Environment Colorado has a new 10-point plan to urge the state’s colleges and university to step on the gas toward getting 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources.

Garrett Garner-Wells, director of Environment Colorado, said higher-learning institutions are poised to lead with more than 20 million students and a collective $15 billion in energy bills each year.

His organization released “Renewable Energy 101: Ten Tools for Moving your Campus to 100% Clean Energy” last week.

Environment Colorado cited schools already charging ahead. Colorado State University committed to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 last January.

“Colorado’s institutions of higher education can and should be at the forefront of the nation’s rapid shift to clean, renewable energy,” Garner-Wells said in a statement. “That’s why we’re excited to be working with the campus communities around the state to build support for a big shift to clean energy and setting a goal of meeting all of their energy needs with clean, renewable resources.”

Environment Colorado said colleges can set an example while also fostering the next generation of “scientists, engineers, policymakers and civic leaders we need to move the nation toward sustainability.”

Gubernatorial candidates Jared Polis and Michael Johnston are campaigning on moving the state to all-renewable energy by 2040. Polis also has sponsored legislation to move the nation to renewable energy by 2050.

“To remain a global economic leader, we must invest in renewable energy technology and fully embrace a cleaner, carbon-free future,” Polis said in the Environment Colorado statement.

He added, “By working together to combat climate change through renewable energy, we will be protecting our health, our national security, our jobs and our planet for the future.”

The release goes on to preach about climate change, quoting Scott Denning, a professor of atmospheric science and director of education for the Earth Systems Modeling and Education Institute at Colorado State University.

“By focusing on these three ideas – simple, serious, and solvable – and setting ambitious clean energy goals, Colorado’s colleges and universities can bolster learning and research, drive innovation, attract new students and save money,” Denning said. “And we can do all of this while setting an example for the nation and reducing their own environmental impact.”

Ross Sherman, a 2015 Colorado College graduate, said he was proud of his school for its efforts on renewable energy.

“By investing in clean energy now, Colorado College is doing its part to protect those beautiful places – along with our water, air, and climate-for generations to come,” he said.