CU Boulder Athletics Builds Sustainability Wins on Green Foundations
April 05, 2024 | General
Fifteen years after kicking off the first NCAA Division 1 sports sustainability program (dubbed Ralphie's Green Stampede), CU Boulder's Athletic Department (CUAD) is finding new ways to make progress towards its sustainability goals. And that continuous improvement strategy is about remaining determined and building upon previous efforts.
For instance, in 2016 CUAD built the nation's first LEED Platinum, net zero energy Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) that produces more renewable electricity than it consumes.
This 108,000 square foot indoor facility (plus 220,098 sf underground parking garage with charging stations) includes an indoor football field and regulation NCAA track along with an 850 KW solar PV array that produces an equivalent or greater amount of renewable energy than is consumed in the facility.
With renewable electricity on the IPF roof, CUAD decided to leverage that array on wheels. Ten DTG rechargeable-battery powered mobile refrigerated carts were plugged into the PV array to charge–and then wheeled to various fan and concert venue sites to serve cold drinks.
"We saw a new technology that would reduce carbon emissions, run off the IPF solar array, improve our fan experience, and frankly help us grow revenues," said Jason DePaepe, Deputy Athletic Director. "The DTG Powerstations can be placed in game and concert locations most convenient for fans–and keep beer, water, and other drinks cold via renewably charged battery refrigeration. Fans have responded really well and sales are up."
Each of the 48" wide commercial-grade refrigeration systems keep products cold for 12 hours– sufficient to meet customer demands throughout concerts or games – and eliminate hundreds of pounds of carbon intensive ice used in other drink stations.
"DTG is proud to have launched its new line of battery-powered mobile beverage coolers at the University of Colorado Boulder," said Steve Shaheen, CEO & Founder of DTG. "CU's commitment to sustainability, employee safety, and enhanced fan experience is a testament for other universities to learn and embrace."
CU has evaluated the cart's carbon performance and the factors that reduce the carts' carbon emissions to zero and enhance CUAD's carbon reduction strategy.
In addition to zero carbon solar electricity used to charge cart batteries, the elimination of ice used in standard drink bars, and the elimination of a highly detrimental refrigerant (HFC-134a), the mobile carts also enhance CUAD's supply chain carbon reduction strategy. That strategy is built upon a three-tiered carbon reduction approach of conservation, efficiency and renewables.
For instance, data for the IPF, using 8.89 Kbtu/Gsf in 2023, shows it consumes 84% less electricity than LEED Platinum Bldgs performance versus national averages published in the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager 2023 Report. Those eye-popping numbers are the result of all three carbon reduction tiers combined impact that provides ample capacity for the DTG carts.
While the carts leverage the Indoor Practice Facility renewable energy, CUAD's waste reduction strategy also benefits. Through innovative waste reduction and zero waste strategies, an average of over 84% of waste material that accumulates during home football games are diverted from landfills, preventing 78 MT of CO2e from being emitted.
For instance, the new Ball Aluminum beverage cups are used by fans throughout the stadium– including at the DTG Powerstations. The cups' approximate in-game recycling rate of 90% is almost four times that of a single-use recyclable plastic cup.
Likewise, after being first debuted by CU Boulder Athletics at the 2019 CU vs Nebraska game, the Ball aluminum cup is now in use in major stadiums and sports and entertainment facilities across the globe helping to improve recycling rates–and reduce carbon emissions–worldwide.
As the first US collegiate recycling program, CU is proud of its legacy as campus recycling and zero waste leaders. Through innovative waste reduction and zero waste strategies, an average of over 84% of waste material that accumulates during home football games are diverted from landfills, preventing 78 MT of CO2e from being emitted.
As a result, the program has garnered accolades from across the nation and throughout the globe. Ralphie's Green Stampede earned the GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge for having the highest recycling per capita collected at one single game in 2023, the Pac-12's Zero Waste Challenge Best Fan Engagement Award for the 2022-23 basketball season, and the overall football Pac-12 Conference Team Green Conference Champion honor for the third time in 2022.
CU Boulder Athletics is also the first intercollegiate athletic program to commit to the UN Sports for Climate Action initiative, joining international sports luminaries like the NBA, the New York Yankees, the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, and the English Premier League, to name a few.
The UN program requires annual carbon emissions reporting of all carbon emissions caused, directly or indirectly, by sports–and the development of strategic and tactical plans to reduce them by 50% in the next six years. No small task.
However, one of CUAD's enduring strategies is to help inspire fans to be more sustainable at home, work, and play.
For instance, the 2015 "Water for the West'' campaign prompted fans to commit to water savings at home–and in return CUAD mobilized water conservation efforts along the Colorado River basin. There, teams worked state and federal officials to remove invasive species that absorbed significant amounts of water and restored irrigation structures to eliminate leaks. These efforts helped balance CUAD's water use on athletic fields.
As CUAD continues to leverage the sustainability assets it is building into its operations by layering its carbon-reduction actions, a long-term program is built, even as CU Boulder acknowledges more needs to be done. In the meantime, students, fans, and campus leaders are proud of the Buffs on and off the field.
"We've been working on all these strategies since Ralphie's Green Stampede kicked off," added DePaepe. "Now we are beginning to see the results–and the possibilities for even bigger wins."
For instance, in 2016 CUAD built the nation's first LEED Platinum, net zero energy Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) that produces more renewable electricity than it consumes.
This 108,000 square foot indoor facility (plus 220,098 sf underground parking garage with charging stations) includes an indoor football field and regulation NCAA track along with an 850 KW solar PV array that produces an equivalent or greater amount of renewable energy than is consumed in the facility.
With renewable electricity on the IPF roof, CUAD decided to leverage that array on wheels. Ten DTG rechargeable-battery powered mobile refrigerated carts were plugged into the PV array to charge–and then wheeled to various fan and concert venue sites to serve cold drinks.
"We saw a new technology that would reduce carbon emissions, run off the IPF solar array, improve our fan experience, and frankly help us grow revenues," said Jason DePaepe, Deputy Athletic Director. "The DTG Powerstations can be placed in game and concert locations most convenient for fans–and keep beer, water, and other drinks cold via renewably charged battery refrigeration. Fans have responded really well and sales are up."
Each of the 48" wide commercial-grade refrigeration systems keep products cold for 12 hours– sufficient to meet customer demands throughout concerts or games – and eliminate hundreds of pounds of carbon intensive ice used in other drink stations.
"DTG is proud to have launched its new line of battery-powered mobile beverage coolers at the University of Colorado Boulder," said Steve Shaheen, CEO & Founder of DTG. "CU's commitment to sustainability, employee safety, and enhanced fan experience is a testament for other universities to learn and embrace."
CU has evaluated the cart's carbon performance and the factors that reduce the carts' carbon emissions to zero and enhance CUAD's carbon reduction strategy.
In addition to zero carbon solar electricity used to charge cart batteries, the elimination of ice used in standard drink bars, and the elimination of a highly detrimental refrigerant (HFC-134a), the mobile carts also enhance CUAD's supply chain carbon reduction strategy. That strategy is built upon a three-tiered carbon reduction approach of conservation, efficiency and renewables.
For instance, data for the IPF, using 8.89 Kbtu/Gsf in 2023, shows it consumes 84% less electricity than LEED Platinum Bldgs performance versus national averages published in the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager 2023 Report. Those eye-popping numbers are the result of all three carbon reduction tiers combined impact that provides ample capacity for the DTG carts.
While the carts leverage the Indoor Practice Facility renewable energy, CUAD's waste reduction strategy also benefits. Through innovative waste reduction and zero waste strategies, an average of over 84% of waste material that accumulates during home football games are diverted from landfills, preventing 78 MT of CO2e from being emitted.
For instance, the new Ball Aluminum beverage cups are used by fans throughout the stadium– including at the DTG Powerstations. The cups' approximate in-game recycling rate of 90% is almost four times that of a single-use recyclable plastic cup.
Likewise, after being first debuted by CU Boulder Athletics at the 2019 CU vs Nebraska game, the Ball aluminum cup is now in use in major stadiums and sports and entertainment facilities across the globe helping to improve recycling rates–and reduce carbon emissions–worldwide.
As the first US collegiate recycling program, CU is proud of its legacy as campus recycling and zero waste leaders. Through innovative waste reduction and zero waste strategies, an average of over 84% of waste material that accumulates during home football games are diverted from landfills, preventing 78 MT of CO2e from being emitted.
As a result, the program has garnered accolades from across the nation and throughout the globe. Ralphie's Green Stampede earned the GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge for having the highest recycling per capita collected at one single game in 2023, the Pac-12's Zero Waste Challenge Best Fan Engagement Award for the 2022-23 basketball season, and the overall football Pac-12 Conference Team Green Conference Champion honor for the third time in 2022.
CU Boulder Athletics is also the first intercollegiate athletic program to commit to the UN Sports for Climate Action initiative, joining international sports luminaries like the NBA, the New York Yankees, the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, and the English Premier League, to name a few.
The UN program requires annual carbon emissions reporting of all carbon emissions caused, directly or indirectly, by sports–and the development of strategic and tactical plans to reduce them by 50% in the next six years. No small task.
However, one of CUAD's enduring strategies is to help inspire fans to be more sustainable at home, work, and play.
For instance, the 2015 "Water for the West'' campaign prompted fans to commit to water savings at home–and in return CUAD mobilized water conservation efforts along the Colorado River basin. There, teams worked state and federal officials to remove invasive species that absorbed significant amounts of water and restored irrigation structures to eliminate leaks. These efforts helped balance CUAD's water use on athletic fields.
As CUAD continues to leverage the sustainability assets it is building into its operations by layering its carbon-reduction actions, a long-term program is built, even as CU Boulder acknowledges more needs to be done. In the meantime, students, fans, and campus leaders are proud of the Buffs on and off the field.
"We've been working on all these strategies since Ralphie's Green Stampede kicked off," added DePaepe. "Now we are beginning to see the results–and the possibilities for even bigger wins."