University of Colorado Boulder
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

The Blueprint for a Green Campus, first published in 2000 and updated every two years through 2006, incorporated an advisory committee of faculty, administrators, business leaders, community members, local officials and students to set the topics, tone and structure. Task forces were formed for each of the seven major topic areas and reconstructed each section with a stronger vision, more cohesive voice and greater content.

Creating a Climate-Friendly Campus: CU will have a zero or positive net impact on the climate by the year 2025 by consistently reducing emissions, improving air quality and implementing sustainable habits and practices.

Creating a Safe and Healthy Campus: The campus creates a safe and healthy learning and working environment through efforts to minimize hazardous waste, advance pollution prevention programs, and minimize exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides.

Improving Environmental Literacy: CU-Boulder will provide a basic amount of formal education for all students and will promote environmental stewardship and sustainability practices among all members of the campus community.

Greening Campus Purchasing: CU-Boulder institutes an environmentally responsible purchasing (ERP) program that stimulates the purchase of cost-competitive products and services. ERP products and services have a reduced effect on human and environmental health compared to competing products or services that serve the same purpose. ERP considerations can include raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse options, operation, maintenance, and disposal of the product or service.

Waste Reduction and Recycling: CU-Boulder envisions an increased commitment to a waste-free campus. This will require CU-Boulder to continue reducing the amount of waste generated by expanding operations and facilities capable of diverting the majority of solid waste from landfills, creating equitable and incentive-based funding mechanisms, and delivering innovative educational programs. Combined, the University of Colorado at Boulder will become a new model in sustainable materials management.

Institutional Incentives to Aid Implementation: CU will identify and promote incentives to overcome institutional and structural barriers to the implementation of economically and environmentally beneficial decision-making and action.

Water: CU will educate every campus user on how and why to conserve, appropriately use, and protect the quality and quantity of water sources. CU will act on water conservation opportunities to reach our minimum annual goal of a five percent water reduction each year for the next five years and continue to be a national campus leader, setting and exceeding the standard in water conservation and quality efforts.

Progress is measured against these goals via the annual conservation report filed under the Governor's Executive Order (e.g. 25% paper reduction), annual recycling reports, Facilities Management conservation web page, various annual surveys (SEI, Sierra, etc), STARS, and other ongoing metrics. Likewise, progress is measured against how many of the Blueprint's vision has been incorporated into formally adopted campus plans. Looking at our current climate action plan, forthcoming campus master plan, and current strategic plan, many of these visionary aspirations have been affirmed.