ASPEN, Colo.—The valley stretching from Aspen to Glenwood Springs is known for being serious about conservation. Now there’s a move to be serious about conserving while having fun.
Several of the Roaring Fork’s biggest festivals—Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs, the jazz concerts in Aspen and Snowmass—have recycling programs.
The Carbondale Mountain Fair has gone even further, requiring food vendors to use utensils and cups that can be used for compost.
Mark Weinhold, credited with pushing the Mountain Fair’s recycling efforts, said when he first volunteered for the fair as a “Green Team” member, recycling wasn’t that successful.
“Basically, everything went into the garbage,” he said.
Festival-goers often would put their trash and recyclables in the wrong bins. Organizers created the “Green Team,” which posted members at all the bins to make sure items were put in the right containers.
Other event organizers have adopted the practice.
Weinhold said 85 percent of the trash from this year’s fair could be used for compost and was placed in biodegradable bags.
In 2004, Weinhold began working with other events, including Strawberry Days and Jazz in the Park in Glenwood Springs, River Day in Basalt and other Carbondale festivals.
He hasn’t worked with the Jazz Aspen Snowmass music festivals, held in June and Labor Day weekend. The music festivals have their own recycling program, with volunteers on hand to show where items should go, said Jennica Lundin, the festivals’ development and education director.
Lundin said the festivals contracted with the NativeEnergy wind farm this year to buy wind-energy credits to offset carbon dioxide emissions.
“We are a very visible special event in a community where our environment is, not only our first love, but also our economic engine,” said Joe Lang, Jass Aspen Snowmass director.
The Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen has started using corn-based products that can go to compost and recycling wine bottles. Organizers are also working with Aspen’s Canary Initiative on an inventory of emissions for the event, including tracking the use of energy from traditional power sources and generators.
