Sustainability Executive Council changes name, reviews policies and dashboard
The Campus Sustainability Executive Council convened Wednesday, Oct. 23, to discuss the following topics:
Name change
Discussion: The council agreed to change the group’s name to the Sustainability Leadership Team to reduce confusion with the Sustainability Council.
Campus energy management policy
Discussion: Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Resilience Chris Ewing provided an overview of the campus energy management policy, which currently focuses on scope 1 and 2 emissions that are generated by campus or through utility purchasing. The policy references existing campus standards and goals from documents including the Campus Master Plan, Energy Master Plan and Transportation Master Plan. This policy will put more responsibility on leaders across campus to examine their operations and identify ways to reduce energy use. There was also discussion and a recommendation to broaden the scope with the intent of it being a more overarching sustainability policy beyond scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.
Next steps: Team members may provide comments, after which the chancellor will review and approve the policy.
CAP dashboard
Discussion: The team received an overview of the CAP dashboard. Following an analysis of the data being used, the updated dashboard now references data from 2022 and will soon be updated with 2023 data. The CAP uses 2019 as its baseline year.
Next steps: The CAP dashboard will be released in November and will be updated annually at the beginning of each spring semester.
Miscellaneous
Discussion: Several other agenda items were discussed.
- Chief Operating Officer Patrick O’Rourke updated the team on the vice chancellor for sustainability search, including the release of the position specification and a from the campus community about the role.
- O’Rourke also noted that Heidi VanGenderen has taken on a new role as senior advisor for sustainability and climate, reporting to Deputy Executive Vice Chancellor of Operations Jennifer McDuffie. VanGenderen is tasked with compiling the current state of sustainability on campus in preparation for the new vice chancellor.
- The team received an update on the new chemistry and applied math (CHAP) building’s design and contracting process. The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification thanks to sustainability elements that include a more sophisticated mechanical system that maximizes conditioned air, occupancy sensors, and the incorporation of mass timber/CLT in office spaces to reduce embodied carbon.
- The team also received an update on the North Boulder Creek utility project, which will bring chilled water and electricity to the under-construction Residence 1 building, tying into the campus plan of connecting to the district energy loop and the eventual transition to a low-temperature hot water system.
A presentation slide on the North Boulder Creek Utility Expansion Project, including a map of the design, that reads: “Description: Expand utility infrastructure in the North Boulder Creek neighborhood to provide utility services to Residence One and other new, future facilities identified in the 2021 Campus Master Plan (low-temperature heating hot water, chilled water and medium voltage electrical power distribution); and provide infrastructure necessary to leverage long-term campus decarbonization and resiliency plansâ€
This is part of a series that will cover CU Boulder Sustainability Leadership Team (formerly known as the Sustainability Executive Council) meeting agendas, discussions and decisions. The Sustainability Leadership Team brings together decision-makers and leaders from across campus to drive action and accountability to achieve carbon neutrality, goals outlined in the Chancellor’s Call to Climate Action and the implementation of the campus Climate Action Plan.