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The CU Boulder Sustainability Executive Council announced the publication of the final Climate Action Plan (CAP) during a panel discussion at the Campus Sustainability Summit. 

The CAP sets a course for CU Boulder’s aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scopes 1 and 2 (and in Scope 3 emissions where we have influence and control) by 50% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by no later than 2050. 

“We know we have a lot of work to do toward achieving our carbon-reduction goals, and the Climate Action Plan provides a thorough roadmap for how we will get there and live our campus values around sustainability,” Chancellor Philip DiStefano said. “I am excited that much of the work outlined in the plan is already underway. I am also grateful to our CAP steering committee for their leadership in this effort and to our campus community for its engagement in the process.” 

The chancellor also recognized the importance of the CAP’s focus on equity, resilience and fiscal viability.

“While this roadmap is a strong start, we know there is a great deal of work ahead of us to successfully implement and innovate as needed to achieve our (greenhouse gas) emission reduction goals,” he said.

18-month iterative process

Publishing the final version of the CAP is the culmination of an 18-month effort that included dozens of meetings with campus stakeholders, a campus listening session at the 2023 Campus Sustainability Summit, multiple campus forums and a month-long open comment period—all aimed at gathering and incorporating feedback from the campus community.

“The steering committee received over 600 comments on the draft CAP during the open comment period in addition to what we took out of our meetings with campus groups,” said Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability Chris Ewing, who was a member of the CAP steering committee. “We diligently reviewed all of that feedback, which helped us achieve a robust final document.”

The CAP steering committee analyzed and condensed feedback into 10 main themes. Much of the submitted feedback requested more detail in certain areas such as Scope 3 emissions and an explanation of why CU Boulder’s 2020 goals were not achieved. There were also calls for student representation in the decision-making bodies around campus sustainability and requests for more transparency from those groups.

Living document and dashboard

Ewing stressed that the CAP is a living document, which will require careful monitoring and modifications as needed over time: “The CAP was guided by present-day information. As technology changes, the document will be updated to ensure we remain nimble and opportunistic in achieving carbon neutrality.”

A new CAP dashboard, to be published on the CAP website in the coming days, will serve as a visual representation of the tangible metrics that contribute to CU Boulder’s progress toward goals outlined in the CAP. The dashboard will be updated regularly to reflect that progress.

What’s next?

• Several projects, some pending Board of Regents approval, are moving forward this year to make progress toward CAP goals. These include, but are not limited to:
  • Energy efficiency projects in 18 buildings
  • Construction of a 1.1 megawatts solar array on East Campus
  • An agreement for a virtual net metering solar project that will enable approximately 5 megawatts of solar capacity on the local grid
  • Ongoing electrification of the university’s vehicle fleet
  • A study to gauge potential for geothermal energy on campus
  • Crafting of the campus decarbonization plan
• The Campus Sustainability Executive Council will meet monthly to track progress and accountability on the goals laid out in the CAP, and a summary of each meeting will be published in CU Boulder Today.
• Open forums with the Sustainability Council will be held once a semester to provide updates on campus sustainability efforts. 
• Students, faculty and staff can share their sustainability ideas with the council via the .