Monday, December 30, 2013

Keep Breathing: New Paint, New Carpet and Your Family

Recently, my family had the opportunity to move into a new rental and choose the paint and carpet that would be installed. I was concerned that moving in the middle of the winter would not allow us to open doors and windows to vent the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other fumes that "off-gas" once paint, flooring and carpeting have been installed.

My family isn't particularly sensitive, but we do have a two year-old daughter who is developing her brain, muscle, and body at an alarming rate, and I don't want her breathing in chemicals. I voiced these concerns to my landlady Rosalie and asked her if I could pick no-VOC paints and seal any flooring she installs with AFM Safecoat sealers. She happily obliged and here is why:

High Quality and Equal CostI did a bit of cost comparison of paints found that zero VOC Mythic Paint sold at Handcrafted House was very similar in price to regular paint. Mythic paint is a non-toxic paint that provides the durability you expect from a premium paint without the off-gassing and cancer-causing toxins that emit years after drying. And you can breath easy knowing that Mythic has a very large selection of colors choices , with excellent coverage and smooth application.

Painters need to breath Too
The painter Rosalie hired to paint has been in the business for many years. In fact, he retired and is only doing jobs that allow him to use non-toxic paint. He was happy with the coverage of the Mythic Pro, using only one coat on most surfaces. 

Rosalie was still living in the house at the time it was painted, and she voiced how pleased she was with the fumes that she avoided breathing using these paints too.

Flooring It
I was concerned about the carpeting outgassing carcinogens as formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, xylene and styrene during the winter months when we are inside most. Sheryl at Handcrafted House pointed me in the direction of a product I didn't even know existed: Carpet Seal. It is designed to prevent the outgassing of harmful chemicals used in carpet backing. Carpet Seal is odor-free and effectively blocks outgassing for up to five cleanings or one year.

Creating a beautiful home for you and your family is an exciting process, but it isn't just about the looks. Don't forget to care for your health as you choose your finishes. Call Sheryl at Handcrafted House at  970.247.4046  to learn more!

Good Health to you and your family in 2014 and beyond!

About the Author
Teresa Shishim is Program Manager at 4CORE. She  is a Colorado native who is dedicated to improving where we live through collaboration. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science at Western Washington University and has significant experience managing and coordinating projects and programs, including marketing campaigns, volunteer programs, and events. She gained this experience through a variety of positions, including serving as the Director of a non-profit river restoration group and as Marketing Manager for a start-up software company.

Friday, December 6, 2013

The Pathway to Energy Independence

by Reji
Letter to the Durango Herald Editor

Dear Editor:

There is a pathway to energy independence in our region, and there is no better time than now to put one foot in front of the other to get there. The more of us that start walking that path, the more money stays in our back pockets and in our local economy. With the rising cost of electricity, alternative ways to power our homes and businesses are looking more appealing. The US Army is well on its way to energy independence, with the Army Strategy for the Environment: Sustain the Mission – Secure the Future (www.sustainability.army.mil). Our neighbors at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs produces as much energy as they use, and reuse or recycle 100% of their waste and water.

The first step along this path energy efficiency.  “First Reduce Your Use, and then Produce” Making sure that your home or business is air sealed is the first and usually least expensive way to decrease energy waste. Efficient bulbs and ENERGY Star appliances are a great way to reduce electricity demand, as well.

Once a home or building is efficient, the next step is renewables. More than 290 days of FREE sunshine brightens our county each year. Solar makes sense (and cents) in our sunny location, and allows us the freedom to produce energy on our very rooftops, of all places. With so much power just over our heads, it’s not as hard as you might think to reach up and grab it.
I’m excited about the opportunity that Solarize La Plata is creating for many here. The payback period for solar has changed from twenty years to just seven years with the offered base price systems. Financing options are available.

Let us follow the example that our nation’s army is setting and strive for energy independence. I encourage all readers who are ready to take electricity production into their own hands to visit fourcore.org or call 970-259-1916 to get your name on the list by January 31st, when the sign up period ends.

Sincerely,


Teresa Shishim
A.K.A. Little Miss Sunshine

Thursday, December 5, 2013

CEAP on Keepin' On

For one year, I dedicated myself to facilitating the development of the La Plata Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP), in collaboration with a wide range of community volunteers (volunteers who had already been hard at work for a year-and-a-half before I came into the picture!). As a group, we put an incredible amount of time, energy and soul into the creation of the CEAP. Working with that group of dedicated volunteers was a pretty incredible experience. I was so inspired by their passion, knowledge and drive to create a plan that they hoped would help shape a stronger future for the local community they loved.

The vision for the CEAP was to impact personal, organizational, and governmental policies, practices, and behaviors in a meaningful, measurable, and cost-effective way to minimize or neutralize local greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt successfully to climate change. The City of Durango and La Plata County recognized that climate change is not just a global problem, but something that is already having impacts here in our local community (projected impacts described below):


The community volunteers engaged to create the CEAP came up with the following emission reduction targets and strategies (and 42 recommended actions within the six strategies below).



The CEAP was officially submitted to elected officials in June of 2011. The City of Durango passed a resolution on August 2nd, 2011 that the plan is finalized and accepted by the City of Durango for timely consideration of its recommendations. However, the county chose to not pass a resolution regarding any sort of planned action. Since the CEAP was submitted, neither government entity has begun implementing recommended actions under the umbrella of the CEAP. Thousands of volunteer hours went into the creation of the CEAP, a plan that we were all incredibly proud of, a plan that we thought could really benefit our local community.

To realize that this amazing piece of work was just going to sit on a shelf was a pretty demoralizing experience. But just because the CEAP was never officially adopted and purposefully implemented, it doesn't mean that action hasn't been occurring in our community that supports its goals. The City of Durango has done a lot to promote resource conservation within their operations, increase multi-modal transportation through many different projects, and has switched to single-stream recycling. La Plata County has also taken action to be more resource efficient through partnering with the City on recycling events and greening their own operations. LPEA, as well, has contributed to the cause through its Green Power Program, its highly successful commercial lighting program, as well as the recently developed Community Solar Garden policy. 

Here at 4CORE we have also been hard at work, weatherizing 628 low-income homes, conducting energy audits on and assisting with upgrades for 30 businesses, launching a Solarize campaign to increase installations of rooftop solar, coaching fleets on alternative fuel options, and conducting resource efficiency education presentations and training. Even though our local governments haven’t directly encouraged or supported implementation of the CEAP, our community has continued to work on a variety of grassroots activities that work to achieve the CEAP goals.

Two years later we are faced with a different political climate than we were when the CEAP was submitted. New local leadership is placing more of a priority on sustainability initiatives. Durango Mayor Dick White (a former member of the CEAP Steering Committee) made the following comment:

“I very much want to see these initiatives advance during my term as Mayor . . .  I think that the easiest way forward would be to update the [emissions] inventory, even as the City (and, I hope, the County) begin to consider what CEAP actions make sense for near-term consideration.”

According to Gwen Lachelt, La Plata County Commissioner,

"Several county residents [have] request[ed] that La Plata County take up the CEAP again. The La Plata County Commissioners will be meeting before the end of the year to discuss priorities for 2014 and the CEAP will be on my list as it was during my campaign . . . If the CEAP is a priority to county residents I would urge folks to send letters to the three La Plata County Commissioners . . . [Additionally], the EPA has been planning to lower the federal ozone standard and if that were to happen tomorrow, La Plata County would be in non-attainment due to the high ozone concentrations that currently exist. I believe it is critical that we work cooperatively with the oil and gas and coal industry as well as the local governments in the region to address this issue in order to protect public health, the environment and our economy." 

As a community, we've had some setbacks in the sustainability department, but also a lot of positive developments. And with strong local leadership in support of taking action to address climate change, I think we have a bright future on the horizon. I’m excited to be a part of this community and to help see these actions unfold!

About the Author Amanda Saunders is Program Coordinator at 4CORE. She was born in Florida and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in Chapel Hill, Amanda worked with the town to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory for their Climate Action Plan. Outside of work, Amanda enjoys climbing, hiking, skiing, traveling, reading, and soccer. Amanda manages the Resource Smart Business Program.