| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.18 |
| Liaison | Marianne Martin |
| Submission Date | Dec. 3, 2024 |
University of Colorado Boulder
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Heid
VanGenderen Chief Sustainability Officer University of Colorado Boulder |
1.1 Coordinating committee, officer, or office for sustainability
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s sustainability committees:
https://www.colorado.edu/sustainability/campus-sustainability-executive-council
https://www.colorado.edu/sustainability/sustainability-council
There are two sustainability councils in action at CU Boulder. The Chancellor appointed students, faculty and staff to the original Council that is charged with making recommendations on policies, programs, investments and initiatives that advance sustainability across the campus. In 2023, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor Pat O'Rourke was asked by the Chancellor to also convene an executive sustainability council that could be more nimble and make concrete decisions more swiftly to advance operational sustainabliity across the campus.
Does the institution have one or more sustainability officers?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s sustainability officers:
The position of Chief Sustainability Officer was created and filled in 2017, a first for the campus. As can be seen in the job description, although housed in the Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability's divison, the CSO is charged with building effective bridges between component parts of the campus, i.e., academics and research, students, external constituents, and staff.
Does the institution have a sustainability office that includes more than one full-time equivalent employee?:
Description of each sustainability office:
1) Division of Infrastructure and Sustainabilty has 3.0FTE professional staff dedicated to sustainability programs: Chief Sustainablity Officer, the sustainbility and resilience program manager, and the sustainable transportation specialist. I&S Facilities Management is committed to developing and maintaining an environment that enhances human health and fosters a transition toward sustainability. We are an integral part of the CU-Boulder campus, and we're committed to making it as sustainable as possible. From engineering high-performance buildings, to implementing an eco-friendly grounds and landscaping program, to running a cutting-edge waste diversion program, Facilities Management is key to making CU one of the country's most sustainable universities. 2) The Environmental Center, housed in Student Affairs, has16.5 FTE professional staff and employs an average of 150 students throughout the course of an academic year. Established in 1970, the student-powered Environmental Center has evolved its leadership from advocacy to launching cutting edge techniques to expanding partnerships with campus and community organizations and, increasingly, to an innovative focus on student engagement. The EC's mission is to catalyze and facilitate sustainability culture and practices for the campus. See https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/ and https://www.colorado.edu/fmgreen/.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability offices:
Is at least one of the institution’s sustainability committees, officers, or offices charged with coordinating various campus constituencies in the advancement of sustainability across the entire institution?:
Narrative outlining the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The Sustainability Council (appinted by the Chancellor) has three campuswide policy under consideration relating to reduction of single use plastics; the need for a campus-wide water plan; and the creation of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan. The Executive Sustainablity Council has not yet taken specific action given its relative newness.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
Job descriptions
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (1st position):
Text of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (2nd position):
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (2nd position):
Text of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (3rd position):
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (3rd position):
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.