Three Free Events this Month!
Realtors, homeowners, architects, energy raters, building officials, mortgage brokers, appraisers, builders, suppliers, and anyone interested should attend.
Sustainable Gambrel Barn Home Tour (under construction!) Friday, March 11 | Tours at 12 and 2 PM Located between Cortez and Dolores at 16831 Road 28.4 | map Lunch and snacks provided RSVP by email or call 259-1916 ext. 112 Speaker: Trevor Lytle, Builder, ArchEarth, LLC Features - Gambrel Barn layout with three stories
- Off-grid photovoltaic solar system - 72 kW per year
- Passive solar orientation
- Recycled finishes
- Energy Star Appliances
Energy Efficient Lighting with LPEA Speaker: Ray Pierotti, Program Specialist Two sessions! Durango Wed, Mar 2nd | 12-1:15 PM | First National Bank of Durango 259 W. 9th Street RSVP to Kathy or leave a message at 382-5792 flyer
Pagosa Springs
Wed, Mar 16th | 6-8 PM | Pagosa Springs Resort and Spa 165 Hot Springs Blvd Dinner available for $20 RSVP to Karen or call 731-3939 flyer
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 Meet us at the Ag Expo
4CORE is in booth #26 at the Four States Agricultural Expo held March 17th - 20th at the
Montezuma Fairgrounds.
We'll be showcasing our new interactive display- stop by to win great prizes and learn how you can become more energy efficient.
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County Economic Development Self-Assessment Survey
The Governor has requested that each county develop or update its economic development plan based on current input from local citizens, businesses and other interested parties. By May 15th, the objective is to have the county plans rolled up into 14 regional plans, which collectively will roll up into a statewide economic development plan. More on this process
Take the survey now
March 7th
Attend the next Southwest Colorado session
Durango Library 5-7:30pm
Regional map
Fact Sheet
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Can't buy it local?
Tell us here!
What products and services are lacking in Southwest Colorado?
We want to keep our money here in Southwest Colorado to promote jobs, strengthen the economy, and reduce leakage of money to areas outside of ours.
Please let us know what you'd like to be able to purchase here locally through this on-line form!
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What do you value most?
Take this short survey (less than 3 minutes!) to let us know how we can best serve you!
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Join Our Mailing List!
Energy News you Can Use is published monthly
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 Greetings!
According to Punxsutawney Phil, the infamous groundhog in Pennsylvania, who did not see his shadow on February 2nd, we can look forward to an early spring! Spring does sound nice, yet, in reality, we probably have a little more winter in store. Keep the chill off! Schedule a free home assessment with basic upgrades this month, and don't forget to take advantage of the rebates from State of Colorado's Governor's Energy Office (GEO) for energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy installations and more. See the articles below for more information. |
 4CORE Now in Cortez, Too
March 22nd, 4 - 5 pm
All are Welcome: 10 W. Main, Suite 110 in Cortez at the Wilson Building between 4 and 5 pm.
4CORE is excited to announce the grand opening of their Cortez office this month. Come participate in the ribbon cutting, celebrate with free food and 4CORE give-aways, and learn more about the work 4CORE is doing in the Montelores Area. Regular Cortez office hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays & Fridays. Heather Wyatt, Program Specialist, will be staffing this branch office. For more information, contact Heather or call 970-799-7718. Check out this video to get a sneak peek! |
 4CORE Leadership Search
Seeking new board members for June, 2011
4CORE is seeking diverse representatives from the five-county region, including Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan Counties, as well as the Southern and Mountain Ute Indian Tribes. 4CORE strives to be effective, fair and thorough in serving the entire region. Do you live in the five-county region and have an interest in supporting 4CORE's mission, or do you know of someone who is? Email Aileen to be considered for serving on your local coalition's board this coming June! |
 Weatherization Update:
20 Homes Weatherized in January
Our weatherization team has been busy the past few months. Due to extremely cold temperatures this winter, we are receiving new requests every day for help. Residents across the five counties are benefiting from our weatherization services of fixing broken windows, non-functioning furnaces and freezing pipes. During the month of January our production shot far above our goal of weatherizing 14 homes by weatherizing a full 20! This is our highest production month to date, and means that we were able to weatherize 5 homes per week! 2011 is off to a stellar start. 
Also in January, as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, the Mountain Studies Institute invited our weatherization crew along with the Southwest Conservation Corps to Silverton to perform a demonstration energy audit at the Silverton Hostel. The open house event brought out many Silverton residents interested in learning about weatherization and energy savings. In February we visited an apartment complex to look into weatherizing more multi-family buildings in the Four Corners region. If we're able to go ahead with this project and others, we will be able to help dozens of families lower their heating bills and live in more comfortable and healthy homes. |
 The Town of Ignacio
Highlighting a 4CORE Coalition Parter
The Town of Ignacio is a huge supporter of 4CORE's mission and programs and does a great job of connecting people to the 4CORE resource efficiency knowledge hub. This rural town does a great job of advancing resource conservation and energy efficiency by "walking the talk."
 Ignacio provides energy conservation tips almost every month in billing newsletters; they provide information for Low Income Energy Assistance (LEAP) recipients; and they just completed energy upgrades on all town buildings through a New Energy Communities Grant. This included lights, insulation, heating, and air conditioning. In addition, they are preparing to replace the outdoor lighting downtown.
Pictured above: Ignacio maintenance personnel with new energy efficient shop heater
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Free Energy Assessments & Upgrades Available this Month!
Collaborative Projects come to Southwest Colorado
Two collaborative efforts are coming to our area to educate students (K-12 and college level) and distribute free services in our region.
CoPIRG's Energy Service Corps is a joint project of the Colorado Student Public Interest Research Group, and AmeriCorps and works to improve energy efficiency through education and service.
 As most college students flee south for Spring Break, CoPIRG's Energy Service Corps is coming to Southwest Colorado and using the break to make a tangible difference in people's lives and utility bills.
Home energy use is often inefficient and wasteful, leading to high energy bills. CoPIRG's Energy Service Corps' efforts will help decrease energy use by educating people about how they can reduce energy bills. Free cost saving services are offered and include performing basic energy walk-thoughs and basic improvements, like installing CFLS and weatherstripping in homes, apartments, churches, and businesses.
Schedule a basic energy walk-through between March 13th and 26th. The service is completely free and takes about an hour. Email Jim Laven with your address and a day and time that works for you.
Please note that 4CORE is not endorsing the political views of this organization nor providing resources for these programs.
Take Charge! is a collaborative project of Groundwork Colorado, a non-advocacy, non-profit funded by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment through the Colorado State Energy Sector Partnership.
 Groundwork will be in Durango March 13th and June 15th passing out weatherization program information at area homes. They hope to visit at least 1,500 homes in Southwest Colorado.
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CEAP Update
 Provide feedback until March 7th, 2011
The CEAP is a dynamic document that recommends specific policies and actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve the local economy and work towards a more self-reliant, healthy and thriving community. Final Round of Public Input You can still submit your feedback via this online survey. In the three final CEAP public input forums in January and February we heard great public feedback and ideas on how to make the CEAP even more dynamic and better reflect the interests and aspirations of our community. If you are interested in reading some of the up-to-date public feedback from both rounds of public input forums and the entire public input period, please visit the following: Public comments and status are available online See tabs for the comments from each forum. Contact 4CORE for a paper copy.
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 REAP Update
Strategy Document Created The 4CORE staff and REAP Advisory Board, with representatives from Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan counties, and Southern and Mountain Ute Tribes, have been working on the creation of the multi-county Strategy to develop a local plan for saving energy and creating jobs in southwest Colorado. The Advisory Board established Guiding Principles and S.M.A.R.T. Goals to help implement the REAP mission and achieve its vision. Download the Strategy and see the REAP website to learn more. Have feedback on the Strategy? Email us with the subject line "REAP Strategy".
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Newsletter Challenge Question  Challenge Question:
What temperature should domestic hot water be?
Are you wasting energy over heating water? You want your dishwasher water to be hot enough to get those dishes clean, but turning up your water heater too high can use excessive amounts of energy to keep it heated to a certain temperature. Also, scalding water out of the tap can be dangerous to children and adults alike.
Also, think about insulating your hot water heater to reduce the energy it takes to keep it warm. Installing a heat trap could also save you energy and money.
So, what is the ideal temperature to set your hot water heater to?
The three people to correctly answer this question will win an energy saving prize from 4CORE. Prizes and winners to be announced in next months news letter. Send responses to elsa@fourcore.org by March 20th.
Last month's Question:
How many heating degree days do Durango, Silverton, Cortez, and Pagosa Springs each have respectively?
The Answer is:
Durango- 6,966
Silverton- 11,064
Cortez- 6,667
Pagosa Springs- 8,323
The winner is... Michelle Reott of Earthly Ideas LLC, Durango, CO
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As always, if you have any feedback or questions about how to become more energy efficient, please contact us.
Regards,
4CORE Staff
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