Denver Water Contributions

Planning a convention? Take a tip from the DNC and provide attendees with reusable Nalgene-esque bottles, instead of the throw-away bottles. Denver Water contributed by setting up water stations for delegates to fill up to stay hydrated at 5280.

900 Strong

Over 900 volunteers spent thousands of hours this week at the DNC, going through bins to ensure everything possible that could be recycled, was. From bottles to organic compounds, these volunteers worked tirelessly to keep unnecessary items out of Colorado landfills. Thank you volunteers!

Solar Panels for the DNC

Just in time for the Democratic National Convention, Denver International Airport installed permanent solar panels which will produce 3.5 million kilowatt hours of energy and in addition, a temporary 300 kilowatt system was installed at the Pepsi Center, home of the convention.

New Energy Station - Denver

To shine a spotlight on my hometown of Denver, all this week I'll be showcasing the myriad of green efforts at the Democratic National Convention. To kick it off, the City of Denver is hosting a New Energy Station featuring information, educational activities and hands-on booths for alternative energies at Sculpture Park, right behind the Denver Cultural Complex. If you are in town, go check it out!

OZOlife

Want to mix sustainable objectives with a flair for design? Then check out OZOlife, a new e-magazine with a healthy recipe for both. Living green doesn't mean growing all your own food and living in a cabin with no electricity to stay off the grid - Instead, it means living with intention and making smarter choices, which will eventually drive the market to produce more of those green products and options.

Even Eco-Toys...

Teaching sustainability to your kids just got a little easier with green toys from Imagiplay. This Boulder, CO-based company creates colorful and educational toys out of compressed sawdust, bamboo and rubberwood. Look for them in a Whole Foods near you.

ACORE

ACORE is a Washington DC-based non-profit which seeks to promote alternative energy, be it solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, waste or hydro energy. Check out their news page for the latest developments and accomplishments of this industry.

Transforming Receipts...

Innovation can emerge in small packages and Sunflower Markets has partnered with NCR Corp. to do just that - Receipts will now be printed on both sides, which will reduce paper consumption by nearly 40 percent.

Mounds of Trash

With the mounds of trash piling up around the world and gas prices getting just as high, there is finally an economic argument for turning trash into fuel. There are already 28 plants either in the process of being built or on the planning boards around the U.S. Learn more in this NY Times article.

Keihin Mill on Tokyo Bay

Straight from Japan - A steel-producing mill that recaptures the heat and energy usually lost at other plants and then uses it to produce 90 percent of the plant's electricity. Keihin Mill on Tokyo Bay is a model of efficiency and because they can produce their product cheaper, others should be paying attention.

Props to my Alma Mater - Bates College

The Princeton Review and ecoAmerica have named their Top Ten Green Colleges in the U.S. and Bates made the cut. Schools were judged on commitment to the environment, energy use, recycling, greenhouse gas emission reductions and campus quality of life. To read about Bates's specific initiatives, check out their website.

Project Rwanda

Most of us take our bikes for granted - Riding them to and from work or for leisure on the weekends. For entire villages in Rwanda however, a bike means economic stability for a family, a contribution to the larger community and a reprieve from political duress.

Project Rwanda is at the forefront of this effort by partnering with a variety of organizations to get bicycles to the farmers who need them. With a burgeoning coffee industry, farmers previously walked hours to carry their beans to the government-owned washing stations. Now, farmers can apply for a small micro-loan to purchase a specially-designed, cargo-carrying bike and cut that transportation time significantly.

Gibb's Farm in Tanzania

Along the slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, you'll find the sustainable Gibb's Farm, where 90 percent of the organic food for meals is grown on the 10-acre garden surrounding the cottages. In addition to growing nearly all their own food, and coffee, they built a water filtration system to use the gray water from the lodges for the gardens as well as the second largest installation of solar panels in the country.

Nile Safari Lodge

Another sustainable living lodge example can be found on the border of the Murchison National Park and on the mighty Nile River in Uganda. The Nile Safari Lodge powers itself with solar energy, utilizes rain water catching techniques, sources all of its building materials and skilled labor from the neighboring communities and supports an economic outreach and business development organization, EarthworkS. This program teaches vocational skills to women in community villages, so that they can support thier families.

Eco-Travel in Uganda

Looking to plan a trip to Africa, but worried about the environmental impact as you are traveling in that sensitive landscape? There are a variety of lodges popping up which make eco-traveling easier - One such retreat is Mihingo Lodge in Uganda. Situated on the edge of Lake Mburo National Park, solar power fuels all the electricity, hot water and water pumps and a majority of water is collected via a rain barrel-system.

Beads for Life

Utilizing just paper, women in Uganda are creating beaded jewelry and changing not only their families' incomes, but their communities' too. You can support their efforts by making a straight donation to Beads for Life or even by hosting a bead party at your home, and spreading the news of their work.

Green Living Project

There are times in life when you are inspired by incredible people who do great things and Green Living Project is no exception. (And on a side note of a similar nature, if you haven't read Three Cups of Tea, you need to get yourself to the nearest local bookstore for another inspiring story.)

Green Living Project is a group of photographers, writers and videographers who have traveled to Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania to highlight the green sustainability projects happening there. From biking coffee farmers to gorilla education programs, they want to highlight and share the awe-inspiring projects of remote African villages and cities to prove that anybody, anywhere can make a difference. I'll be showcasing a variety of their projects this week or you can check them out in person as they tour the US this summer.

Freewheelin' Bikes Come to Denver

In an effort to promote green transportation and healthy living, the Freewheelin' Bike Sharing Program will be in town for the Democratic National Convention in August. 1,000 bikes will be offered at free, solar-powered stations around the city for anyone to check-out to run errands, glide around the city or get some exercise. You can register to use a bike and check your mileage, carbon off-set and health information - Then just return the bike to any station for someone else to use.