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Ralphie’s Green Stampede just wrapped up another successful season of providing zero waste operations and promotional efforts at CU home football games through volunteerism, gameday activations, and fan education and outreach. Ralphie's Green Stampede (RGS) is CU’s sports sustainability program. It is a shared effort between the Environmental Center, CU Athletics Department, and Facilities Management. As the nation’s first and most accomplished NCAA Division 1 athletics sustainability program, RGS is a leader in the Big 12 and across the country, working with many universities to inspire sports sustainability programs.

During the 2025 Football season’s 7 home games, Ralphie’s Green Stampede Zero Waste team was able to divert 104,708 pounds of waste from the landfill within the stadium perimeter, resulting in a 68% season diversion rate for Folsom Field. This success was made possible by over 2,000 hours of hard work by 70 student staff and 440 volunteer hours contributed by 110 volunteers—double the volunteer participation from last season!

In addition to diverting waste within the stadium, Ralphie’s Green Stampede was able to divert 13,749 pounds of waste from the landfill at Franklin Field’s tailgate area. This metric has shifted significantly, due to the addition of a 7th home game, increasing the waste produced inside the stadium and tailgating spaces. This resulted in a 78,000-pound increase of waste created on gameday, compared to the 2022 home season. Of the 216,492 pounds of waste created during the 7 games, the RGS team hand sorted 26,336 lbs. of clean compost, 43,142 lbs. of bottles and cans, and 48,292 lbs. of carboard.Ìý

Ralphie’s Green Stampede’s fan engagement team also found success this season after revamping their tailgater outreach practices on Franklin Field, working with Buff fans that were interested in using our compostable sponsored products. Over the 7 games, the team handed out 13,293 compostable tailgating items for official CU tailgaters. These items ranged from plates, spoons, cups, and forks, all in a reusable bag made from recycled materials.Ìý

RGS worked closely with Levy Restaurants and Eco-Products to continue procuring only CMA-approved compostable food service products for football games. This allowed the team to target these items for the post-game waste sorts, resulting in a recovery of over 26,336, lbs. of food, PLA, and fiber-based service items.

Want to get involved with Ralphie’s Green Stampede this semester? This basketball season, we need your help to make the Buffs' home games sustainable and zero waste. Sign up to volunteer today at: ÌýÌý

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