1970 Eco-Center is founded, which later becomes the Environmental Center
1973 Students vote to fund the Eco-Center with student fees
1976 CU Recycling is founded as UCSU allocates student fees to support recycling
1980's Steve Smith, the first full-time, non-student director of the E-Center is hired. Student involvement increases by 400 percent.
1984 Jack DeBell becomes the first professional Director of CU Recycling
1989 E-Center conference on global issues draws 1,000 attendees
1991 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
1992 The Intermediate Processing Facility (IPF) opens
1992 Will Toor is hired as director of the Environmental Center
1994 The First annual Campus Earth Summit
1994 CU buys more recycled paper than virgin paper for the first time
1995 CU Recycling surpasses 1,000 tons of recycled materials in one year
2000 The Blueprint for a Green Campus is issued
2000 A four-year Recycling capital expansion begins
2000 UCSU purchases wind power via referendum
2001 The Campus Master Plan is revised to include the first formal guidelines for recycling
2001 Generation Green energy education campaign begins
2001 Campus energy use decreases for first time in more than 10 years
2001 Clean energy conference
2002 CU receives $55,000 from the EPA and $32,000 from UCSU to site a composting operation on campus
2002 Environmental Center moves into a new office, UMC expansion is complete with green building features
2002 CU Biodiesel is formed
2003 Vice Chancellors release internal business review confirming recycling provides net annual savings of $235,000.
2003 Recycling business plan is reviewed, Recycling Financial Advisory Board is created
2003 First annual Bioneers in Boulder event takes place
2004 UCSU wind purchase increases to 100%
2004 A consultant waste composition study finds 1,300 tons of recyclables remain unrecovered annually
2004 Chancellor Byyny issues the UCB Campus Environmental Policy
2004 The first solar panels are installed on the UMC
2004 UCSU Energy efficiency fund is established
2004 The CU Bike Station opens, and new bicycle programs are initiated
2004 Next bus displays are installed
2005 A permanent Bike Station is installed
2005 Sustainable CU Referendum passes
2005 CUSG passes a Capital Construction Fee requiring that buildings funded from this fee (Wolf Law, ATLAS, Koelbel Business) achieve LEED Gold rating
2005 CU hosts and produces the Colorado Sustainability Summit
2005 CU competes in Recyclemania
2005 Global Jam becomes CU's first ever Zero Waste event
2006 Dave Newport is hired as Environmental Center director
2006 Blueprint for a Green Campus is updated and reissued
2007 Chancellor Peterson signs the American College and University President's Climate Committment (ACUPCC)
2007 CU becomes a founding member of the Colorado Renewable Energy Laboratory
2007 CU Student Government becomes the first entity to pledge carbon neutrality for all CUSG-run buildings
2007 CU Boulder's recycling collection exceeds 2,000 tons (four million pounds)
2007 The Live Green Pledge is launched campus-wide
2007 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
2008 The CU Athletics Department commits to Zero Waste football games and launches Ralphie’s Green Stampede
2008 The Earth Education program initiates Teach for Sustainability, a service-learning course.
2008 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
2009 CU places first in Recyclemania
2009 The first campus Clean Energy Day is held
2009 CU launches a custom Zimride rideshare transportation community
2009 CU issues a Conceptual Plan for Carbon Neutrality
2010 CU Recycling converts campus recycling to dual-stream
2010 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
2011 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
2012 CUSG buildings reach carbon neutrality in keeping with the goal set in 2009
2013 CU Boulder fully implements healthy and pesticide-free turf management.
2013 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.
2015 CU Boulder Athletics attains carbon neutrality and announces a "Net-Zero Electricity" practive facility at Folsom Field.
2015 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.