Category — Being Green
What, if anything, is Denver cutting back on?
So yesterday I posted about the slap that oil gave our economy. I have a different question for Denver today. Fortunately, the Denver economy has been stronger than many parts of the country (hey, we rock).
That being said, there are still some things that affect us. How many of you are cutting back, if at all, and what things do you pick to cut back on? I am genuinely curious. Do we keep our dinners out and cut back on gas? Do we stop shopping but still drive? Do we cancel our vacations or do we splurge and not worry because it’s all cyclical? You tell me. I don’t need to remind everyone that by stopping our spending we hurt the economy. Easier said than done.
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Popularity: 22% [?]
June 7, 2008 1 Comment
What the FRAK!! Okay that’s it
Loading ...Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.
How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, [Read more →]
Popularity: 16% [?]
June 6, 2008 2 Comments
Gas Guzzling SUV or Hybrid?
Don’t answer too fast… and read the links below.
It isn’t often that I get behind the wheel to drive on the roads, but every time I do I ask myself the same question…. “is it time for a new car”.
I don’t really have much in the way of driving. I cruise around Denver by foot, cruiser bike, by my ages old mountain bike, by bus, by light rail, by cab, and by scooter. I rarely drive my automobile (make that, my giant SUV). What drives me to get behind the wheel (get it) is usually a trip to the mountains which may or not have some bad snow conditions or carrying alot of stuff. [Read more →]
Popularity: 9% [?]
May 10, 2008 1 Comment
World Car Free Day September 22nd
This upcoming September 22nd is World Wide Car Free Day!!
Leave your car at home and bike, walk, or use public transportation. Just don’t get in that car!! Learn more about this worldwide organization here.
Popularity: 6% [?]
September 22, 2007 No Comments
Drive Less Denver
I had a wonderful little surprise in my mailbox the other day. A new program that is being promoted by the Downtown Denver Partnership called “Drive Less Denver” is promoting, simply put, an effort to drive less in Denver.
As they phrase it, “Creative Ways to Maneuver Downtown Without a Car” the site promotes the bus system, light rail bike paths, and walking paths throughout downtown. The site also has its own Drive Less Denver Blog that documents various people’s efforts to embrace the automobile free lifestyle. In my opinion the blog is the best part of the site giving a story and a personality to this “drive less” challenge.
The site also offers info and maps for all the routes around town and the Mayor’s challenge itself. Plus some other informational features about RTD and more. Check it out and enjoy. Every little bit helps.
Popularity: 17% [?]
September 4, 2007 No Comments
Zoom Zoom… no brakes
The first time I took my new Electra Cruiser Bike on a ride I dang near wiped out. I was coming up to my first intersection and started grasping for the hand brakes.
There are no hand brakes on a cruise bike. It is far simpler than that. You pedal forward, you move forward. You pedal backwards, you stop. But it is taking my brain a little time to let go of all the years of using hand brakes on scooters, bikes, mountain bikes and pretty much anything on two wheels.
But other than that.. I love my new Cruiser bike. And here is the scoop on where to find them. [Read more →]
Popularity: 35% [?]
September 1, 2007 1 Comment
Be Green with the Air Grocery Bag.
For the past few months the newest green movement has been to stop buying the individual water bottles that are sold by the millions over the counter and ending up in trash cans everywhere. The solution is to reuse higher quality bottles like Nalgene or to just drink out of the tap (Which most water is anyway).
This is old news. But people still don’t listen so it is worth repeating. Go by a Nalgene for Pete’s sake. Buy two or three and keep rotating them in the dishwasher so you never have an excuse. I’ll even think of a fun logo for this site and make my own if it helps…. hmmmmm not a bad idea. But anyway, the point is about the Air Grocery Bag.
The New News (redundant) that I wanted to focus on is about a great environmentally friendly solution to grocery bags. If you thought that water bottles were an issue just think of how many plastic grocery bags walk out of Whole Foods and every other grocery store every day. The answer is FAR TOO MANY.
This past weekend I bought a solution for me. A company called Granite Gear is selling a product called an Air Grocery Bag. Awesome and compact this is a wonderful solution that you can use over, and over, and over, and over. And it fits in my scooter or glove box with almost no space taken up. Cool.
So go buy one. Now. Stop using throw away bags.
Actually, every little bit helps so I just like to share with everyone all the ideas out there. Do what you can, maybe even a bit more. You don’t have to be perfect (I certainly am not) but every little bit does make a difference.
Popularity: 23% [?]
August 27, 2007 2 Comments
Organics are good…. aren’t they?
I heard the most interesting argument on the radio today and wanted to pass it on.
We all are in love with Organics, at least most of us are. Count me as one of them. Not only are organics something I would prefer to put in my body they just taste better.
The question is whether Organics are good for the environment. Of course they don’t have pesticides or other nasty sprays that go on the vegetables and into the ground. But that is not the issue.
The issue is that because organics have gotten so popular they are now being shipped across the country, via big exhaust spewing trucks, from where they are grown to where they are sold. The impact means that there are alot of fossil fuels being thrown into the atmosphere to get those tasty organic melons from Arizona to your local market. Think about that.
Shipped in organics may be more harmful to our environment than buying local, regardless of whether it is organic or not. Or simply put, you might be supporting sustainable growth to a greater extent if you just pick up some local Colorado grown items no matter what.
Of course the best case scenario is both locally grown and organic. So ask where items come from, learn about how things arrive. If it is important to you keep in mind that there are many, many, many impacts to our world that happen in every choice we make.
It was a surprising idea to me and something I had not yet thought of. So we need more organic farms spread across the country supporting local communities and neighborhoods. Sounds good to me.
I googled and found an article from Scientific Blogging if you want to learn more.
Popularity: 35% [?]
August 22, 2007 6 Comments
Greenclean that shirt!
Always on the lookout for something new and cool in the world of green the folks at Revolution Cleaners has opened a “Green Cleaning” business here in Denver. I was surprised to find out how few people even knew about them. And I hate to admit that I had no idea what the heck Green Cleaning was. I knew it was supposed to be good for the environment but I didn’t know why or how. My shirt, pant, and other cleaning has increased a ton since I moved from my fleece worshiping days in the mountains. Back then a pair of jeans, some clogs, and a fleece top were the bulk of my wardrobe.
Now that I have balanced this with an urban style (I never said a good one) I actually have clothes that need some more attention. So if I am going to have them professionally cleaned I would like to think I will be green doing it. Hence I hunted down the green cleaning option in town and wanted to learn about their business.
And of course the geek in me (which is probably alot) wanted to learn the science behind it as well.
So on my last drop off to their shop, I asked if the owners would like to share with us some more details about their business and the science of green cleaning. They happily agreed. The following interview was sent by email…
Noel, many folks don’t know about Green Dry Cleaning. Can you give us a high level overview of the difference between your process and standard dry cleaning?
Dry cleaning isn’t really dry; rather, it’s cleaning without water. Standard drycleaning uses perchloroethylene (more commonly called PERC) as the primary solvent. Traditional machines are simply large washing machines that use PERC instead of water. PERC-exposure has been associated with lots of health problems, including being identified as a hazardous substance by the EPA. It is also one of the most common contaminants in groundwater. Cleaning in PERC requires drying of the garments at a high temperature. Our process doesn’t use PERC, or any other hazardous substances. Our two dry cleaning process’ use liquid carbon dioxide and water. Both are naturally occurring in the environment and in your body.
For the extra geeky among us who love the technical details… how exactly does your process work? [Read more →]
Popularity: 22% [?]
August 8, 2007 No Comments
Scoot Scoot
This past weekend and today I took a small step forward in reducing my carbon footprint. As of this morning I am an officially licensed motorcycle licensed scooter driver.
How does this reduce my carbon footprint? Well so far whenever I had to get somewhere quick or without the time or the convenience of jumping on my bike I would pull out my keys and jump into that gigantic SUV I bought back in 2000 to travel across town. I keep the beast because (1) it is paid for and (2) I have a 125 lb pup along with tons of gear that I need to carry between Denver and Vail whenever I get a chance to enjoy the mountains. [Read more →]
Popularity: 17% [?]
August 1, 2007 No Comments
