WhiteWave Foods Teams up With the University of Colorado to "Green" the Gridiron

BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The grass won’t be the only thing that’s green in the University of Colorado (CU) football stadium this season. Colorado-based company WhiteWave Foods Company (WWFC) – known for its commitment to environmental responsibility – is presenting CU’s “Green Stampede,” a program aimed at reducing waste and replacing energy generated from polluting energy sources like fossil fuels and coal with clean wind power.

“As one of the first major collegiate programs to commit to a sustainability measure of this kind, we knew the Green Stampede was something we wanted to support”

The initiative will tackle sustainability at the stadium from all angles. WWFC partner, Bonneville Environmental Foundation will offset 100 percent of the electricity used during home games with renewable energy. In addition, carbon offsets from the Colorado Carbon Fund, a program of the Governor’s Energy Office, will be used to offset football team travel and other football related energy use.

In an effort to make the stadium a “zero waste” destination, nearly all concessions packaging will be recyclable or compostable, encouraging CU and visiting team fans to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost food and beverage containers, leftover snacks, game programs and more. CU anticipates that during the football season, it will recycle or compost at least 90 percent of the waste generated at its stadium, thereby eliminating approximately nine tons of trash from each home game.

WWFC is also helping the university promote alternative transportation to and from games by sponsoring free “bike valet parking” at the stadium, and will provide Horizon Organic milk at each home game to 1,000 area children who receive free tickets through CU’s “Ralphies Kids Roundup” program.

Like CU, WWFC has a strong history of supporting sustainability. The company began purchasing renewable energy credits to offset the electricity used to produce Silk® Soymilk products in 2003, and has since expanded that initiative to include Horizon Organic®, all of the electricity used at its corporate headquarters, and the company’s International Delight® and Land O’Lakes™ brands. To date, WhiteWave Foods wind energy purchases are the equivalent of taking 40,200 cars off the road for one year or planting nearly 61,000 acres of trees.

In 2006, the company established an award-winning recycling and composting program at its headquarters, an initiative that has dramatically reduced the company’s waste and environmental impact.

“As one of the first major collegiate programs to commit to a sustainability measure of this kind, we knew the Green Stampede was something we wanted to support,” said Joe Scalzo, WWFC President and CEO. “By partnering with CU we can have a greater impact on improving our local community.”

About WhiteWave Foods

WhiteWave Foods was established when Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) consolidated much of its branded business into one consumer packaged goods organization. Headquartered in Colorado, the company is a pioneer in creating healthy, innovative, responsibly produced foods, including organic and natural leaders Horizon Organic®, Silk® Soymilk and Rachel’s™ yogurt, and indulgent favorites International Delight® and LAND O’LAKES™ cultured and liquid dairy products. For more information, visit www.whitewavefoods.com.

About the Bonneville Environmental Foundation

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. More information is available on the web at www.greentagsusa.org.