BOULDER — Colorado football players might talk a good tale about leaving it all on the field, but their fans won’t be leaving anything in the stands this season.
Folsom Field will be as green as the pristine new grass. Zero waste might be as lofty a goal as zero losses. Nevertheless, it is the goal.
Athletic director Mike Bohn declared war on garbage Tuesday the way former coach Bill McCartney once circled Nebraska in red. CU hauled an average of 10 tons of trash per game to landfills last season after more than doubling prior recycling efforts.
“We will be eliminating trash cans at our stadium,” said Bohn, who rolled out the “Ralphie’s Green Stampede” initiative at a news conference. Campus leaders are determined to make Folsom the first zero-waste football stadium. All debris is intended for recycle and compost bins.
“Our football coach talks about returning the national championship to Boulder,” Bohn said on the first day of practice. “We want to be more than good. We want to be innovative.”
The project was months in the making in tandem with the school’s environmental center and student body leadership. The compost will come back to benefit campus landscaping.
“To help match the energy use in the stadium and for travel we are going to purchase carbon offset from the Colorado Carbon Fund, a program of the governor’s energy office,” Bohn said.
And in a move that may draw “only in Boulder” eye-rolling, Bohn announced valet parking for bicycles at the stadium.
Much of the zero-waste goal can be accomplished through concessions using containers that can be recycled.
Bohn wouldn’t attach a price tag to the program, although CU acquired a corporate partnership with Broomfield-based White Wave Foods.
“The net cost to the institution should virtually be zero,” Bohn said. The price of credits could be determined in part by how many times CU turns on the lights. One night game is scheduled for Sept. 18 against West Virginia, but times for the four home games that come later await TV plans.
Bohn said there are plans to add the Coors Events Center to the no-waste list.
Although stadium officials will remain vigilant for contraband (i.e. alcohol), CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard said, “We won’t be patting down for Styrofoam.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
