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CU Athletics Joins United Nations Race To Zero Campaign

November 04, 2021 | General

BOULDER -- The University of Colorado Athletic Department elevated its status as a national leader in sports sustainability on Thursday, becoming the first collegiate athletic department to announce it is joining the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign. Core to the commitment is CU Athletics' pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2040. 

CU Athletics' pledge follows the UN Sports For Climate Action Framework's announcement on Wednesday that it would call on all of its members to adopt the ambitious carbon reduction goals and enter the Race to Zero. CU Boulder became the first university in the nation to join the Sports for Climate Action Framework in 2019. Thursday's elevated commitment came as major sports organizations like the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and the Premier League also joined the Race to Zero

On Monday, CU Boulder and United Nations Human Rights announced plans for the inaugural Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit to be held on campus next fall over four days, bringing international leaders together in Boulder to address climate change as a human rights crisis.

"As an Athletic Department and university, we are always looking for ways to continue to reduce our carbon footprint," CU Athletic Director Rick George said. "CU has always been at the forefront of sustainability, and joining the Race To Zero Campaign is not only a natural fit and the right thing to do, it's a must-do for all organizations. We can all continue to set examples for our fans and everybody else watching to make sustainable choices."

The Sports for Climate Action Framework's carbon reduction targets come in response to the scientific consensus that the world needs to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050 to keep global temperatures under a safe threshold. In addition to the carbon-reduction goals, signatories commit to submitting plans to outline concrete actions that will be taken to implement the 2030 targets as well as annual reports on overall progress.

The Sports for Climate Action Framework was established with the idea that the sports industry could leverage its high profile to be a unifying force in inspiring climate action around the world.
 
"The sector eagerly took up the challenge, but also told us that they want to do more and to do it faster," Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said Wednesday at the launch of the Framework's carbon reduction targets at the COP 26 conference.

Race to Zero is a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, representing 733 cities, 31 regions, 3,067 businesses, 173 of the biggest investors, and 622 higher education institutions. The campaign calls for immediate action in the areas of energy consumption, commuting and business travel, resource and material waste, purchasing and supply chain and other relevant categories.  

CU Athletics's leadership in sports sustainability has been prominent for decades, and was solidified in 2008 with the formation of Ralphie's Green Stampede, the first NCAA Division-I athletics sustainability program. Since that time, CU became the first major college sports program to implement a zero-waste program in all gameday venues. 

Other key sustainability milestones for CU Athletics have included:

  • In 2011, the Buffs became a founding member of the Green Sports Alliance.  
  • In 2012, the Buffs' volleyball and basketball practice facility was built to LEED Platinum standards, followed by a major facilities upgrade that achieved LEED Platinum in 2016 for three buildings, including an Indoor Practice Facility designed to be net-zero-energy thanks in part to an 850-kilowatt rooftop solar array.  
  • Over the past five years, the Buffs have also hosted a Zero Waste Tailgate at Franklin Field for football games, implemented a Water for the West program designed to restore the Colorado River basin, and made a push to reduce the use of pesticides on turf fields.
  • In 2019, the Buffs along with Ball Corporation introduced aluminum cups at Folsom Field, the first college venue to introduce them, to reduce gameday plastic use.  


The Athletic Department's commitment is aligned with campus sustainability values as well. In early 2018, the university joined 12 other major research universities as founding members of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), which has committed to mobilize members' collective resources and expertise to accelerate local and regional climate action in partnership with businesses, cities, and states. CU Boulder's earth and atmospheric sciences, meanwhile, have been ranked No. 1 overall in global university rankings