Sustainability at Facilities Management – Reports
CSU Climate Action Plan and GHG Inventories
In 2008, CSU became a signatory of the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The goal of this effort is for university campuses to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to the point of carbon neutrality. In short, the commitment requires participating campuses to take the following steps in pursuit of climate neutrality:
- Develop a comprehensive plan (a Climate Action Plan) to achieve climate neutrality.
- Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available.
CSU Climate Action Plan
CSU completed their first Climate Action Plan (CAP) in September 2010. The Climate Action Plan outlines how and when CSU will achieve climate neutrality. The CAP is considered a “living document” and is reviewed and updated every few years by a sub-committee of the CSU President’s Sustainability Commission.
CSU Greenhouse Gas Inventories
While CSU has compiled greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory’s since FY06*, the FY10 GHG inventory serves as the baseline year for ACUPCC, the Climate Action Plan, CSU’s ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. The annual greenhouse gas inventory includes all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and, a subset of Scope 3** emissions (as required to be reported by ACUPCC).
- FY23 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY22 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY21 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY20 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY19 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY18 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY17 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY16 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY15 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY14 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY13 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY12 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY11 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- FY 10 Greenhouse Gas Inventory – CSU’s Baseline Year Inventory
*The term fiscal year (FY) refers to a period of time used for accounting purposes and preparing financial statements and reports. Colorado State University defines a fiscal year as starting July 1st and ending on June 30th. Therefore, FY25 for example, covers the time period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
**To learn more about emission ‘Scopes’ and definitions, visit:
Finally a note about the calculations methodologies used by CSU: Between FY06 and FY17, Colorado State University utilized the Clean Air – Cool Planet Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator tool (also known as the Campus Carbon Calculator [CCC]). The CCC was the most commonly used GHG emissions calculator used by institutions of higher education. Beginning with FY18, CSU will transition to SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform) – which is replacing the Campus Carbon Calculator.
CSU Nitrogen Footprint
The nitrogen footprint calculation began as a student-led, faculty and staff-supported project. Colorado State University students completed five nitrogen footprints. Their first Nitrogen Footprint was calculated in 2015 for FY14 by students in the Student Sustainability Center. Then for FY18, FY19, FY20, and FY21 by students as a part of academic course work.
CSU utilizes the SIMAP platform (since it became available in FY19) to calculate the nitrogen footprint, just as it does for the carbon footprint, aka Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The CSU annual greenhouse gas inventory provides the foundational inputs of the N-print then gathers additional data (not included in the GHG inventory) including food procurement from CSU Residential Dining. Each year the calculation has taken a slightly different approach, therefore, consistency of early calculations was challenging for establishing a baseline or identifying a trend for nitrogen impacts. For these reasons there is ‘moderate confidence’ in the results of this annual calculation.
CSU Facilities Management staff completed standardized annual nitrogen inventories for FY22, FY23, and FY24 and still hope to establish goals for nitrogen reductions from campus operations.
CSU STARS Reports
In 2015, CSU became the first university in the world to earn a STARS Platinum rating. CSU received Platinum ratings again in 2017, 2020, and 2022. STARS is considered the most comprehensive and well-respected sustainability assessment for colleges and universities with over 1,100 institutions taking part across 6 continents. STARS is provided by AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). To complete a STARS report, institutions respond to more than 1,025 different text and data fields covering four inclusive categories:
- Academics (curriculum & research)
- Engagement (campus & public)
- Operations, and
- Planning and Administration
To see the CSU STARS report in full, please visit the platinum report on the AASHE website.
Visit the SOURCE story, to learn more.
Finally, it’s not a report but, check out CSU Campus Maps
While a map isn’t really a report, when you visit CSU Campus Maps, turn on the “Sustainability” layers – you will find all sorts of information about sustainability here at CSU. Take a look!