Colorado State University – Fort Collins, Colorado

Colorado State University (CSU), a university of nearly 28,000 students, is located in Fort Collins at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. CSU has a long history of being one of the country’s most sustainable academic institutions and it frequently ranks at the top of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainable Campus Index.

In 2020, CSU was awarded a FRWD grant for $80,810 to increase the footprint of its existing composting facility to accommodate additional compostable items and increase the collection of compostable materials on all three Fort Collins campuses. The grant allowed CSU to expand its existing windrow composting facility so it could accept manure and bedding materials from the CSU South Campus, dining hall materials from a proposed residence hall, and paper towel waste from the CSU Foothills and South campuses.

From September 2021 to June 2022, the expansion helped keep 33 tons of organic material out of Front Range landfills. Because of the grant and facility expansion, the University was also able to hire one full-time employee.

For Earth Day each year, CSU students can pick up free compost to use in their own gardens, and all compost produced by CSU is used by the student farm, community nonprofits, and as soil amendments for new construction at the University. Growing the compost program helps CSU reach its sustainability and waste diversion goals, while also giving back to the earth, the community, and the students in a fully closed materials loop.