As part of the Climate Action Plan, BU’s climate action work is directly tied to the City’s, and collaboration is essential. By sharing best practices with the community, Boston University is helping the University, City, and broader region make progress toward our collective climate targets.

Welcoming our Peers to Boston

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education is the leading association for advancing sustainability on college campuses. Their 2023 annual conference was held in Boston in October, and BU served as one of the host institutions. At the opening of the conference, BU Sustainability welcomed over 50 higher education sustainability professionals for an in-depth tour of the Center for Computing & Data Sciences, which highlighted initiatives and building systems integrations that other institutions can bring back to their campuses. At the conference, BU presented during five different sessions:

• Masterclass Panel with fellow host institutions from Northeastern and Tufts Universities
• Fireside Chat with Sierra Club CEO Ben Jealous
• A Collaborative Approach to Scale Climate Action in Boston
• Maximizing Voluntary Renewable Electricity Credits
• Implementing Successful Reuse Programs in Campus Dining

Boston Green Ribbon Commission

As a Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) member, Boston University’s former President Robert Brown continues to chair the Higher Education Working Group. This working group’s primary focus is implementing a five-year strategic plan and sharing knowledge to advance climate action in the city and region.

Additionally, BU’s Director of Sustainability, Lisa Tornatore, brings her expertise in climate action planning and implementation and serves as a coach for a cohort of higher education and cultural institutions through the Green Ribbon Commission’s Collaborative Climate Action Planning program. Dennis Carlberg collaborates with Jacob Glickel, Northeastern University’s Director of Sustainability Operations, as staff co-chairs of the Green Ribbon Commission’s Higher Education Working Group.

In June, Boston University hosted a discussion for GRC members at the Center for Computing & Data Sciences, which included a forum with Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu, and Amy Longsworth, Executive Director of the GRC.

BERDO: Coalescing the Higher Education Community

The Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) requires owners of large buildings in the City of Boston to report their annual energy and water use and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over time. The ordinance puts a price on carbon, designed to encourage building owners to invest in energy efficiency and decarbonization measures and to avoid paying the Alternative Compliance Payment set at $234 per metric ton of CO₂ equivalent. In 2023, BU collaborated with other institutions in the Higher Education Working Group to provide feedback as the City developed the policies and regulations for BERDO.

Welcoming Visitors to CCDS

Following the Center for Computing & Data Sciences opening, the building has drawn widespread interest both locally and internationally for its iconic design and sustainability elements. To help manage the public demand for visits to the building, BU Sustainability and the Faculty for Computing & Data Sciences began operating public tours in the fall of 2023. Students lead these tours and provide visitors with a high-level overview of the sustainability and programmatic elements that make the building remarkable. In addition to public tours, BU Sustainability has hosted numerous specialty tours and presentations in the building, including with members of the Massachusetts General Court, Boston City Hall, the City of Copenhagen’s municipal government, property developers, architects, and higher education leaders. During these visits, BU Sustainability highlights how fossil fuel- and carbon-free buildings are possible at scale and how the University maintains and operates the geothermal heating and cooling system.