Fans attending home games at Folsom Field are used to composting and recycling at tailgates and inside the stadium. They may not realize with these simple acts they are playing a part in being听"the greenest athletics program鈥攃ollege or pro鈥攊n the country,"听said听Dave Newport, CU Environmental Center director.
When Ralphie鈥檚 Green Stampede听was founded in 2008, it made Folsom Field the first Zero Waste football stadium in the nation. This Homecoming weekend, the program is听celebrating听a decade of supporting Buffs fans in making sustainable choices inside and outside the stadium, while also continuing to听pioneer听a sustainable athletics program.
It was thanks to the energy and efforts of students and the receptivity of CU Athletics leadership that the partnerships that underpin Ralphie鈥檚 Green Stampede were born, according to听John Galvin, director of stadium operations who works to keep Folsom Field听"green"听year-round.
"A successful Zero Waste program requires a team effort and numerous hours of collaboration from all partners. The staff, students and volunteers that support this project are incredibly passionate and are the reason I stay motivated in my position,"听said听Angela Gilbert, Zero Waste events manager, who works closely with Galvin and CU Athletics.
Sorting all of the waste听after a game takes four to six hours overall, but is a critical part of the Zero Waste process.
"If the compost we send out is too contaminated, it gets rejected and has to go into the landfill,"听Gilbert said.
By noon the day after the game, Folsom Field looks just as it did before game day.
Besides the Zero Waste program, other factors contribute to being the greenest athletics program in the country, including carbon footprint, water use, food waste, use of pesticides, number and rating of LEED buildings, fan engagement and ultimately community impact.听Through the , which CU Athletics helped to found in 2011, the Buffs compete听with other Pac-12 schools in all of these categories.
The Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 27, is also Sustainable Game Day, in which the diversion rate鈥攖he听amount of refuse that leaves the stadium as compost and recycling, rather than trash鈥攐n that day is the score that CU receives in the . Join Ralphie鈥檚 Green Stampede in getting your compost and recycling in the right bins, and help the Buffs beat the rest of the Pac-12 in the Zero Waste Bowl.
