Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Wins Third Overall Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge
May 02, 2023 | General
1,000,000th Pound Of Football Gameday Waste Diverted During 2022 Season
SAN FRANCISCO – The University of Colorado won the Pac-12 Football Zero Waste Challenge for the third time since the program was instituted in 2016-17, the league office announced Tuesday.
Colorado also won the football challenge in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 and joins USC as the only three-time winners of the overall competition. CU is also the only school to be honored as the overall or a category winner each season since the competition began.
"Winning the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge for a third time is an incredible achievement for Ralphie's Green Stampede," Environmental Center Zero Waste Program Manager Angie Gilbert said. "We are excited to continue the legacy as a leader in the sustainable sports movement through this historic program!"
In the inaugural competition in 2016-17, Colorado earned third place with an 87 percent diversion rate. In 2017-18, CU won the Athlete/Player Engagement Award. After winning the overall competition in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, CU won the Innovation Award in 2021-22. The program did not take place in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
CU achieved an 88.2 percent diversion rate for its Zero Waste game against UCLA on Sept. 24 of last season. The Buffs had over 7,500 pounds of recycling and over two-and-a-half tons of compost. CU staff and volunteers dedicated over 1,800 hours to sustainable gameday operations for the six home games and 22 official tailgates through hand sorting waste, fan engagement, vendor trainings and zero waste messaging. Those efforts reflected in a season diversion rate for Folsom Field of 84.4 percent.
The Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge is a core pillar of Pac-12 Team Green and is held annually for both football and basketball seasons. Each school in the Pac-12 selects a game to compete and provides a platform for engaging on best practices. Each school is graded 25 percent on participation and partnerships, 25 percent on innovation and 50 percent on stadium diversion rate.
CU Athletics' leadership in sports sustainability has been prominent for decades, and was solidified in 2008 with the formation of Ralphie's Green Stampede, the first NCAA Division-I athletics sustainability program. Since that time, CU became the first major college sports program to implement a zero-waste program in all game day venues. During the 2022 season, Ralphie's Green Stampede hit the 1 million pound of diverted waste mark in the history of the program.
Ralphie's Green Stampede Zero Waste Goalies volunteer on gameday to help fans be more sustainable. They wear recycled plastic "Zero Waste Team'' t-shirts and educate fans about the program to help organize waste before it gets to the zero waste sort.
The Franklin Field Zero Waste Tailgate is setup to be as zero waste as possible. At every home game, tailgate tents receive a sustainable kit containing Eco-Products food service items, monitored clear stream waste stations for varied collection of waste materials (compost/recycle/landfill), and messaging on "How to be a More Sustainable Tailgater." The most sustainable tailgate is named the "Tailg8ter of the Game," winning signed football collectables and a small flag to hang from their tent.
In 2011, CU became a founding member of the Green Sports Alliance. In 2012, the practice facility at the CU Events Center was built to LEED Platinum standards, followed by a major facilities upgrade in the Champions Center and Indoor Practice Facility that meet LEED Platinum standards with the IPF designed to be net-zero energy thanks in part to a 850-kilowatt rooftop solar array.
Over the past seven years, the Buffs have also implemented a Water for the West program designed to restore the Colorado River basin, and made a push to reduce the use of pesticides on turf fields. In 2019, the Buffs along with Ball Corporation introduced aluminum cups at Folsom Field, the first college venue to introduce them, to reduce game day plastic use.
In early 2018, CU joined 12 other major research universities as founding members of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) and in 2021, CU was the first collegiate athletic department to join the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign, which a core component being a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040. CU Boulder's earth and atmospheric sciences, meanwhile, have been ranked No. 1 overall in global university rankings.
Colorado also won the football challenge in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 and joins USC as the only three-time winners of the overall competition. CU is also the only school to be honored as the overall or a category winner each season since the competition began.
"Winning the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge for a third time is an incredible achievement for Ralphie's Green Stampede," Environmental Center Zero Waste Program Manager Angie Gilbert said. "We are excited to continue the legacy as a leader in the sustainable sports movement through this historic program!"
In the inaugural competition in 2016-17, Colorado earned third place with an 87 percent diversion rate. In 2017-18, CU won the Athlete/Player Engagement Award. After winning the overall competition in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, CU won the Innovation Award in 2021-22. The program did not take place in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
CU achieved an 88.2 percent diversion rate for its Zero Waste game against UCLA on Sept. 24 of last season. The Buffs had over 7,500 pounds of recycling and over two-and-a-half tons of compost. CU staff and volunteers dedicated over 1,800 hours to sustainable gameday operations for the six home games and 22 official tailgates through hand sorting waste, fan engagement, vendor trainings and zero waste messaging. Those efforts reflected in a season diversion rate for Folsom Field of 84.4 percent.
The Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge is a core pillar of Pac-12 Team Green and is held annually for both football and basketball seasons. Each school in the Pac-12 selects a game to compete and provides a platform for engaging on best practices. Each school is graded 25 percent on participation and partnerships, 25 percent on innovation and 50 percent on stadium diversion rate.
CU Athletics' leadership in sports sustainability has been prominent for decades, and was solidified in 2008 with the formation of Ralphie's Green Stampede, the first NCAA Division-I athletics sustainability program. Since that time, CU became the first major college sports program to implement a zero-waste program in all game day venues. During the 2022 season, Ralphie's Green Stampede hit the 1 million pound of diverted waste mark in the history of the program.
Ralphie's Green Stampede Zero Waste Goalies volunteer on gameday to help fans be more sustainable. They wear recycled plastic "Zero Waste Team'' t-shirts and educate fans about the program to help organize waste before it gets to the zero waste sort.
The Franklin Field Zero Waste Tailgate is setup to be as zero waste as possible. At every home game, tailgate tents receive a sustainable kit containing Eco-Products food service items, monitored clear stream waste stations for varied collection of waste materials (compost/recycle/landfill), and messaging on "How to be a More Sustainable Tailgater." The most sustainable tailgate is named the "Tailg8ter of the Game," winning signed football collectables and a small flag to hang from their tent.
In 2011, CU became a founding member of the Green Sports Alliance. In 2012, the practice facility at the CU Events Center was built to LEED Platinum standards, followed by a major facilities upgrade in the Champions Center and Indoor Practice Facility that meet LEED Platinum standards with the IPF designed to be net-zero energy thanks in part to a 850-kilowatt rooftop solar array.
Over the past seven years, the Buffs have also implemented a Water for the West program designed to restore the Colorado River basin, and made a push to reduce the use of pesticides on turf fields. In 2019, the Buffs along with Ball Corporation introduced aluminum cups at Folsom Field, the first college venue to introduce them, to reduce game day plastic use.
In early 2018, CU joined 12 other major research universities as founding members of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) and in 2021, CU was the first collegiate athletic department to join the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign, which a core component being a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040. CU Boulder's earth and atmospheric sciences, meanwhile, have been ranked No. 1 overall in global university rankings.
Volleyball: No. 24 Colorado vs. Iowa State Highlights | October 25, 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Volleyball: Happy Halloweek! | This Week in Colorado Volleyball | Oct. 25, 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Soccer: No. 22 Colorado vs Arizona Highlights - Oct. 26, 2025
Sunday, October 26
Colorado Football: Colorado Upsets No. 22 Iowa State | Game Recap
Friday, October 24