Fridays are about to become green days in Fort Collins – and beyond.
Thanks to a collaborative effort between Colorado State University, the City of Fort Collins, the Downtown Business Association, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Visit Fort Collins and Poudre School District, all citizens are being encouraged to “Get Your Green On” every Friday to honor CSU’s primary school color. The initiative is meant to encourage school pride and awareness.
“We are excited to bring the community closer through this initiative,” said Joe Parker, CSU’s director of athletics. “The campus and community in Fort Collins are a wonderful combination. We are thrilled that we get to do this every Friday.”
Official proclamation
Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell ushered in the GYGO initiative prior to Tuesday night’s city council meeting, proclaiming Aug. 21-27 “Get Your Green On Week.” Troxell is a former CSU football standout and longtime professor in the College of Engineering.
“It’s about pride. It’s about establishing traditions,” said Blanche Hughes, CSU’s vice president for student affairs. “CSU is the one thing in this community everyone can rally around. When everyone wears green there’s a great feeling of universal pride.”
Greening up the city
Area businesses are being encouraged to promote the GYGO initiative and have been provided with logos, posters and other promotional materials. CSU is also working with city officials to place pole banners in key locations throughout the city that promote the rapidly approaching Rams sports year.
“Get Your Green On provides us with a fun avenue to collectively showcase our community and CSU spirit,” said Cynthia Eichler, president and CEO of Visit Fort Collins. “We are rolling out the green carpet for visitors, residents and alumni to share how they ‘get their green on’ via social media and in person our downtown welcome center. This is an exciting opportunity and we are delighted to partner with this celebration.”
Look for giveaways in the coming weeks that include T-shirts, wristbands, pens, magnetic schedules and merchandise, and special offers from area merchants, including the CSU Bookstore, where you can purchase Get Your Green On merchandise.
