By Derek Markham •
September 4, 2008
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Get out your calendars right now and reserve the weekend of the 20th and 21st of September!
Plan to be in Fort Collins for the premier green festival of northern Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Fair.
The Sustainable Living Fair is a solution based, hands-on, family oriented event designed to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about Sustainable Living Practices, Renewable Energy, Environmental & Social Responsibility, Natural Health, Green Building, Alternative Vehicles, Organic Agriculture, Local Economies and more.
This event draws thousands of people every year for a weekend of green education, community building, and inspiring speakers. For five bucks you can take your pick from over 50 workshops and learn about local food, sustainable agriculture and green living from hundreds of exhibitors.
In a victory for would-be self-sufficient urban farmers and organic gardeners alike, the city council in Fort Collins, Colorado, this week voted to let residents across town keep chickens in their backyards.
Lovers of fresh eggs and healthy compost will have some limitations on their chicken-keeping capabilities, though. Each residence is limited to no more than six chickens (sorry, roosters, you’re out: it’s your loud crowing that sealed the deal). Birds also must be kept in secure enclosures that are at least 15 feet from the property line. (That’s probably also a benefit for the chickens, though, just in case the next-door neighbor has a poultry-hating dog or cat.)
By Taylor Shelton •
September 2, 2008
Recently, Mark Udall has waffled on his longstanding commitment to the environment, throwing in his lot with the “Gang of 10″. This is an important development because Udall has, until now, been known as part of the staunch opposition to offshore drilling.
Organizers of the Democratic National Convention now in full swing in Denver have taken a lot of steps to reduce both the event’s carbon footprint and its overall impact on the environment. In fact, they say their mission is to produce "the most environmentally sustainable political convention in modern American history."
Among the green innovations presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, Democratic leaders and and delegates are encountering:
Thousands of Democratic delegates and members of the press may have had one of those “ah-ha” moments at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Tuesday night when former mayor, Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy during the Clinton administration, Federico Peña took to the podium at the Democratic National Convention.
Just in time for thousands of delegates, press, politicians, staffers, and protesters descending on the city, Denver’s Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) last week launched an online carbon calculator to help those coming to the Mile-High City figure out just what the environmental impact of their visit might be. The Carbon Calculator and Offset Program allows travelers, tourists, and event planners an easy way to calculate the tons of CO² emissions their trip will produce, determines the amount of carbon credits necessary to offset their trip, and directs users to a website where they can purchase the recommended amount of offsets.
By Anthony Cefali •
August 25, 2008
You look west to see a barren landscape, tumbleweed breezing lazily through the charred remains of a forest. The rust laden skeleton of what used to be a city echoes the promise of a future long gone. You are fighting out your days amidst gunfire and tribal warfare in armor composed of animal fur and long deserted hockey pads. Ironically water isn’t the most important liquid on the planet that spins where the Earth once spun. You begin to wash the grease smears off your face in a shallow pool…
…oh wait, am I jumping the gun here?
While our gas crises hasn’t quite reached ‘Mad Max’ proportions yet, things are close enough that the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers will make this September “Green Check-Up Month.” After countless years of making oversized and inefficient autos, Ford and Chevy are now going to tell us how to save gas.
By Andrew Williams •
August 21, 2008
State regulators in Colorado have given the green light to plans by Xcel Energy to shut down two coal-powered energy plants in the state, and build one of the world’s largest utility-scale solar-power facilities.
John McCain has again said something to cause his fellow western-state Republicans to wince at his political inexpedience and apparent naivete, stating last week that he wants to renegotiate the Colorado River compact to re-appropriate water from the upper basin states where the river originates and give it to lower basin states like California, and his home state of Arizona. Even though the Senator has now recanted and begun damage control, Democrats are hoping that this one will cost him, [...]
Joke all you want about politicians’ hot air contributing to global warming, but at least the folks attending the Democratic and Republican National Conventions this summer will have a chance to limit their greenhouse gas emissions off the convention floors.
That’s because both Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul plan to use their respective conventions to kick off a new bike-sharing program called “Freewheelin.” Created by the health benefits company Humana Inc. and the not-for-profit Bikes Belong, Freewheelin will bring 1,000 bikes to each city during the convention. Convention-goers will be able to use the bicycles free of charge to get around town without the need for cars.
By Derek Markham •
July 13, 2008
Fort Collins, Colorado is home to CSU, New Belgium, and Anheuser Busch. HP and Avago and AMD are here. OtterBox calls it home. The Tour de Fat and the Brew Fest are two popular events, as is the Sustainable Living Fair.
There’s a strong localization movement, and many different groups are working towards a healthy living economy. Here’s and overview of some of the groups:
