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Issue Sponsored by:
Sponsor 4CORE News! |
4CORE & Partner Events
Geothermal Heat Pump
Installation & Service Training
Designed for installers, service technicians and service managers, this course focuses on installation and service procedures
Presented by WaterFurnace March 5-7
Homebuyers Class
Regional Housing Alliance (RHA)
March 6, 5:30-8:30 PM
March 9, 8:30 AM -1:30 PM
4CORE will present info on how to make improvements and save money on bills.
Call for location and to sign up: 970-259-1418
More info here Green Business Roundtable
Local Food for Students
March 13, 12- 1 PM
Henry Strater Theatre
The Zero Waste Home
March 18, 6:00-7:00 PM
Durango Public Library
Solarize Working Group Meeting
March 19, 9- 11 AM
Location to be announced
More info here
Free Rider Day on Durango Transit
March 22
Builders Guide to Appraisals: Obtaining Accurate Valuations
Home Builders Association of SW CO
March 27, 12 PM
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| DIY Home Energy Audit Loan (HEAL) Program
Wendy Rice at the La Plata CSU Extension Office is offering: "Thermal leak detectors, Kill-a-watt power monitors, and 'flicker checkers' in the new Home Energy Audit Loan program kits that can be borrowed for free.
Learn what a flicker checker is here.
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Easy Way to Donate to 4CORE
4CORE is a beneficiary of proceeds from Durango's Alpine Bank Loyalty Check Card for the Environment.
Each time you use your card, Alpine Bank donates 10 cents per transaction to organizations (like 4CORE!!). These special cards are available with no annual fee to individuals with an Alpine Bank checking account.
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 Energy to Evolve
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Join Our Mailing List!
Energy News you Can Use
is published monthly
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Thank you
Local Funding Partners!
Thank You Collaborative Partners!
Alpine Bank
Americorps
Atmos Energy
Bright Green
Colorado Energy Office
Durango Discovery Museum
Empire Electric Association
First National Bank
Fort Lewis College Environmental Center
Healthy Community Food Systems
Healthy Lifestyles La Plata
Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado
Housing Solutions for the Southwest
La Plata Energy Council
Local First
Regional Housing Alliance
Source Gas
Southwest Conservation Corps
Southern Ute Community Action Program
SW Connect
Tri State Generation and Transmission
4CORE Partnerships
are defined here
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Call 4CORE at 970-259-1916 if you have any questions or need assistance.
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Resource News You Can Use
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This month's newsletter will be our annual Reduce, Reuse and Recycle issue to help prepare you for any spring cleaning you might take on. We've included where to take what, how to divert more from the landfill, and innovative ideas for reusing items that would normally be considered waste.
Southwest Colorado is recycling fiber products (paper and cardboard) at a rate that is one-fifth of the national average of 334 lbs per person per year. That is, we only recycle 66 lbs of fiber products per person per year. We can do better than that!
Easy Tip #1: If you are in Durango or a nearby community, you can take advantage of the new single-stream program. Use curb side (in town) or drop off sites.
Easy Tip #2: Reuse and re-purpose plastic bottles to make funnels, a garden watering system, or even ice packs. Learn how here.
Read on about how we can increase our region's recycling rate and how easy it has become to recycle, reuse, and yes, reduce. |
Single Stream Making Waves 
Durango Program Initial Results
The City of Durango is now offering single-stream recycling curb-side pickup and drop-off services. The program has improved recycling rates substantially, increasing from 70 bales of recyclables compared to about 25 bales per week. See a recent Durango Herald article.
For city resident curb-side pick up, sign up to receive service and a single-stream recycling can. The $3 per month residential recycling fee will be included as part of your monthly solid waste fees from the City of Durango.
Find more information here
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Creative Ways to Re-Use Your Recycling
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shampoo bottle sailboats
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by Sandhya Tillotson, 4CORE Staff
In fourth grade I was thrilled to learn that the school play we would be performing that year was called Planet Earth and that my friends and I would be singing songs about reducing, reusing and recycling. Yes I know, I was an eco-geek even as a child! My dad can tell you how annoying I was, hassling him about not using every last scrap of 2 x 4 from his construction jobs. When I looked at the overflowing dumpster I was upset to know that it was all just going to the landfill to sit in perpetuity. But the lessons I learned in the fourth grade have stuck with me, and I still try to prioritize Reducing first, Reusing second, and Recycling third.
... don't forget you can still reduce and reuse before products go into the recycling bin...
Now let's explore some of the fun and creative ways of re-using all kinds of products. Click on some of the links in the rest of the article for 'do it yourself' (DIY) guides...
Continue reading this story here
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Beyond Curbside: Local Recycling Facilities 
Where to Take What
Archuleta County
- Accepts: iron and aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, #1, and #2 plastic.
- Location: Transfer Station on Trujillo Road (CR 500)
- More information
Dolores County
No options available: Take recycling to Montezuma county (or other nearby facility).
La Plata County
Bayfield Recycling Center
- Accepts: brown glass, aluminum and tin cans, corrugated cardboard, and any kind of paper
- Location: Off of HWY 160B on Community Lane, one block east of Clover Dr. (where the Town Public Works building is located).
- Hours: Saturdays only, from 7 am to 5 pm.
- More Information
Durango Area Centers Residents from surrounding communities may recycle properly prepared mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, mixed cans. Note, that although glass is no longer accepted in the single stream curb-side pick up, it can be taken to the following locations: Ignacio - Accepts: mixed papers, corrugated cardboard, mixed cans, plastic bottles and separated glass
- Location: On Becker Street across from the high school.
- Call 970-563-9494 for more information
Marvel Convenience Center
- Accepts: aluminum cans, mixed glass, newspaper
- Location: 1765 CR 134
- More Information
San Juan Citizens Alliance:
- Accepts: cell phones, laptops, printer cartridges, DVDs, video games, GPS systems, iPods, Cameras
- Location: Items can be dropped off in the front entry at First National Bank of Durango, 259 West 9th Street, or at 1022-1/2 Main Ave., Durango (above Carvers).
- Call Mary Beth for more information at (970) 259-3583.
Montezuma County ECOrtez Accepts: glass, mixed paper, cardboard, and aluminum beverage cans. The ECOrtez program consists of weekly curbside collection service in Cortez, as well as drop-off at 110 West Progress Circle, in the Industrial Park next to the City Service Center. More information here Four Corners Recycling Initiative Accepts: mixed paper (newspaper and newspaper supplements, white paper, all colored paper, junk mail, phone books, magazines, and catalogs), corrugated cardboard, and mixed steel (tin) cans and aluminum cans. More information
Drop off locations:
San Juan County - Town of Silverton
- Accepts: cardboard, tin cans, plastic, glass
- Location: To reach the drop off center, head NE out of Town, right at the fork, 0.5 miles on the left hand side of the road
- Hours: Wednesday and Saturday, 8 AM- 4 PM
- Transfer station information
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Taking Recycling and Recovery to the Next Level  Energy to Evolve Blog Excerpt by Mark Thompson
Recycling, reuse and remanufacturing activities create jobs and can be done profitably and sustainably. The biggest obstacle to increasing recycling locally is the limited availability of suitable land of sufficient size located close to Durango. To address this issue, a group of local business owners have spent several years planning a Resource Recovery Park. This project cleared its first major hurdle in December of 2012 when the conceptual development plan for the Resource Recovery Park was unanimously approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
Many municipalities have recycling, composting and scrap metal facilities but they are often in separate locations which makes it harder for a resident to "do the right thing." The vision for the Resource Recovery Park (RRP) is to co-locate these services and then add other innovative components which will be unified by a common goal yet be composed of a wide range of businesses. The scope of activities, services and businesses will surpass anything else currently being done in Colorado, the Four Corners or the Rocky Mountain West...
Continue reading this story here
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 Save the Date
Next Home Spotlight is April 13th, 2 - 6 PM
Each quarter, 4CORE "shines the spotlight" on a home to highlight efficiency and/or renewable features. These tours offer participants a sneak peek of what a sustainably-built home looks like. The homes we spotlight are often certified by a third party for quality workmanship and features.
This net zero home features passive and active solar, including bi-facial solar awnings that collect sunlight that shines directly on them, as well as some that is filtered through and bounces back off the ground underneath. A geothermal tempering loop helps recover heat from the ground in the winter and coolness in the summer.
Check out these pictures of the home under construction.
Thank you to our sponsors!
 
Learn more here
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2012 Annual Report Now Available
Download it here and pledge your support for 2013!
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As always, if you have any feedback or questions about becoming more energy efficient, please contact us. |
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About Our Newsletter Sponsors
 
Gayle has lived in Durango since the Fall of 2002, and after falling in love with the area immediately, she doesn't ever plan to leave. A Jill of all trades, she has combined business and creative backgrounds into one Real Estate Machine, focusing on technology and smart marketing to give her clients an edge in the ever -changing market. She has been practicing real estate in Durango for seven years and is a proud Eco Broker (specializing in green real estate), ePro (technology), and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist for all you baby boomers looking to retire). She has a special affinity for animals and the environment, and is constantly striving to protect beautiful Southwest Colorado.
Southwest Solar Transformation Initiative (SSTI) represents a regional team of public and private  partners committed to advancing solar power adoption across participating municipalities within the Southwest region. SSTI is targeting communities in the Southwest because the solar resource is abundant, but its enormous potential has been largely untapped. The focus of this program is to drive solar market maturity via significant improvements in 5 key areas: Permitting, Planning and Zoning, Interconnection, Net Metering and Financing.
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