SW Colorado's Sustainability Hub

Our mission is to promote sustainability in Southwest Colorado through facilitation, communication, and community collaboration.


To get involved with sustainability activities in La Plata County and the surrounding community, please check out our current project areas:

Smart Energy • Education & Outreach • Local & Regional Policy • Food & Agriculture • Sustainable Local Economic Development • Community Collaboration


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The Bag It Campaign: Bolstering Leadership in Durango

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 1:09pm
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Bag It initiates a community conversation, "gets people thinking" and drives local leadership

Photo from Durango Herald

 The Durango Bag It Campaign is gaining coverage, traction and building an unified and educated community front - pushing Durango City Council to consider banning single-use plastic bags.

The bag ban is expected to go before the City Council for a vote sometime in spring 2012. However, it's not just a City Council decision, but a community decision and starts with us, community members, voicing our concerns and opinions.

Take a moment and read through some of the community comments over the last few months, ranging from the economic benefits to social and environmental considerations of banning single-use plastic bags.

 

Occupy Sustainability

Submitted by Elsa Jagniecki on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 10:19pm
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Occupy Sustainability?

by Julier Schor

This opinion piece first appeared in The Guardian on December 21, 2011.

With the recent failure of the Durban climate talks, the collapse of carbon prices in Europe, and news that emissions grew a record 6% in 2010, it's time to re-evaluate the economic approach to climate that now dominates the conversation.

The creation of carbon markets, carbon offsetting and the valuation of eco-systems are premised on the idea that marketisation and reliance on economic incentives will yield sustainable outcomes. Many environmentalists like these policies because they seem to work with, rather than against our existing economic institutions and incentives. But as market-thinking expands with eco- and carbon-footprints, an obvious question is whether economics in command has become part of the problem.

It's a conclusion one might draw from analysing the Occupy Wall Street movement. In a few short weeks a rag-tag group of under-thirties has been able to transform the global conversation about economic issues by focusing on three basic points, all of which are essential for stopping runaway climate change and ecological overshoot.

Ten Ways to Be More Sustainable in 2012

Submitted by Elsa Jagniecki on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 7:16pm
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 SASCO’s Top Ten Ways to Become More Sustainable in 2012

 
1. Eat more seasonal and local food.
It can be tempting to eat strawberries in winter, even though they have been imported from halfway across the planet or grown in energy-intensive greenhouses, carrying a heavy ecological and social footprint and lacking in the nutrition you get from eating in-season and local fruit. But we all do it. Do some research into what is naturally grown in your area in the season, and prefer these to encourage greater local, regional and global sustainability. This way, you'll also rediscover the pleasure of meals changing with the seasons and meet the people who produce and supply local food! Visit Healthy Community Food Systems (HCFS), the Growing Partners of SW Colorado, and Turtle Lake Refuge. Check out HCFS’s Food System Tools, like the Year-Round Local Food System Calendar. The Durango Farmer’s Market also has extended their market season, to provide local food around the holidays and throughout the winter season as well.
 

New Agriculture Business Course: "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity"

Submitted by Elsa Jagniecki on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 12:55pm
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Business skills course offered to agricultural producers and Ag-related businesses this January!

Experienced and new farmers, ranchers, and agriculture related businesses are invited to attend the Leading Edge "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity" course offered by the SW Colorado Small Business Development Center.

Support Steps Toward Zero Waste in Our Community!

Submitted by Erich Bussian on Sat, 12/17/2011 - 12:35pm
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Dear Friends,

Now is the time to get involved in the community movement towards Zero Waste. Durango Bag It is about more than just banning single-use plastic bags in the City of Durango, but about smarter resource use and resource consumption as well as a step towards zero waste in our community.

Bottom line, City Council pays attention to Letters to the Editor, and though I believe the majority of Councillors probably support the idea of Durango moving towards Zero Waste, there must still be visible support from the surrounding community that 'we' support it!

If you agree that this campaign can make a relevant difference towards a more sustainable Durango, please speak up and write a letter to the editor to both:

  • Durango Herald (http://www.durangoherald.com/section/Opinion/) and
  • The Durango Telegraph (http://www.durangotelegraph.com/contact/letters/)
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