News Sheet

CU Boulder’s Carbon-Free Fantasyland

Written by Scott K. James

CU Boulder’s decarbonization plan is proof that runaway academia will burn your money faster than it burns actual fuel. With tuition soaring and debt piling up, they’re chasing unicorns on your dime.

CU Boulder just released its grand decarbonization plan—which is liberal arts-speak for using truckloads of taxpayer cash and student debt to chase wind-powered rainbows. The “goal” is to go carbon-free by making buildings more efficient or something. It was covered by the Daily Camera, clearly eager to praise CU like it just cured cancer instead of bleeding wallets with every woke initiative.

The Bullet Point Brief

  • CU plans to cut campus carbon emissions to net-zero because nothing says learning like performative climate guilt.
  • No word on how they’ll fund it—spoiler: it’s your tax dollars and your kid’s student loans.
  • They admit it’ll be hard but are plowing ahead philosophically, not economically.
  • Tuition? Rising. Debt? Crushing. But hey—goosebumps and green buzzwords.
  • If a private business tried this nonsense, they’d be broke by lunchtime.

My Bottom Line

Once again, the ivory tower has traded logic for eco-religion. CU Boulder’s decarbonization plan isn’t about sustainability—it’s about vanity wrapped in green hashtags. They’re spending like a sailor in Vegas while students drown in federally subsidized debt and taxpayers unknowingly pick up the tab for their virtue signals. And let’s be honest: if CU were a private company held accountable for profit and loss—this thing wouldn’t make it past happy hour pitching night at a WeWork.

Call me old-fashioned, but I thought higher ed was supposed to train minds—not manufacture overpriced PR campaigns to impress Greta Thunberg’s fan club. Want clean energy? Start by cleaning up the campus budget and spending less on ideological fantasyland pipe dreams. Until then, I’m not buying the narrative that turning every building into an overpriced eco-toaster is saving the world—especially when you can’t keep tuition rates from skyrocketing or teach kids basic civics.

Because here’s the kicker: while they’re installing solar panels you paid for, Billy’s shelling out $200k for a gender theory degree that comes with a side of debilitating loan payments and zero job offers. But sure… let’s slap another decal on the sustainability office window and call it progress.

About the author

Scott K. James

A 4th generation Northern Colorado native, Scott K. James is a veteran broadcaster, professional communicator, and principled leader. Widely recognized for his thoughtful, common-sense approach to addressing issues that affect families, businesses, and communities, Scott, his wife, Julie, and son, Jack, call Johnstown, Colorado, home. A former mayor of Johnstown, James is a staunch defender of the Constitution and the rule of law, the free market, and the power of the individual. Scott has delighted in a lifetime of public service and continues that service as a Weld County Commissioner representing District 2.