The City of Fort Collins
Sixty miles northwest of Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado, is nationally recognized by various organizations and magazines as a best place to live, work and play. The City is home to Colorado State University with 27,000 students, several large high-tech employers, and leading businesses in the microbrew industry. Fort Collins has grown from a small agricultural community into a major employment and retail center for Northern Colorado with 150,000 residents, all while maintaining its reputation for outdoor activities, local cultural amenities, bike-friendliness and small-town feel. Fort Collins is committed to resiliency and sustainability through organization-wide systems and a focus on being a leader in energy efficiency and climate planning. Through demonstrated and innovative commitment to economic and environmental health, Fort Collins has a role to play in setting the standard for other communities and leading new advances in energy efficiency.
Colorado Clean Energy Cluster
CCEC is a project-driven, 501(c)3 nonprofit economic development organization aimed at growing primary jobs in Colorado in the area of clean energy through formal partnerships between clean energy companies, the public sector and higher education. As a unique statewide organization fostering market transformation for clean energy, the CCEC is focused on innovative and entrepreneurial ways to grow the clean energy sector through projects and initiatives that directly benefit Colorado clean energy companies. As a partner in FortZED, CCEC and its member companies contribute expertise and resources to support FortZED’s innovative projects and ideas.
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a land grant institution and a Carnegie research university. Our world-class research in infectious disease, atmospheric science, clean energy technologies, environmental science, and biomedical technology attracted more than $300 million in research funding annually. Our professional programs in veterinary medicine, occupational therapy, journalism, agriculture and construction management are ranked among the nation’s best. Colorado State is also ranked as one of the most sustainable institutions in the country. CSU has achieved a Gold rating and currently holds the highest score ever achieved in STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). STARS is the most comprehensive and well-respected sustainability metric for colleges and universities and is provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
CSU Energy Institute
As both the largest utility customer & the largest employer in Fort Collins, Colorado State has always worked to partner with the City in efforts to achieve community goals. FortZED is one of those efforts where the goals of the university around carbon neutrality are well aligned with those of the City.
