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1862: Boulder County forms.
1871: Boulder City incorporates.
July 4, 1898: Boulder sets aside its first land for Open Space at Chautauqua.
1967: Boulder voters are first in the nation to tax themselves to preserve open space within the community.
1969: Celestial Seasonings forms, blending wild herbs growing in Boulder into herbal tea. It would become the leading brand of natural teas in North America. (temporarily closed)
1976: Eco-Cycle makes Boulder one of the first places in the nation with curbside recycling. It would become the largest non-profit re-cycler in the USA.
1977: White Wave, founded in a 300 sq. ft. room on Pearl Street brings soy to the public. It would become the largest soy-foods manufacturer in the USA.
1979: Bolder Boulder, a 10k road race on Memorial Day, is run for the first time through the streets of Boulder. It would become second largest 10K in the world.
1987: Wild Oats is founded in Boulder. It became one of the largest natural grocers in the world and, eventually, would be purchased by Whole Foods.
1988: Gaiam is founded, bringing ecological awareness to consumers and became a world leader in ecological and health information and goods.
1992: Horizon's organic yogurt is offered for the first time. Horizon becomes the largest single U.S. organic brand by sales and by distribution.
1996: Boulder is the first city in the U.S. to mandate a residential "Green Building Code." By 2006, all of Colorado adopted this law.
1998: BIBA, Boulder Independent Business Alliance, is the nation's first such group formed to strengthen community-based businesses, and is the model for groups across the US.
2000: Boulder's University of Colorado is the first university in the nation to use renewable energy, powered by wind.
2002: CU-Boulder Bio-diesel begins, designing a machine to convert waste grease into fuel for diesel engines. By 2006, all CU-Boulder buses and some city buses use bio-diesel fuel.
2004: Naturally Boulder begins, aimed to solidify Boulder as the epicenter of the natural products industry.
2004 & 2005: CU-Boulder wins the Solar Decathlon two years in a row, by designing and building an attractive, modern, 100% solar powered home.
2005: Boulder County adopts Zero Waste as a guiding principle.
2005: Boulder's Farmers' Market is the first zero waste event in the USA to occur regularly. Trash cans are removed- everything can be recycled or composted. The U.S. EPA designates Boulder a "Green Power Community," the first in the state of Colorado.
2006: Boulder residents pass the country's first municipal carbon tax to fight global warming. Boulder's Best Organics forms, continuing environmental leadership.
2012: City Council passed an ordinance requiring a 10-cent fee for disposable plastic and paper checkout bags at all grocery stores in Boulder.
2013: The city accelerated a Net-Zero Energy Code, requiring new and remodeled residential and commercial buildings meet net-zero emissions by 2031.
2014: Boulder achieves Solar Friendly Community Platinum Designation.
2016: The White House designates Boulder a Climate Action Champion for "outstanding leadership in climate resilience actions and greenhouse gas emissions reductions."
Information courtesy of Boulder's Best Organics and City of Boulder.
