History

1970's

• Eco-Center is founded, which later becomes the Environmental Center  - 1970
• Students vote to fund the Eco-Center with student fees - 1973
• CU Recycling is founded as UCSU allocates student fees to support recycling - 1976

1980's

• Steve Smith, the first full-time, non-student director of the E-Center is hired. Student involvement increases by 400 percent. - 1980's
• Jack DeBell becomes the first professional Director of CU Recycling - 1984
• E-Center conference on global issues draws 1,000 attendees - 1989

1990's

• The Bus Pass Program begins - 1991
• The Memorandum of Understanding between the Boulder Campus Administration and UCSU is singed, creating the Student-    Administration Partnership for Recycling - 1991
• The Intermediate Processing Facility (IPF) opens - 1992
• Will Toor is hired as director of the Environmental Center - 1992
• The First annual Campus Earth Summit - 1994
• CU buys more recycled paper than virgin paper for the first time - 1994
• CU Recycling surpasses 1,000 tons of recycled materials in one year - 1995

2000

• The Blueprint for a Green Campus is issued
• A four-year Recycling capital expansion begins
• UCSU purchases wind power via referendum

2001

• The Campus Master Plan is revised to include the first formal guidelines for recycling
• Generation Green energy education campaign begins
• Campus energy use decreases for first time in more than 10 years
• Clean energy conference

2002

• CU receives $55,000 from the EPA and $32,000 from UCSU to site a composting operation on campus
• Environmental Center moves into a new office, UMC expansion is complete with green building features
• CU Biodiesel is formed

2003

• Vice Chancellors release internal business review confirming recycling provides net annual savings of $235,000.
• Recycling business plan is reviewed, Recycling Financial Advisory Board is created
• First annual Bioneers in Boulder event takes place

2004

• UCSU wind purchase increases to 100%
• A consultant waste composition study finds 1,300 tons of recyclables remain unrecovered annually
• Chancellor Byyny issues the UCB Campus Environmental Policy
• The first solar panels are installed on the UMC
• UCSU Energy efficiency fund is established
• The CU Bike Station opens, and new bicycle programs are initiated
• Next bus displays are installed

2005

• A permanent Bike Station is installed
• Sustainable CU Referendum passes
• CUSG passes a Capital Construction Fee requiring that buildings funded from this fee (Wolf Law, ATLAS, Koelbel Business) achieve LEED Gold rating
• CU hosts and produces the Colorado Sustainability Summit
• CU competes in Recyclemania
• Global Jam becomes CU's first ever Zero Waste event

2006

• Dave Newport is hired as Environmental Center director 
• Blueprint for a Green Campus is updated and reissued

2007

• Chancellor Peterson signs the American College and University President's Climate Committment (ACUPCC)
• CU becomes a founding member of the Colorado Renewable Energy Laboratory
• CU Student Government becomes the first entity to pledge carbon neutrality for all CUSG-run buildings
• CU Boulder's recycling collection exceeds 2,000 tons (four million pounds)
• The Live Green Pledge is launched campus-wide
• Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit

2008

• CUSG requires all student-funded food/dining events to be Zero Waste; CU Dining Services eliminates plastic bags from the grab-and-go meals and distrubes free reusable bags to all incoming residence students
• The CU Athletics Department commits to Zero Waste football games and launches Ralphie’s Green Stampede
• The Earth Education program initiates Teach for Sustainability, a service-learning course.
• CU launches an aggressive three-year conservation campaign as part of the Greening the Government Executive Orders to reduce energy, paper, water, and petroleum use and to transition to a Zero Waste campus

2009

• CU is ranked the nation's #1 Eco-friendly college by the Sierra Club
• CU places first in Recyclemania
• The first campus Clean Energy Day is held
• CU launches a custom Zimride rideshare transportation community
• CU issues a Conceptual Plan for Carbon Neutrality

2010

• CU Recycling converts campus recycling to dual-stream
• SCORE, a student-run energy assessment program for the Boulder rental community, is created

2011

• CU recieve's the nation's first STARS Gold rating for environmental leadership
• Sustainable Practices program is transferred to the E-Center from Continuing Education

2012

• A Senior Transportation Fellow posiiton is created to support the campus and community vision for an advanced transportation system 
• CUSG buildings reach carbon neutrality in keeping with the goal set in 2009

2013

• CU Boulder fully implements healthy and pesticide-free turf management.
• The new School of the Environment and Sustainability is approved.  Planning begins for a 2016 opening.

2014

• CU Boulder renews its STARS Gold Sustainability rating and increases its score.

2015

• The new Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Complex (SEEC) research, education and engagement facility is set to open on East Campus.
• CU Boulder Athletics attains carbon neutrality and announces a "Net-Zero Electricity" practive facility at Folsom Field.
•  A new on campus Recycling Operations Center opens, designed to increase landfill diversion rate and reach 90% diversion goal.

2016

• CU Boulder recognized with Gold Bicycle University award from League of American Bicyclists.

2018

• Gold STARS Sustainability rating achieved for the third time by CU Boulder campus.

2020

• The Environmental Center celebrates 50 years of students in action.