September 11th and 12th, 18th and 19th

4CORE is teaming up with Andy Kayner, Jenny Wrenn, and energy efficient builders listed below to host a home on the Parade of Homes this year.

Stop by and see us at:

4311 County Road 237
Durango, CO
map to the home



Verified Green
Colorado Straw Bale Association
Arm of the Spiral Hansen Handcrafted Finishes
Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado


salkind@hbasc.com

Compared and Demystified

You may have heard of the "CEAP" (pronounced "keep"), and, more recently, you might have even heard of the "REAP" (as in, we are "reaping" what we sow). Though these acronyms sound alike, they are helping us shape our energy futures here in Southwest Colorado in different ways.

The CEAP effort was initiated locally by La Plata County governments to adhere to ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) criteria and standards and will generate recommended actions using computer software. This action plan is specifically for La Plata County. The CEAP process is drawing to a close (Phase 2 documents will be reviewed by the public in October and then submitted to Durango City Council and La Plata County Commissioners in November).

The REAP effort was initiated by a state-wide effort to decrease energy use and encourage the creation of conservation plans at the five-county regional level. The REAP will also likely include more feasible agriculture and ranching action plans than the CEAP provides. Recommended actions will be generated using stakeholder consensus.  This action plan will span Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, and San Juan Counties. The REAP time line is just getting started, with different aspects of the plan anticipated to be discussed in regional meetings in October and November. The final action plan will not be ready until 2011.
 
Both plans engage local stakeholders in a "grassroots" approach to create policy recommendations. These efforts both combine baseline assessments of resource use to establish conservation plans. In addition, both plans provide various resources to each other, benefiting the creation and implementation of each.

If you have any further questions about either of these plans, or want to get involved, please contact us!

Amanda is a Colorado Native born in Denver and raised in southwest Colorado. After graduating from Nucla High School in 2005 she attended Fort Lewis College where she received a BA in Tourism and Resort Management in 2009. In her free time she enjoys making picture collages, playing at the river, reading, playing and watching basketball and anything to do with the Denver Broncos! Prior to becoming the scheduler/dispatcher she served on the first Southwest Conservation Corps
crew as a Weatherization Technician.

On Friday and Saturday, August 20 and 21, local contractors did some heavy lifting on two affordable homes in Cortez while participating in Colorado Housing, Inc.'s assembly demonstration of Structural Insulated Panel Systems (SIPS).

This workshop is the first in CHI's Contractor Training Series inviting building contractors to learn Energy Star construction methods in the field, sponsored by the Colorado Governor's Energy Office and Colorado Housing, Inc. 

Upcoming workshops include pre-drywall home tours in Cortez and Bayfield, as well as more SIPS Assembly opportunities in Cortez and Pagosa Springs.  This training series will continue through 2011 to facilitate a community-wide transition to Energy Star 3.0.

For more information on building a home with Colorado Housing, Inc. please visit their website. For more information about Sustainable Building Education opportunities, see events listed here.