Celebrating Marianne Martin’s Lasting Impact on CU Boulder
After more than 25 years of extraordinary service to CU Boulder, Marianne Martin is retiring at the end of this month. As Associate Director of the Environmental Center, Marianne has been a driving force behind many of the university’s most innovative and influential sustainability efforts. Her legacy spans decades, programs, and people—and reflects the kind of leadership the Environmental Center has fostered over its 55-year history.
Marianne began her journey at CU Boulder as a student where she was active with Wilderness Study Group. After helping start a non-profit after graduating, she joined the Environmental Center staff in 1998 and has dedicated her professional career to building a more just, sustainable campus. Under her leadership, the Center’s staff and budget quadrupled. She played a key role in developing institutional sustainability plans and initiatives that set CU Boulder apart nationally such as; Sustainable CU Grants, EcoReps in the residence halls, One Million Acts of Green, green purchasing programs, sustainable food, and campus pollinator gardens, and the Green Office certification program. She also launched programs that engage students directly in sustainability careers and changemaking, including the Campus Sustainability Roundtable, Teach for Sustainability internship, and sustainability action teams. She’s been a collaborator on partnerships such as Ralphie’s Green Stampede, FLOWS, relocating the campus recycling center and the Williams Village greenhouse.
For over a decade, Marianne led the charge to bring the national Bioneers conference to CU Boulder as well as the Annual Campus Sustainability Summits. These events connected students and community with a powerful mix of environmental justice, cutting edge scientific solutions, and sustainable leaders from across sectors. She built community coalitions, coordinated logistics, and inspired innovation across campus, year after year. Her work was recognized in 2014 with the “Women Who Make a Difference” award, and most recently, she received the CU Boulder Campus Sustainability Legacy Achievement Award for her enduring impact.
Beyond programs and plans, Marianne’s greatest legacy may be her mentorship. Hundreds of students and staff have grown under her guidance to become sustainability leaders in their own communities. She’s known for cultivating a culture of collaboration, care, and purpose that will continue to shape the Environmental Center for years to come.
As Marianne retires, we extend our deepest gratitude. Thank you, Marianne, for your unwavering commitment, your vision, and your heart. You’ve made CU Boulder a better place and your legacy will continue to inspire change for generations.
