Fans attending home games at Folsom Field are used to composting and recycling at tailgates and inside the stadium. They may not realize with these simple acts they are playing a part in beingÌý"the greenest athletics program—college or pro—in the country,"ÌýsaidÌýDave Newport, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØEnvironmental Center director.
When Ralphie’s Green StampedeÌýwas founded in 2008, it made Folsom Field the first Zero Waste football stadium in the nation. This Homecoming weekend, the program isÌýcelebratingÌýa decade of supporting Buffs fans in making sustainable choices inside and outside the stadium, while also continuing toÌýpioneerÌýa sustainable athletics program.
It was thanks to the energy and efforts of students and the receptivity of Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØAthletics leadership that the partnerships that underpin Ralphie’s Green Stampede were born, according toÌýJohn Galvin, director of stadium operations who works to keep Folsom FieldÌý"green"Ìýyear-round.
"A successful Zero Waste program requires a team effort and numerous hours of collaboration from all partners. The staff, students and volunteers that support this project are incredibly passionate and are the reason I stay motivated in my position,"ÌýsaidÌýAngela Gilbert, Zero Waste events manager, who works closely with Galvin and Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØAthletics.
Sorting all of the wasteÌýafter a game takes four to six hours overall, but is a critical part of the Zero Waste process.
"If the compost we send out is too contaminated, it gets rejected and has to go into the landfill,"ÌýGilbert said.
By noon the day after the game, Folsom Field looks just as it did before game day.
Besides the Zero Waste program, other factors contribute to being the greenest athletics program in the country, including carbon footprint, water use, food waste, use of pesticides, number and rating of LEED buildings, fan engagement and ultimately community impact.ÌýThrough the , which Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØAthletics helped to found in 2011, the Buffs competeÌýwith other Pac-12 schools in all of these categories.
The Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 27, is also Sustainable Game Day, in which the diversion rate—theÌýamount of refuse that leaves the stadium as compost and recycling, rather than trash—on that day is the score that Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØreceives in the . Join Ralphie’s Green Stampede in getting your compost and recycling in the right bins, and help the Buffs beat the rest of the Pac-12 in the Zero Waste Bowl.
