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4CORE & Partner Events
Home Spotlight of a Net Zero Home
Come and get a "behind the scenes" look at Chris Calwell's new home!
Saturday, April 13, 2 - 6:30 PM
"The Island President" Movie Homebuyers Class
Regional Housing Alliance (RHA)
April 17, 5:30-8:30 PM
April 20, 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
The Pagosa Forest Fuels Project
Speaker: Steve Hartvigsen, Forest Service Project Coordinator
April 24, 12- 1 PM
Henry Strater Theatre
Free Rider Day on Durango Transit
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| Save the Date
Zero Net-Energy Ready Homes
4CORE and the Colorado Green Building Guild
May 9th, 1:30 to 4:30 PM
$25 for guild members, $50 for non-members
Learn more and register here
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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.
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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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Have you ever gotten advice that you wish you hadn't taken? Or maybe you've given it yourself and later wished you hadn't.
In the spirit of April Fool's Day, we've compiled a newsletter full of bad advice and falsehoods, as well as some steps to take to avoid misinformation in the future. We aren't above having some fun today, so here are a couple of "fast ones" you can use on your friends and family: April Fool's Prank #1- At Home: Tie a rubber band around the kitchen sink spray hose so that it is "on" and make sure it is pointed forward. When someone goes to turn on the water for the faucet, they'll get a wet surprise! April Fool's Prank #2- At the Office: While your co-worker is away from their desk, take a screen shot of the page they were working on and open it in an image viewer so that it covers the whole screen. Watch their befuddlement when they think their computer has frozen up. Read on to avoid being called out as a fool! |
Washington State Representative Says Bike Riders Pollute the Environment 
Extracted from the Huffington Post
Ed Orcutt made his comments in an email, stating that bike riders pollute the environment because they produce more carbon dioxide than car drivers.
The email from the lawmaker, which was written to a bike shop owner, goes on to say that because bike riders have an "increased heart rate and respiration," the act of riding a bike "results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride."
Orcutt later apologized for his comments.
Read the full article here
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 Germany has More
Sun than the US
Fox News Whoops
Fox Business reporter Shibani Joshi said that Germany's solar industry is doing great, "They've got a lot more sun than we do. In California, it's a great solution, but here on the East Coast it's just not going to work."
Watch the video here
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10 Pieces of Advice NOT to Follow
- Turn your water heater up to the highest setting to make sure your shower is HOT -or- turn your water heater ALL THE WAY down to save money.
In reality: Your hot water heater should be set so that the water at the tap is 125 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure nothing nasty grows in the tank, the risk of scalding is reduced, and it doesn't use too much energy. - If your next door neighbor has a low result on their radon test, go ahead and assume you'll have the same result.
In reality: Radon test results can vary even between next door neighbors. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, so don't guess! Pick up your free radon test from 4CORE today. - Leave your cell phone, laptop, wireless router, and tablet chargers plugged in because they don't suck electricity when your device isn't on or plugged in.
In reality: Even when your devices are powered off or not plugged, your charger is pulling electricity, or phantom watts, from the outlet. Unplug, or use a power strip to turn everything off except when you are charging. - Low-flow shower heads don't work because all they do is piddle like a puppy.
In reality: Don't fear the low flow! These have come a long way in the last few years, and often are adjustable for the type of "massaging effect" you'd prefer for your scrub time. Besides, they use less water and save on water heating to save you an average of $150 per year! - Don't worry about changing your furnace filter- it is such a pain anyway. Same goes for the lint trap in the dryer.
In reality: Changing your forced air furnace filter every two months (or more often if you have pets) ensures your furnace is working effectively and efficiently, and reduces particles in the air that can irritate your respiratory system. Put a reminder on your calendar so you can breath easy! - Use as many space heaters as you need to throughout your house to keep each room warm. In reality: Even the new energy efficient space heaters use high levels of energy and are not meant to be used in quantity to heat multiple rooms. Make sure your main heating system is up to snuff and add insulation and air sealing before you use any space heaters- it will save you in the long run!
- If you get solar panels, you are going to be spending a lot of time on weekends to maintain them.
In reality: Solar panels require little to zero maintenance, and it doesn't take rocket science to understand that they are doing their job. (Psssst, Southwest Colorado gets over 270 days of sunshine per year, making it a great location to go solar!) - Keep the heat tape on your roof plugged in all summer. In reality: Um, we live in the Southwest, where there is no snow to melt in the summer. Put a reminder on your calendar to unplug it so you don't spend all summer warming the feet of little birds that perch there.
- Air sealing your home is super expensive and time consuming.
In reality: Air sealing is THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE thing you can do to save energy in your home. Rolls of foam tape are inexpensive, a tube of caulk costs only a few dollars, and if you just don't have time to do it yourself, here is a list of reasonably priced contractors. - Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs contain mercury, so you might as well use incandescent to avoid it. In reality: Yes, it is true, they contain about as much mercury as the ball on a ball point pen. However, the amount of mercury you prevent entering the air from coal-fired power plants by using CFLs is much more! Better yet, buy LEDs. They contain no mercury, and our local electric utilities have rockin' rebates for them right now!
A visual for what NOT to do at home:
 | | Bloopers from the Basement |
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 Home Spotlight Event
Chris Calwell is No Fool
April 13th, 2 - 6 PM
If you have energy efficiency and solar power on your mind, Chris Calwell is your man.
Together, with Durango Solar Homes, Chris has orchestrated the construction of a new home sporting passive and active solar, an innovative geothermal tempering loop, and cutting edge materials that will boggle the mind.
You are invited to get a sneak peek of this "net zero" home, which means it produces as much energy as it consumes.
You'd be a fool to miss out on this home tour!
Register Today
Check out these pictures of the home under construction.
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Food Provided by:
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Learn more here
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Solarize our Community  This is no Joke!
One of the only serious articles in this month's newsletter is about an effort to increase the number of solar electric (PV) installations in our community.
What is a Solarize Campaign?
Solarize capitalizes on the purchasing power of a community and motivates the residents by offering significant savings through a limited-time bulk purchase opportunity. The campaign also takes a grassroots approach by using community volunteers, active local government and a local non-profit as the Project Manager.
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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
The Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado is a non-profit professional association of 100 member companies, all local businesses, whose diverse services include building homes, remodeling, architecture and design, real estate sales, banking and mortgage refinancing, insurance, subcontracting and material suppliers. We are affiliated with the Colorado Association of Home Builders which has more than 3200 member companies and the National Association of Home Builders which has 216,000 member companies. All three organizations have extensive social, political and educational programs. Our members employ many of the people working in our community, several thousand here locally in La Plata County. These employees provide a significant contribution to the local community.
 
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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