Up north of the state line, in cowboy country, they call us “greenies” – as much for the color of our license plates as our perceived environmental politics. But how can we blame them? It’s so easy being green in Colorado.
Our green bent may be an invention born of necessity. We need to get out and enjoy the outdoors, so it’s important to have clean air. We need to have a healthy, vibrant economy, so it’s just prudent to have enough water and to keep what we’ve got clean. Our land is too valuable to waste on trash disposal, so we need to reuse and recycle. You get the drift. If you’re so inclined, but don’t quite know how to get going, here are some ideas for a little green living, Colorado style.
FOOD AND DRINK
Drink green beer. And we don’t mean the kind made by barroom leprechauns on St. Paddy’s Day. The New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins is 100 percent wind-powered. By nature, breweries use a lot of water, but New Belgium cut its consumption by half by recapturing and reusing water used to produce beer. What’s more, the brewery is lighted in part with sun tubes and daylight. Heat produced in the brew house is redirected to other areas, and induction fans pull in cold winter air to cool the beer. The brewery recycles and reuses what it can, from grain to office paper. You can get the brew on tap, and in bottles, statewide.
Eat at CU’s green cafe. Students and faculty now can get natural and organic food on the run. Paizanos, in the lobby of Cheyenne Arapaho Hall is the newest of several grab-and-go food outlets on the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus, but the first with a menu free of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. And nothing is genetically modified. Paizanos serves pizzas, pastas and sandwiches, and gets a portion of its ingredients from local suppliers.
Eat at home. Speaking of local, on average, food travels 400 miles before it gets to your table, according to Co-op America. It’s getting easier all the time to buy local, though. Farmers’ markets abound with fresh fruit and veggies, and more chain supermarkets are featuring local produce and other foods, from Silver Canyon coffee to Olathe Sweet Corn. Small markets like Marczyk Fine Foods in Denver stock an array of local breads, produce, coffee, desserts and other items.
ON THE ROAD
Get a green machine. Hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape have gained in popularity the past several years. And there’s growing support for flex-fuel cars, which burn cleaner than a regular auto when they use a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline known as E85, but they also can run on ordinary fuel. (Typical auto fuel is 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol.)
Ethanol is derived from corn, wheat and other plants. Coors Brewing Co. produces ethanol, and several other producers are coming online, including a new plant planned in Yuma County, which is among the top 10 corn-producing counties in the nation.
There are at least 11 stations in Colorado that sell E85 fuel (visit e85fuel.com for locations) and carmakers including DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM have flex-fuel models in their lines.
“They are most widely available in full-size cars and pickups,” Jackson says. The U.S. Department of Energy maintains a list at fueleconomy.gov/feg/flextech.shtml.
Get moving. Leave the car at home and ride light rail or a bus or your bike to work. Call RideArrangers to join a carpool. Take stairs instead of elevators. Walk to get lunch.
Use less gas. Not in the market for a new vehicle? Changing your car’s air filter regularly and keeping the tires filled to the recommended pressure levels will improve gas mileage. Plan errands in geographic order.
LET IT GROW
Plant a green garden. You don’t need to fill your yard with rocks and cacti, but you can conserve water by Xeriscaping (and that’s a trademark held by Denver Water that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.) Start by cutting back on turf areas and avoid the ever-thirsty bluegrass. Buffalograss, blue grama grass and turf-type tall fescue and fine fescue use less water. Choose native flowers, trees and shrubs, and group them in beds. Put high-water-use plants in low-lying and drainage areas. Plant deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home to provide shade in the summer and to allow for sunlight in the winter. Capture some of the runoff from sloped areas by replacing grass with a garden terrace. Flagstone paths or decks help reduce water accumulation. Get some ideas at free clinics by Xeriscape expert Ken Ball on March 25, 28 and 30. Visit www.water.denver.co.gov for details.
Bamboozle. Install bamboo instead of hardwood flooring or wear bamboo clothing. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that reaches maturity in four years, so it’s a sustainable resource. And bamboo is grown without pesticides or other chemicals. Many Colorado flooring companies sell bamboo flooring, though most is manufactured in China. (For the greenest bamboo floors, ask for those laminated with little or no formaldehyde).
Bamboo clothing is soft and naturally anti-microbial, so no chemical treatment is required in manufacturing. Retailers say it keeps you warm in the cold and cool and dry in the heat. You can find bamboo T-shirts, sweaters and pants right along with bamboo baby blankets and booties. Check out the goods at Green Logic, a brand-new store on Linden Street in Old Town Fort Collins.
BE ALTERNATIVE
Power up green. Sign up for wind-powered electricity – as opposed to the more common sources of power, coal and natural gas – with your utility company. Wind power helps reduces smog, acid rain and air pollution, according to the Colorado Environmental Coalition. (Xcel Energy’s Windsource renewable-energy program is fully subscribed at the moment, but you can get on a waiting list.) The cost for wind power varies, but usually it’s no more than a few extra dollars on your monthly bill. You can save energy and costs by adding a solar electric system, which can provide up to 20 percent or more of your electricity. Check dsireusa.org for rebates and tax incentives.
Clean green. Many dry cleaners use perchlorethylene, or “perc,” in their cleaning solvents, though the Environmental Protection Agency says perc is hazardous as a ground and air pollutant. Choose a cleaner that uses hydrocarbon solvent instead, which the EPA says is safe.
Colorado cleaners lauded for their perc-free practices include Colorado Mountain Cleaners, with storefronts in Breckenridge and Silverthorne, and pickup in Vail; Revolution Cleaners’ shops in the Central Platte Valley, Washington Park, Cherry Creek and North Boulder; La Nouvelle Fine Cleaners in Denver; and Comet Cleaners in Grand Junction.
