Football season rings in the green team
Last weekend’s football game was more than a success on CU’s scoreboard. It was also the kick off of the Zero-Waste program, pioneering all green football games for the upcoming season.
CU Recycling, one of the oldest campus recycling programs in the country, is playing a key role this year in helping the stadium recycle.
Sarah Dawn Haynes, the student volunteer promotions coordinator for CU Recycling, said the group’s main goal is creating awareness about being environmentally-friendly.
“We want to create programs to develop environmental, social and economical awareness,” Haynes, a senior environmental studies major, said.
According to CU Recycling’s Web site, the goal is to successfully recycle and compost all waste products in Folsom Stadium and to create an aware community.
To have Zero-Waste be a success at CU’s football games, Haynes explains that waste stations have been placed throughout the stadium to guide fans on where to put food and recyclables. Regular cups and plates have been replaced with Eco-Products so there is virtually no trash.
After the six home games, CU’s Zero-Waste program should divert 56 tons of compostable material out of landfills. The compost will also be reintroduced to CU’s campus for landscaping. 90 percent of all waste from the games should be recycled by the end of the season.
Volunteers from the CU community like the fraternity Zeta Beta Tau and the Gay-Straight Alliance made their contribution as monitors at these stations last weekend. Haynes said in the future, she would like to create a recycling community that highlights those who volunteer.
Molly Brown, a junior biological sciences major and volunteer coordinator for CU Recycling, said volunteers get a free meal, hat, shirt and admission to the game.
“Having volunteers to make sure everything is recycled is what makes it a success,” Brown said.
Brown said the environmental movement is taking off. For her, the movement is well on its way to making its mark on history.
“This is comparable to the Women’s Civil Rights Movement,” Haynes said. “It is something that we have been fighting for 30-plus years. It has gone from eco-freak to eco-chic.”
Those interested in helping volunteer with Zero-Waste at future CU football games can e-mail earthelo@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lacy Mosher at Lacy.Mosher@colorado.edu.
