Our Work
The Office of Sustainability is constantly working towards creating a more sustainable, ethical, and equitable future for Colorado College. Our work varies from on-campus collaboration with students and offices to off-campus initiatives with local partners, making Colorado College a model for sustainability. Sustainability is one of the three lenses of Colorado College, while the other lenses are Antiracism and Mental Health. The office specifically focuses our work on sustainability but uses all three lenses applied in our operations.
sustainable development goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have emerged from decades of negotiations and input from over 190 countries. These goals identify key areas necessary for our future well-being and sustainability. The 17 SDGs encompass a broad range of issues, including not only environmental concerns but also significant goals related to equity—such as income equality, access to food, gender equality, racial equality, and healthcare access.
Our office operates at the intersection of these goals. While all 17 SDGs are crucial and interconnected, some may be less relevant to our organization’s direct influence or current priorities due to resource limitations. To determine where our office can make the most impact, we conducted a survey with college members to identify which goals should be prioritized based on impact and influence. This process involved working closely with members to assess where their roles could also have the greatest influence in this work. The results guided us in focusing our efforts on specific SDGs and provided recommendations for aligning our work with the top six priority areas:
Our office operates at the intersection of these goals. While all 17 SDGs are crucial and interconnected, some may be less relevant to our organization’s direct influence or current priorities due to resource limitations. To determine where our office can make the most impact, we conducted a survey with college members to identify which goals should be prioritized based on impact and influence. This process involved working closely with members to assess where their roles could also have the greatest influence in this work. The results guided us in focusing our efforts on specific SDGs and provided recommendations for aligning our work with the top six priority areas:
- Quality Education
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Our Goals
The Office of Sustainability has established a new set of office-specific goals and milestones. However, we are working towards creating institutional goals. Here are a few of the goals that the office will be working on:
- Reduce waste generation on campus by 75% per user from the 2008 baseline through continued education, targeted waste campaigns, and working with campus stakeholders to examine our purchasing guidelines.
- Increase the waste diversion rate from 48% to 75% by 2030 through the implementation of programs such as electronic waste collection, CC Pantry Exchange, routine audits, and further development of waste infrastructure and education.
- Increase involvement by supporting student groups and working to build relationships with local and state governments.
As of August 2024, we are working with campus partners to move forward with a Request for Proposal for a Campus Energy Master plan that would address the following areas:
- Energy efficiency and transition from fossil fuels
- Reducing residual greenhouse gas emissions
- Basic financial planning, including capital project planning, lifecycle cost comparisons, and prioritization of projects to utilize IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) and other time-based funding sources
- Enhancing resiliency and minimizing exposure to market volatility and risk from climate change and other natural disasters
- Coordination and compatibility with space utilization and other master plans
- Prioritization of projects that also address deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure to the greatest extent
- Evaluation of existing energy metering and data management systems to achieve goals
- Energy demand analysis and forecasting through 2045
- Specification of physical infrastructure, operating systems, timelines, costs, and funding opportunities to implement the recommended energy strategy to meet the campus’ targets and energy needs by 2035 and beyond
Our Operations
There are five categories to which any of our projects and initiatives can link back: Cultivating Connection & Collaboration, Optimizing Campus Operations, Building Resiliency & Climate Action, Empowering through Education, and Strategic Planning & Prioritizing. We optimize campus operations when working with facilities services to map out waste disposal sites on campus. We build resiliency and climate action by advocating for more sustainable energy choices. We empower through education when taking student volunteers on creek cleanups. We participate in the strategic planning and prioritizing of sustainability when speaking to the Board of Trustees about the State of Sustainability at Colorado College. We cultivate connection and collaboration through student engagement and volunteer teams.
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Last updated: 08/14/2024