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Fact Sheet: Four Decades of Campus Conservation and Sustainability Leadership at CU-Boulder

August 5, 2008

1970 The nation's first student-led environmental center is established on Earth Day.
1976 The nation's first collegiate student-led recycling program begins. Student volunteers begin newspaper and aluminum can recycling.
1991 Student-administrative partnership between the University of Colorado Student Union and Facilities Management is created.
1992 A recycling processing facility is built on campus.
1997 CU-Boulder's "Green Teams" begin targeting the Hill and other student-populated areas in Boulder to increase proper recycling.
1998 CU-Boulder incorporates recycling provisions into the Campus Master Plan.
2000 Students vote to purchase renewable wind-energy credits to match power used in all major campus construction after 2000 making CU-Boulder the first university in the country to purchase wind energy.
2001 Solid Waste Management Stations installed on campus. Residence hall automated cardboard recycling begins.
2006 Zero-waste vision is incorporated into CU-Boulder's Blueprint for a Green Campus.
2006 The ATLAS building is completed. ATLAS is the first of four CU-Boulder campus buildings built or renovated to meet stringent Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, green standards for sustainable architecture. The other buildings are Wolf Law, Koelbel Building-Leeds School of Business and the University Memorial Center -- the most of any public entity in Colorado. Three more buildings, either under construction or in the planning stages, will incorporate LEED green standards into their design and construction.
2007 Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson signs the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
2007 Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson forms Chancellor's Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability to serve as the steering committee for implementing campuswide environmental strategies and programs.
2007 CU-Boulder's recycling collection exceeds 2,000 tons (4 million pounds). Funding provided to begin feasibility study of relocating or expanding CU-Boulder's recycling facility.
2008 UCSU requires all student-funded food/dining events to be zero-waste.
2008 CU Dining Services eliminates plastic bags from grab-and-go meals and distributes free reusable bags to all incoming residence hall students.
2008 Revenues from the sale of recyclables top $100,000.
2008 CU Athletic Department commits to zero-waste from football games.

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