"Green Pages"

This free directory makes it easy to locate and support Colorado's green businesses! Categories include eco-travel, natural health and wellness, organic products, green building and materials, renewable energy technologies, and more.

Click here to check it out!

Gov. Ritter and Mayor Hickenlooper YouTube video

Check out the YouTube video of Gov. Ritter with a cameo by Denver Mayor Hickenlooper in this promo for Colorado's statewide energy efficiency and conservation campaign. Fun!

DPL ditches the plastic

In December, Denver Public Library joined ALD in the effort to reduce plastic bag use...by offering patrons reusable bags for purchase as well as eliminating the use of plastic bags at all their branches. See their page on their new bags here!
In addition to this, four local grocery outlets – King Soopers, Safeway, Vitamin Cottage and Wal-Mart are implementing innovative measures that will reduce the use of disposable bags in their stores. How, you ask? Well the grocers have agreed to the following:

• Have cashiers promote reusable bags as customers check out
  
• Train checkers to make it as easy as possible for customers to use reusable bags, or avoid a bag altogether
  
• Prominently advertise reusable bag rebates
  
• Provide convenient recycling collection stations for plastic bags that are used
  
• Work with Greenprint Denver to document annual progress

According to studies done by Better Bags Colorado, over 50 million plastic bags are disposed of in Denver each year.
If each Denver resident reduced their annual use of plastic bags even by half, Michele Weingarden (Director of Greenprint Denver) said, "collectively we can save the amount of petroleum required to drive a car around the earth's equator more than 175 times."
Source greenprintdenver.org

Wow!

Hike and Bike Map

The average American generates about 10 tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions
annually in direct emissions (home, car, travel) and about 23 tons annually through
their economic impacts such as the clothes they buy, the food they consume, and
the other goods and services they use. For every mile you walk or bike, instead of
driving, you prevent one pound of carbon emissions.
Source: CarbonFund.org and Governor’s Energy Office.


How cool is this! Denver has provided a booklet that includes five walking and five bicycling tours in and around Downtown Denver. Perfect for when you are itching to get out of the house on a warm day and do something different!
The routes vary in length and difficulty ensuring that everyone can get out and enjoy the sights.

http://www.greenprintdenver.org/docs/Hike_and_Bike_Map.pdf

Recycling reminders

Just a reminder to make sure and recycle your recyclables!

• The tall "slim jims" are lined with clear liners (to differentiate from the black trash can liners) and these should be used for bottles, cans and the like. You do NOT need to rinse items you are placing in these lined containers!!
  
• The smaller, unlined recycle bins are for items like paper, cardboard and other CLEAN recyclables.

Try to keep paper and paper products clean by not placing your wet or dirty items in the same bin. Use the lined bins for those items.

Can I recycle???

• Mail? With a window? Glossy? YES YES YES!


• Paper with staples in it? YES!


• Styrofoam? Sorry, NO!


• Post-Its? YES!


• Rubber bands? Sorry, NO!


• Cardboard from my frozen meal? YES (if it's clean)


• Milk carton? YES!


• Paper towel? Sorry, NO!


• Colored paper? YES!


• 3-ring binder? Sorry, NO!


• Yogurt container? YES!


• #6 plastic? YES (any #plastic can be placed in the bin)

Remember, our recycling company does a lot of the work for us in determining what they actually are able to recycle!

For a more-detailed list, see the B&G staffnet page here!

Waterless Urinals at ALD!

One big accomplishment this month will be the installation of the waterless urinals district-wide (in ALD-owned facilities).

• We will have 13 total waterless urinals; 4 at SM, 3 at KO, 2 at CW, 2 at Admin, and 2 at PF.


• Each will help save about 40,000 gallons per year for a total of 520,000 gallons of water.


• Rough savings in dollar figures about $16,318. This does not include sewer consumption.


• Rebate for each urinal is $50 from Denver Water for a total of $650.00.

Here is a picture for those of you who may not be making it in to the men's rooms at these facitlities! There is also an accompanying plaque with the urinals that says our facility is committed to protecting and preserving the environment, and more information about the urinal.

Yay for another step forward for ALD!