dr. Nguyen with UNCO students after his lecture on drought mitigation techniques in Vietnam.

What can we do to make ourselves more resilient to drought?

Living in a drier climate - or, in a climate where rainfall becomes more variable - means finding ways to conserve water. At home, we can be more conscious of how much water we use each day in the shower, or how much we use to water our plants and gardens. On a bigger scale, this means considering what crops we might plant that will be more tolerant to drier conditions. In Vietnam, this means helping farmers shift to new planting techniques, or new types of rice. In Colorado, we will likely have a longer growing season, but need to adapt to more variable rainfall.

Upcoming Events this Spring

For Students, Faculty and Community:

Stay-tuned! We are gearing up for an exciting year in 2024! We are working on events that will give members of our community opportunities to connect with UNCO students and faculty through discussions of climate change resilience. We expect to have more information for you in the next newsletter!

For UNCO Faculty:

Teaching Conversations on Climate Change Across the Disciplines

As a follow-up to our workshop this fall, we are holding a series teaching conversations on climate change this spring. This will give educators an opportunity to share ideas and challenges about introducing climate change into their courses. Our first meeting was January 22nd, but we welcome any faculty or graduate students at UNCO to join us at any of our subsequent meetings. Let us know at [email protected] if you are a faculty member or graduate student interested in participating. We meet on the following Mondays at the UC Aspen Suite from 3:30-5pm: Feb 26, Mar 25, and April 22.

Northern Colorado Activities hosted by Friends of COOLER

Climate-related seminars hosted by UNC Earth and Atmospheric Sciences this Spring

All seminars are in 3240 Ross Hall at UNCO from 4-5pm, and are open to the public and most are broadcasted via Zoom. Please email Dr. Sharon Bywater-Reyes ([email protected]) for a Zoom link. Click here for the full list of seminars.

  • Mar 27: Dr. Jennifer Mahoney, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO, will give us a glimpse of cutting edge research on weather and climate.

  • Apr 10: Peter Goble and Jon Meyer from the Colorado and Utah State Climatologist's offices will share the latest news on climate change in Colorado and the Mountain West.

  • Apr 17: Dr. Rusty Low from the NASA Globe Citizen Science Program will share how we can all help NASA predict outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses in a warmer world.

Winter light in Fraser, CO — Photo by C. Shellito

Climate Resilience Workshop in Northern Colorado

Embodied Climate Action Workshop: The Return of Light
Facilitated by Tamara Yakaboski, PhD

About the workshop: The winter solstice is a return of light in a season of darkness. This workshop will explore how to bring calm back into the nervous system that experiences climate-related stressors. We will explore how climate anxiety and grief show up in the body and emotions. Through interacting with Nature and guided activities, we will practice how to listen to our bodies in the season of rest and wintering.

Saturday, Jan. 27 | 1–3 p.m. | $10 In–person Link for more information and registration

Helpful Resources:

Did you know that you can check current air quality conditions in your neighborhood at the website airnow.gov? The Air Quality Index (AQI) gives a measure of air pollution. It runs on a scale from 0 to 500. Anything below 100 is considered fairly healthy. Above 100, the air quality is considered ‘unhealthy’ - first for people with sensitivities, but as the AQI climbs above 150, the air is unhealthy for everyone, and you may want to consider wearing a mask outside!

Screenshot from the EPA’s website airnow.gov

About Us

Meet the COOLER Team:

COOLER Faculty at UNCO: Cindy Shellito (Climate Science), Sharon Bywater-Reyes (Environmental Science), Karen Barton (Geography, Climate Change), Chelsie Romulo (Sustainability)

COOLER Community Activator: Arika Virapongse (Middle Path EcoSolutions)

COOLER Evaluation Consultant: Rupu Gupta (Rupu Gupta Consulting)

COOLER Student Team: Kennedy Dechant (Community Manager), Sydnee Klug (Events Coordinator and Graphic Designer), Tyler Oravec (Climate Data Analyst)