Sustainability Plan

I am spending as little time in my car as possible. I bike to all of my local errands, even in bad weather, but need to take care since traffic is challenging in Lafayette and drivers are not used to seeing commuter bikes!

I would like to bus into Boulder more often, but find it challenging. I usually don't go during rush hours when buses are more frequent. I would prefer to take my bike on the bus so I can bike around in Boulder, but there are only two spots for bikes on the bus leading to the possibility... Continue reading

In the past year, to be more sustainable I have been volunteering as a member of the City's Waste Reduction Advisory Committee and in that role I have supported our efforts to have some of the City's events be zero waste. I have also coordinated a food rescue program where 150-400 packaged food items are collected every week from two Lafayette Starbucks and donated to low-income members of our community. Food waste is a top contributor to climate change, so keeping this methane-generating stuff out of our landfills is really helpful.

In my home we continue to be enthusiastic users... Continue reading

As a resident and small business owner in Lafayette, our family's effort to become more sustainable is an ongoing process, but also an area of great pride. We know there's always more we could do, but by sharing our successes and challenges, we've found we can engage others in the conversation and help improve our collective thinking and development of creative solutions. Here are some of the areas we're most excited about from the last year and where we hope to go next:

Home Sustainability

• Enrolled in Xcel Energy's Windsource program to offset our power consumption with 100% renewable energy.
• ... Continue reading

By living in an apartment, there are a lot of decisions that are made for me with my living situation. There are some small ways that I've been able to influence my sustainability impact.

I have an account with Arcadia Power which allows me to power my living with sustainable wind power. I pay my power bill through them and they pay Xcel Energy. For the energy that I use, Arcadia sends that same amount of clean energy into the Xcel grid of where I live.

My apartment complex does not offer compost collection, so I collect compost myself and... Continue reading

We've slowly been addressing the energy efficiency items in our 1970's home over the past few years. We first had an energy audit performed through Xcel to see what area we should concentrate on first. When then insulated the attic and basement. This fall we finally moved forward with replacing the original furnace and getting an updated programmable thermostat. We plan to take advantage of the Xcel rebate for the furnace as well.

We also decided to reduce our waste bin size which saves us about $10/month. Now I am also even more conscious of making sure I don't bring... Continue reading

So we finally bit the bullet and got our solar system installed in time to take advantage of the full federal solar tax credit. As a bit of energy nerd I'm looking forward to getting the data from this system.

We also did the energy audit and got rebates for a new AC and attic insulation and sealing. I have seen a noticable difference in our heating bills pre and post although our summer energy use has still been fairly steady. When our gas furnace goes I'm just going to go for the heat pump. The technologies have come a... Continue reading

As Co-Founder and Owner of the Confluence Small Business Collective, I've worked hard to walk the walk in terms of setting a good example for commercial best practices in sustainability. Guided by a green mission, Confluence has voluntarily invested in high-efficiency HVAC and lighting equipment, recycling and composting services, reclaimed beetle-kill pine decor, and solar energy.

With the support of city, county, and state grants, Confluence has become a leader in promoting alternative transportation. In December of 2018, Confluence installed a dual-port EV charging station for use by the general public. In May of 2019, Confluence installed new bike parking... Continue reading