Sustainable Chaffee, a new multi-municipality nonprofit organization, announced Sept. 16 that an inaugural countywide “Green Week” will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
Madelyn Felsch, a representative of Sustainable Chaffee, said the organization is funded through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, which provided money for the county to hire a regional sustainability contractor, Elements Mountain Compost.
“Through that initiative we have brought together all of the different municipalities, so Chaffee County, the City of Salida, Poncha Springs, Buena Vista and also GARNA (Greater Arkansas River Nature Association) into what is Sustainable Chaffee,” she said.
The creation of Green Week, Felsch said, came after the group realized there were multiple events occurring in the same time period that were previously unrelated.
“We figured why not embrace the situation, add a few more in there and make it an engaging themed week,” Felsch said. “There are several overarching goals behind Green Week, the first being an introduction to what Sustainable Chaffee is and what initiatives we are mainly looking to address in our county – those being energy, waste and transportation.”
She continued, “We are also looking to raise awareness around some of the resources available to Chaffee County residents and business owners and the opportunity to learn from leaders in the sustainability industry as well as from one another.”
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 27 the Town of Buena Vista and GARNA will host an electronic waste recycling event at BV Public Works, 755 Gregg Drive. The event will be mostly free, with the exception of recycling televisions and CRT monitors, which will cost $30. The company hauling the recycling is ITAD Electronic Recyclers.
Also from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day is the Salida Green Homes Tour, which is a free event and will showcase sustainable building design, solar arrays, heat pumps and hemp construction in local homes. A booth at the Salida Farmers Market in Alpine Park will provide attendees more information.
From 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28, individuals can attend a Green Drinks event at Elevation Beer Company in Poncha Springs. Attendees will learn from local installers and homeowners about cold-climate heat pumps, and the event is free and open to the public.
Starting at 5 p.m. Sept. 30, another Green Drinks event will be hosted at Liberty Hall, 136 CR 105. During that event, Drive Clean Colorado will present a workshop on electric vehicle basics. A repeat of that event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Strange Craft Beer Company in Buena Vista.
Also on Oct. 1 will be a business coffee hour at Poncha Springs Town Hall. The event will be a workshop focused on electric vehicle fleet transitions and workplace charging with information on funding and tax credits. Presentations will be at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., with a question-and-answer session to follow each presentation.
The final event of the week, Recycle Colorado’s annual meeting, will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Salida SteamPlant, 220 W. Sackett Ave. A press release stated, “Recycle Colorado is the state’s leading organization for recycling policy and education.”
The event will also feature a tour of Elements Mountain Compost and happy hour at High Side Bar & Grill. Registration is required at RecycleColorado.org.
Felsch said, “Our hope is that our community’s expanded awareness around these topics will lead to increased engagement and action, and that folks will feel confident and empowered in making sustainable changes to their home, lifestyle or business.”
Source: https://www.themountainmail.com/
