BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado Boulder is gaining national recognition for its commitment to sustaining dining options and plant-based menu offerings.
According to a recent study by The Humane Society of the United States, CU Boulder ranked first in the country for providing environmentally friendly protein choices
Eliah Golden, the associate director of CU Boulder’s Residential Dining and Culinary Operations, is excited about the recognition.
“We have such a hard-working team,” Golden said. “They’re so passionate and they're so talented, and it was wonderful to be able to share with them the news that we were ranked number one in this category because it's something that everyone focuses and thinks about a lot and actively works on.”
The study scored colleges and universities on how sustainable their dining options are. Generally, schools with a higher percentage of plant-based proteins scored higher because processing meat is hard on the environment.
One of the reasons for CU Boulder’s success was that more than 50% of the protein options offered are already plant-based. The school is trying to hit 75% before the end of 2025, another factor that weighed heavily on the scorecard.
“Meat-based proteins are pretty heavy on resources, and things like beans and lentils are a very high nutrient, dense, fiber-rich source of protein but are using less resources on the earth,” said Golden. “They’re also really healthy for our body.”
- You can try one of CU Boulder's recipes below
That doesn’t mean that meat has gone away at the university dining halls. It’s still on the menu, and students can pick whatever type of protein they prefer. Golden feels strongly about giving students lots of options in their diet and helping set them up for the rest of their lives.
“We do feel a sense of responsibility in shaping the palettes and the future choices that our students might be making once they move on from their college career,” said Golden. “We do get emails of people asking for certain recipes once they’ve graduated, which always makes us really excited.”
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.