In 2008, Colorado College had mulled over the idea of committing to become a carbon-neutral campus. They didn’t have a choice after one student gathered 1,500 student’s signatures supporting the college to make it happen by 2020.
“I started a petition with a few friends of mine that got over 70 percent of the campus,” said David Amster-Olszewski, a now graduate of the college.
Amster-Olszewski brought the petition to the President of the College’s board of trustees. Soon after the goal was adopted even though the plan wasn’t as certain.
“We didn’t know how to get to the goal but we knew that by setting a goal we would create this momentum to find the answers to those questions and sure enough, we did,” said Amster-Olszewski.
Amster-Olszewski went on to create his own company, Sunshare Community Solar. It is now in several states creating community solar gardens.