CU Boulder recognized for leadership in addressing indirect emissions
Due to our campus-wide efforts to address indirect greenhouse gas emissions, CU Boulder recently received an inaugural Climate Action Milestone from Second Nature. This award recognizes the university’s work to better understand and reduce the climate impacts associated with activities including purchasing, travel, commuting, construction, food and waste, which ties into our larger commitment to sustainability and integrating that work campus-wide.
College campuses offer an important testing ground for climate solutions. With buildings, transportation systems, purchasing, food services and thousands of people living, learning and working in one place, universities can put new approaches into practice at a meaningful scale. What we learn from reducing emissions on campus can help inform solutions for other institutions and communities facing many of the same challenges.
CU Boulder is one of seven institutions nationwide recognized through a yearlong pilot of Second Nature’s new Climate Action Milestones program. The program includes 14 pathways recognizing progress across higher education, from campus decarbonization and indirect emissions to education, research, governance and community collaboration. Second Nature is a nonprofit that works with colleges and universities across the country to accelerate climate action and support higher education’s role in building climate solutions.
Addressing emissions beyond campus operations
Not all of CU Boulder’s greenhouse gas emissions come directly from campus buildings and operations. Many are connected to everyday university activities, such as the goods and food CU Boulder purchases, construction materials, business and education abroad travel, waste, and how students and employees get to campus.
These indirect sources are known as Scope 3 emissions. They can be more difficult to measure and reduce because they often occur outside the university’s direct control, but they make up about 70% of CU Boulder’s measured greenhouse gas footprint.
CU Boulder received Second Nature’s Leadership in Indirect Emissions milestone for its work to better understand and address these emissions. Since adopting its updated Climate Action Plan in 2024, the university has developed a more complete Scope 3 inventory, improved how these emissions are measured and identified where CU Boulder has the greatest opportunity to make an impact.
“At CU Boulder, a comprehensive footprint helps us to better engage our community on the full range of emissions impacts and motivates discussions about what constitutes meaningful action,” said Josh Radoff, director of campus climate action, sustainability and resilience. “Given that Scope 3 emissions management is a constantly evolving field, our approach to mitigation reflects what we believe can be meaningful levers for global change.”
Advancing sustainability across the university
Reducing emissions is one part of CU Boulder’s broader commitment to sustainability. Across campus, the university is working to integrate sustainability across research and creative work, teaching and learning, campus operations and partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations.
That approach is also at the heart of CU Boulder’s role as the host institution for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, a new national classification recognizing colleges and universities that make sustainability an integral part of their academic missions.
“Higher education plays a key role in driving impact on sustainability and climate, especially through research, education and collaboration that drive real change,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “As a leader in climate research and implementation, and as the host institution for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, CU Boulder is proud to help advance ways to recognize and support institutions integrating sustainability and climate action across their academic missions.”
Together, these efforts reflect CU Boulder’s commitment to advancing sustainability across the university and putting its expertise, people and campus to work on solutions that can make an impact in Colorado and beyond.
Learn more about CU Boulder’s Climate Action Plan and campus-wide sustainability work.