Environmental News
Environmental News from Boulder, Colorado
Youth Corps application deadline approaching
Mar 21st
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County residents ages 14-17 have until Friday, March 30 to apply for summer jobs with the Boulder County Youth Corps. Boulder County is especially in need of female corps members.
The Youth Corps will hire up to 160 teenagers to work 30 hours per week, Monday through Thursday, from June 18 to Aug. 8 on a variety of community service projects such as forest thinning, historic preservation, construction and repair of fencing, trail maintenance, removal of Russian olive trees and noxious weeds, landscaping and replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Youth Corps teams will work in unincorporated Boulder County as well as in Lafayette, Longmont and Superior.
Applications are available online at www.bouldercounty.org/youthcorps. Applications can also be picked up at counseling offices in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley schools; city and town personnel offices; most local recreation and youth centers and libraries; and the Boulder County Human Resources Department at 2025 14th St. in Boulder.
Corps members will earn a starting wage of $7.64 per hour, with the possibility of earning a $100 bonus at the end of the program based on merit and strong attendance. Teens who have worked for the corps in past years can earn up to $8.14 an hour. In addition, corps members are eligible for reimbursement for the purchase of work boots and gloves. RTD bus passes for the purpose of traveling to and from centralized work meeting places may be subsidized.
The Youth Corps offers one of the best first job opportunities available in Boulder County. Teams have completed projects such as building the new Fourmile Trail connector at Betasso Preserve Open Space and preserving the historically significant lower barn at Walker Ranch Open Space.
For more information, visit www.bouldercounty.org/youthcorps or call the Youth Corps office at 303-678-6104.
Boulder comes out swinging against climate change
Mar 19th
The City of Boulder is providing $300,000 in Climate Action Plan (CAP) funds to enable more Boulder businesses and commercial property owners to make energy efficiency improvements through the EnergySmart program. The rebates will only be available for energy efficiency upgrades to existing commercial buildings in Boulder.
Nearly $900,000 in EnergySmart rebates have already helped to fund 450 commercial energy efficiency projects throughout Boulder County since the program began in November 2010.
EnergySmart rebates, in addition to utility rebates, significantly reduce the out-of-pocket expense to businesses and commercial property owners, making energy efficiency upgrades more cost-effective. EnergySmart rebates may be applied to qualified upgrades for commercial building lighting; heating and cooling systems; refrigeration equipment; and more. These limited-time EnergySmart commercial rebates will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis through Dec. 31, 2012 or until the available funds have been allocated – whichever occurs first. Commercial rebate applications are available at: www.energysmartyes.com/business.
In addition to providing rebate assistance, EnergySmart services include expert advisors to help businesses and commercial property owners assess energy-saving opportunities, utilize all available financing, and find qualified contractors to complete the work. For more information, contact an EnergySmart Advisor at 303-441-1300.
W.W. Reynolds Companies leading by example
The W.W. Reynolds Companies, Inc. is one of many Boulder County businesses taking advantage of EnergySmart commercial rebates to improve its bottom line through energy efficiency upgrades.
W.W. Reynolds Companies, one of the largest commercial property owners in Boulder, has leveraged EnergySmart and Xcel Energy rebates and services to retrofit nearly one million square feet of its commercial properties throughout Boulder County.
“This has been an amazing effort on everyone’s part,” said Aaron Schlagel with W.W. Reynolds. “Our green building team is always looking for ways to save energy and this ended up being a great public-private partnership with Xcel, the City of Boulder and Boulder County. These retrofits will help our tenants reduce overhead costs, while also improving our buildings systems’ performance. We couldn’t have made these investments without the support of the EnergySmart Advisor, Xcel and our lighting supplier, Summit Lighting.”
During the past 18 months, W.W. Reynolds Companies has completed upgrades for more than 30 of its commercially leased properties, including 60 lighting projects and 18 rooftop heating and cooling equipment replacements. These lighting and equipment upgrades are estimated to save W.W. Reynolds’ tenants more than two million kilowatt-hours per year and prevent 1,137 tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions1. The upgrades are also estimated to save enough energy to power 235 Colorado homes for one year2. Several tenants have reported that they are saving an estimated 20 to 25 percent on their utility bills as a result of these upgrades. With the help of EnergySmart and Xcel Energy rebates, and equipment from Summit Lighting, W.W. Reynolds was able to reduce its out-of-pocket costs by more than 75 percent.
To learn more about the W.W. Reynolds Companies, visit: wwreynolds.com.
EnergySmart
EnergySmart services are available to businesses and residents in all Boulder County communities. EnergySmart is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) through the Department of Energy’s BetterBuildings Program and is sponsored in partnership with Boulder County, the City of Boulder, the City of Longmont, Platte River Power Authority and Xcel Energy. For more information, visit www.energysmartyes.com.
Climate Action Plan
In November 2006, Boulder voters passed the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax, the nation’s first tax exclusively designated for climate change mitigation. City businesses and residents are taxed based on the amount of electricity they consume. CAP tax revenues are used to promote energy conservation and assist Boulder businesses and residents with implementing energy efficiency upgrades. For more information on the City of Boulder’s Climate Action Plan, visit: www.bouldercolorado.gov/lead/climateaction.
Boulder wants an ear full on pesticide usage
Mar 15th
Posted by Channel 1 Networks in City News
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City hosts open house, invites feedback on proposed changes to pesticide use
The City of Boulder is evaluating a variety of options for improving its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program and its use of pesticides on public lands, including city parks, open space and other municipal properties.
The public is invited to attend a presentation and open house on Thursday, March 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Panorama Room of the East Senior Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, to review and provide feedback on a variety of options that are currently being considered.
The project to update the Integrated Pest Management Program has the following goals:
Comments may be submitted at the meeting or through the comment form on the city’s website at www.bouldercolorado.gov/ipm.Materials for the meeting will be posted to the website on the day of the meeting for those unable to attend.