CU Football Nabs 2018 Pac-12 Honor With Zero Waste Challenge

BOULDER, CO -- The 2018 football season was a tough one for the CU Buffs. They finished last in Pac-12 rankings, ended the season with a seven-game losing streak, and saw the firing of head coach Mike MacIntyre. Nonetheless, this week the home team received an honor that is sure to make all of Boulder proud.

On Wednesday, the Pac-12 Conference announced that CU-Boulder was the overall winner of its 2018 Zero Waste Challenge. CU will be recognized and honored in a ceremony at the 2019 Pac-12 Sustainability Conference this June at the University of Washington.

Now in its fourth year, the Zero Waste Challenge pits Pac-12 football and basketball teams against each another in a competition to see who can come the closest to achieving a zero-waste game each season. The rankings are not based solely on a team's waste diversion rate, but also take into account partnerships, innovation, and creativity, and offer special awards for player and community engagement.

“Sustainability is a very important key for us, something we take a great deal of pride in," said Rick George, CU's athletic director, in a statement to the conference. "We want to be leaders in this area and we are certainly excited about being recognized in this way.”

CU achieved a 91.82 percent stadium waste diversion rate, including more than 8,700 pounds in properly disposed compost, more than 3,900 pounds of recycled bottles and cans, and 1,300 pounds sent to the landfill, according to the conference. The Pac-12 identified CU's "Ralphie's Green Stampede" initiative as the first NCAA Division I sustainable athletics program. Under the initiative, CU athletics have implemented zero waste programs in all venues, zero net carbon emissions programs in all facilities, zero net water use practices in all facilities, and a zero net-energy football practice facility.

CU has also begun to collect plastic bags from stadium activities for recycling, and organized zero-waste, zero-car tailgate areas at football games.

The Pac-12's Team Green Initiative also includes a sustainability working group of university representatives that share best practices and provide guidance as well as the annual sustainability conference. Other 2018 honorees include the University of Arizona for most improved, Arizona State University for student-athlete engagement, and the University of Washington for best fan engagement.

Read more about Pac-12 sustainability initiatives here.

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Image: Colorado upset Nebraska 62-36 in a 2001 game as the sun sets in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT via Getty Images