How do our local city and county governments compare to other communities in Colorado and the nation? How does this affect our quality of life? Get an advance look at the Local Government section of the Pikes Peak United Way Quality of Life Indicators Report, Peak Progress . Andy Gunning, Executive Director of Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, and Deb Hamilton, Strategic Services Librarian of the Pikes Peak Library District, share some of the data collected by the Local Government council ...
Sep 09, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 80
The Demographics council of the Peak Progress Quality of Life Indicators Report share the contributions they’re making to the next version of the report. They’re providing tools to make it easier to understand who lives in our region and how that is changing over time. Data can be overwhelming but it can tell us a lot about the place that we live. The 2030 Sustainability plan was heavily informed by the past QLI reports. The next several Sustainability in Progress meetings will feature reports o...
Aug 09, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Get a tour of the new El Paso County Master Plan recently adopted by the county commissioners. Mark Gebhart, Deputy Director of Planning and Community Development for the county, provided this overview at the June 16, 2021 Sustainability in Progress meeting. LINKS: Your El Paso Master Plan – project website El Paso County Planning and Development This episode was recorded at the Sustainability in Progress (SIP) virtual event on June 16, 2021. Sustainability in Progress is a monthly program of th...
Jul 02, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 78
How do we ensure all Colorado children are engaged in outdoor learning experiences? Appreciation for nature, the great outdoors, conservation and sound environmental stewardship don’t just happen. They are the result of positive experiences and good information and education. In this episode, we hear from two environmental education leaders who are providing these experiences and education for the children of Colorado. Environmental education across the state of Colorado and getting kids learnin...
Jun 22, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Why do we need to grow more of our own food? According to local garden expert Larry Stebbins, Colorado Springs is behind many other cities in local food sufficiency. He explains why urban gardening plays a critical role in our resilience and food supply in the face of a growing population and shrinking farmland. He also shares some of the opportunities in the local area for embracing urban farming. This includes the Backyard Garden Project – launched this year – which helps local food-insecure f...
May 06, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 76
An ambitious new project near downtown is cleaning up an old construction materials dump and turning it into an amazing community treasure. A lot of creativity is going into this site, including letting nature do what real estate developments typically pour concrete to do (manage stormwater). If you see mosaics on light poles, concrete benches inlaid with tiles, murals and other street art around Colorado Springs, there’s a good chance this is the work of Concrete Couch. This nonprofit works wit...
Apr 21, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 75
A new non-profit co-op is working in Colorado to help people go solar, simplifying the process and reducing costs. Bryce Carter, Colorado Program Director for Solar United Neighbors (SUN) shares details about how it works. The co-op launched in Colorado Springs at the end of March, 2021. This event was co-hosted by Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future and Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society. LINKS Speaker’s PowerPoint Slides http://studio809radio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Color...
Apr 16, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Boulder County told Byron Kominek you cannot put solar panels on agricultural land; it violates zoning. But Byron persisted. Agrivoltaics are a global phenomenon in which solar panels and agriculture share land. The county eventually amended its code. Today there are about 3,000 panels on Jack’s Solar Garden, which Bryon created. In addition to helping small farms turn a profit, the panels provide benefits to the crops, and the crops actually provide benefits to the panels. What might those bene...
Apr 07, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 73
There are plenty of good reasons for political conservatives to be concerned about the climate crisis. We explore them in this conversation with three gentlemen from the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, or CCL: Steven Moses, a physicist Don Parcher, a retired Navy pilot Nate Hochman, a Colorado College senior and Conservative Outreach Fellow at CCL Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) is a nonpartisan group that's focused on a carbon fee and dividend, which would put a price on carbon at the source, and the pr...
Mar 30, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 72
What steps can the Biden administration take to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Bureau of Land Management to better address its conservation and climate change goals? This question was addressed in a lively online discussion hosted by PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility). Panelists discussed the results of a recent employee survey, trends in land management planning, problems in BLM’s management culture, and questions from the webinar participants. This discussio...
Mar 14, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, provides a summary of State/CEO projects, activities, and initiatives, and shares the Colorado Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap. This event was co-hosted by Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society, Green Cities Coalition, and the Energy Resource Center. LINKS Speaker’s PowerPoint Slides http://studio809radio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Toor.GHG-Roadmap.pdf Resource Guide...
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 70
What can you do to create a sustainable, just, and carbon-free city? Hear what’s next in the closure of the fossil-fuel powered Martin Drake Power Plant in Colorado Springs, and learn about three local campaigns on which you can take action. This is audio from a live webinar held on February 19, 2021 – organized by a group of Colorado College students. It was described as speed-dating for climate action. This event includes a brief update on Drake from David Padgett, General Manager of Environme...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 69
What are 33 Colorado cities doing to conserve water? Frank Kinder, Water Efficiency Program Manager for Northern Water, updates us on the conservation work of this regional water provider. LINKS: Frank Kinder’s slide presentation http://studio809radio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-Presentation-FK-PPENV.pdf The Colorado-Big Thompson Project - video shown during presentation https://youtu.be/wQkMdlvCgP0 2020 in Review: Water Efficiency Programs – video shown at end of presentation https://yo...
Feb 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Colorado College students demonstrate just how engaged and activated their generation can be. Filip Carnogursky and Liam Reynolds share two initiatives they started because they saw a need and weren’t going to wait around for someone else to do it. They’re doing something about addressing climate change and addressing unaffordable housing and unsustainable urban development. Learn all about Climate Action and the Colorado Springs Pro-Housing Partnership. Filip, a Sierra Club intern, and the fell...
Jan 29, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 67
The holidays are coming and that means shopping, gifts, and food. Do you approach the holidays mindful of the environmental impact of all these activities? This episode explores sustainable options for this holiday season. Konrad Schlarbaum, sustainability coordinator for Pikes Peak Community College shares low-impact holiday gift-giving practices, and fills us in on the virtual PPCC Green Holiday Fair. Lorrie Myers, of Who Gives a SCRAP, updates us on the shop’s just completed move to larger qu...
Nov 30, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Flying, driving, bus, train, bicycle, on foot, even staycations. What do we need to know to make responsible decisions about the way we move about? Dave Gardner, host of the GrowthBusters podcast about sustainable living, shares data and tools to guide us. LINKS: Presentation Slides GrowthBusters – Free Black Friday Screening (view 11/26/20 to 11/29/20) 1.5 Degree Lifestyles report The Four Lifestyle Choices that Most Reduce Your Carbon Footprint (Lund University Study ranking carbon reduction a...
Nov 17, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Christian Nelson and Michael Avanzi of Colorado Springs Utilities share the future of energy production in our community. The Colorado Springs Utilities Board approved an Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) portfolio in June of 2020 that represents a significant departure from the utility’s heavy reliance on coal and natural gas generation. What does this mean for the Pikes Peak region and renewable energy? LINKS: PDF of presenters' slides This episode was recorded at the Sustainability in Progress ...
Nov 11, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 64
What’s happening and what can we expect in terms of how we get electricity to power our homes, business and industry? How clean can it be, and what it will cost? Over the past twenty years, the energy market has shifted dramatically. The unsubsidized cost of wind and solar energy, with battery storage, has dropped below the cost of fossil fuel generation. The US Energy Information Agency expects the trend of dropping renewable energy and storage costs, and rising cost of coal, to continue. The s...
Oct 28, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Indigenous permaculturalist, designer, builder and educator Michael Alcazar led this ceremony on September 18, 2020 at Flying Pig Farm. This ceremony kicked off the Manitou Springs Forest Garden Initiative, in which Manitou will be planting tree guilds (natural communities of tree/plant relationships) that will act as natural education sites for the community for learning how to grow food, provide pollinator and bird support, and help mitigate climatic changes. The initiative began with three pl...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 62
Don’t miss the 7th annual Creek Week Cleanup, September 26 – October 4th. Every year citizens of Southern Colorado step up, put on their environmental steward hats, and join with friends and neighbors in what’s become the largest watershed-wide cleanup in Colorado. In this episode, Alli Schuch shares how we can all participate this year. Safe, socially-distanced, outdoor activities are on the agenda. Last year, 3,200 volunteers from Palmer Lake to Trinidad removed over 14 tons of litter. Peak En...
Sep 23, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 61
The 2020 election in Colorado is shaping up to be historic, but not for the reasons you might think. Voters in Colorado will get the chance to direct wildlife managers to reintroduce gray wolves, nearly 80 years after they were eradicated on behalf of the livestock industry. In this interview, Delia Malone, Mike Phillips, and Rob Edward, three friends and longtime wolf advocates, discuss the importance of wolves to Colorado's future. This episode is courtesy of Pikes Peak Group of the Sierra Clu...
Sep 11, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 60
How can we improve the Pikes Peak Region 2030 Plan ? Several municipalities and organizations in the Pikes Peak Region came together to develop a long-range sustainability plan, completed in 2012 and adopted by some cities and organizations (but not by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, interestingly). In this episode, Konrad Schlarbaum (director of Green Cities Coalition) discusses his recommendations for improvements to the regional sustainability plan (PPR 2030). The City of Colorado...
Jun 19, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 59
What can we learn from indigenous people about caring for the land on which we depend for our food? This episode is a recording of the keynote address by indigenous permaculture designer Michael Alcazar at the 2020 Pikes Peak Foodshed Forum. The forum was hosted by Green Cities Coalition and Pikes Peak Community College on February 8, 2020. Indigenous permaculture designer Michael Alcazar is a master educator with over 30 years of designing, teaching, facilitating, building, and coaching experie...
May 16, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 58
You can’t escape toxic PFAS chemicals. They are everywhere. Get an update on what we know and what’s being done about water contamination by PFAS (Perfluoroalklsubstance). Groundwater and surface water in portions of the Pikes Peak Region is known to have PFAS contamination, due to years of firefighting exercises at Peterson Field and the Air Force Academy (PFAS have been an ingredient in firefighting foam for decades). This February, 2020 update is presented by Dr. Tyler A. Cornelius, Visiting ...
Mar 21, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Colorado needs Wolves – not merely to restore a natural balance or the wildness that we all seek – though wolves will do that if they are present for long enough, in sufficient numbers and with wide enough distribution – but also to ensure that we pass on a Colorado intact, with a complete suite of native wildlife, to enrich future generations. This episode explores the issue of wolf reintroduction in Colorado, including Initiative 107, which will facilitate reintroduction of gray wolves to the ...
Feb 19, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Big things are happening for tiny homes in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs Principal Planner Lonna Thelan fills us in on how city planning and zoning issues affect tiny home locations, and Shelley Jensen, founder, CEO and chief community strategist of We Fortify, shares details of her first development, Working Fusion at Mill Street. Working Fusion is a sustainable tiny-home development in the Mill District that will allow young renters to be more functional earlier into their next phase of h...
Feb 10, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Does the City of Colorado Springs have a plan in case of a Zombie Apocalypse? Find out on this episode of Peak Environment. Learn about the myriad projects and initiatives managed or assisted by the City of Colorado Springs Office of Innovation & Sustainability. Ryan Trujillo, the city’s Director of Support Services, fills us in. Ryan’s department includes the Office of Innovation, whose functions include sustainability and the Smart Communities Program. The Office is now advertising its fir...
Jan 24, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Learn all about a very unique community asset. Smokebrush Farm is a small, biodynamic farm in Manitou Springs that serves as an educational model as well as a retreat center. Yoga classes, an art club, Indian dance class and artist residency programs are part of the program, which is part of the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts. Chris Collinge, the farm manager, explains everything happening here, including a local herd share for raw goat’s milk, plans to launch an internship program in 2020. ...
Jan 16, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Did you know less than 15% of donated clothing in the U.S. ends up in our second-hand market? Or that each cycle of a washing machine can release more than 700,000 plastic fibers into the environment? Paper and paperboard account for 29 percent of our municipal waste stream, and yard trimmings and food scraps account for another 27 percent. The November Sustainability in Progress meeting featured very informative presentations about reducing waste: The State of Recycling in Colorado Alicia Archi...
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 52
The future looks bright for renewable energy, according to Joe Jenkins, Principal at Environmental Compliance Systems LLC, but there is a dark side. In this lively and popular presentation, Jenkins explores the hidden environmental and social impacts of the renewable energy supply chain, but emerges with a positive outlook for a renewable future. This program was recorded at the October 2019 luncheon meeting of the Pikes Peak Environmental Forum. The Forum informs the community in Colorado Sprin...
Dec 17, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 51
