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January 2017
On Wednesday, we presented our annual Sustainability Awards to people in our community who have dedicated their time and effort to make the Yampa Valley more sustainable. It's YVSC's way of kicking off the New Year--an inspiring reminder that sustainability and resilience are a community effort.
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get involved with this community effort, we have lots of opportunities, including the Food Waste Challenge, U-Fix-It Clinic, DIY Zero Waste events, and the YVSC Board. Read on to learn more.
I hope you are as inspired as I am by this year's Sustainability Award winners. I invite you to follow their lead and dig in with YVSC!
Sarah B. Jones
Executive Director
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YVSC celebrates sustainability champions
Since 2010, YVSC has given annual awards to recognize leaders in our community who have dedicated their time, energy, and even entire careers to advancing sustainability and resilience in the Yampa Valley. These individuals and businesses are inspirations to our organization and are a yearly reminder of why we do what we do.
Congratulations and thank you to our 2016 Sustainability Award winners!
- Government Representative: Winnie Delliquadri, City of Steamboat Springs
- Local Business: Yampa Valley Electric Association
- Sustainable Educator: Carolina Manriquez, Colorado State Forest Service
- Shining Star: Ben McGowan
- Partner of the Year: Billy Atkinson, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Catherine Carson
- Outgoing Board Member: Garrett Smith, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation
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YVSC's new year's resolution is to reduce food waste
Talking Green: Food Too Good To Waste
Tuesday, January 24
5:30 - 7 p.m.
Creekside Cafe
Presenter: Virginia Till, Recycling Specialist, EPA Region 8
Wasting food wastes everything: Water, energy, labor, money,
love.
YVSC is hosting a Talking Green event to fight food waste. Virginia Till will
present on the EPA's "Food Too Good To Waste" campaign and provide tools and information you can use to reduce the amount of food--and
money--you throw away. By making small shifts in how we shop, store and prepare food, we can toss less, eat well, simplify our lives, save money and keep the valuable resources used to produce and distribute food from going to waste. Come learn best practices to reduce your waste and how to join YVSC's Food Waste Challenge (see below).
Thank you to our Talking Green Sponsors!
Sign up for the Food Waste Challenge
YVSC is recruiting families to participate in a pilot program that will track and reduce household food waste. The Food Waste Challenge will involve tracking preventable food waste, which is food thrown away because it spoiled or wasn't eaten at a meal.
YVSC will provide each family in the challenge a bucket for measuring preventable food waste each week, as well as educational resources, fridge signs, menu planning information, and support along the way. The challenge will last six weeks from February 27 - April 10 and will culminate with a family-friendly celebration on April 18. Families interested in reducing household food waste can email cameron@yvsc.org to sign up.
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Sustainable Business Education Breakfast
8 - 9 a.m.
Steamboat Springs Board of Realtor's Office
625 S Lincoln Ave # 202, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
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Cen$ible Energy rebates now open for 2017
The third year of the popular and beneficial Cen$ible Energy rebate program opened January 1 to help Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA) residential and small business members save on usage and costs through practical steps and energy efficiency measures. Rebates are available for LED lights, four types of Energy Star appliances, programmable thermostats, energy audits and post-audit air sealing measures. Full details can be found online
. For residents who also have Atmos Energy natural gas as their primary home heating source, Atmos will pay the other half (or $150) of the cost for a detailed home energy audit completed by a local certified auditor.
Sign up for a home energy assessment here.
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Know a family in need of home energy CARE?
YVSC serves as the local agency for the Colorado Affordable Residential Energy program, or CARE, which works to reduce energy costs for income-qualified families via FREE weatherization, insulation and other energy efficiency measures. The program is open to families who earn 80% or less of the area median income (AMI). If you know a local family with YVEA service and Atmos Energy for home heating in need of improvements with a drafty, older, inefficient home, please contact:
Suzie@yvsc.org
or 871-9299 ext. 104.
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Commercial Recycling Drop-Off: Business survey
Your feedback is needed
Each year, YVSC organizes a Community Recycling Drop-Off. Hi
storically,
this event has only been for residents, but we have heard commercial businesses also need an opportunity to recycle hard-to-recycle items. We are looking for feedback from the business community, so we can determine this need. Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey.
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YVSC Administrative Assistant (part-time)
YVSC is seeking an organized, detail-oriented professional for a part-time
administrative support role.
The Administrative Assistant manages the YVSC office systems, assists with print and online communications including website, email and social media, helps plan and coordinate events, and tracks and administers the Cen$ible Energy rebate program.
Digital literacy is essential, and desktop publishing skills are desirable. P
roficiency with Wordpress, SalesForce and Adobe
Photoshop, Acrobat and InDesign applications is a huge plus. A strong candidate will have prior communications, event-planning, database management and financial accounting experience. The Administrative Assistant position emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, reliability, and attention to detail.
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Waste Diversion Paid Summer Internship (part-time)
YVSC is searching for two Waste Diversion Interns. The primary focus of the intern's work will be site coordination for Zero Waste events, from pre to post-event. Interns will also work with the Waste Diversion Director on other events, including our first-ever Disco Soup, an outreach event to educate the community on food waste. A strong candidate will be able to manage volunteers, monitor time, prioritize and self-initiate.
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Volunteer Board Members
Join the YVSC Board and make a difference in our local environment
YVSC is expanding its Board of Directors to meet the growing demand for our diverse environmental programs and services. The volunteer board strives to represent broad community sectors such as construction, energy, education, business, finance, resort, recreation, hospitality and more. YVSC is recruiting individuals interested in making a difference in our local environment by providing direction for the organization. For more information about joining the YVSC Board, email
board@yvsc.org
to request an application.
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Coaches for U-Fix-It Clinic
Are you a tinkerer, a fixer, a do-it-yourselfer?
YVSC is looking for volunteer coaches to help the community fix their broken stuff at a U-Fix-It Clinic on April 1. At a U-Fix-It event, people can bring all sorts of broken appliances, lamps and toys and learn
hands-on repair skills--extending the life of their "stuff" and keeping resources out of the landfill.
As a coach, your role is to encourage participants to explore their broken stuff and have fun. Enthusiasm and patience are more important than extensive repair expertise, but knowledge of electrical circuits is a plus. Coaches all help each other with their collective knowledge and puzzle solving abilities.
If you'd like to learn more or are ready to sign up, please contact
lizzy@yvsc.org
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How will you do good by our environment in the New Year?
YVSC can do great things in 2017 with your help!
It's not too
late to help get YVSC off to a great start in 2017!
Our work is more imp
ortant now than ever before. Here's what we'r
e planning this year:
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reduce household food waste (see Food Waste Challenge above)
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make low-income families' homes more energy efficient (see CARE info above)
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promote Do-It-Yourself Zero Waste events
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host a U-Fix-It Clinic
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distribute used school supplies to students who need them
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engage people of all ages to plant and care for trees
Become part of YVSC's local movement to improve energy efficiency, waste diversion and local forests and reduce our community's carbon footprint. Donate today!
Thanks to everyone who donated in 2016! We couldn't do it without you!
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Shop at City Market?
Through their Community Rewards program, you can support YVSC everytime you shop at City Market using your value card. There's no cost to you; you can earn donations to YVSC on most items in your cart, and it won't impact the rewards and fuel points YOU receive from City Market.
To start (or continue) supporting YVSC with your value card, all you need to do is enroll online (see instructions below) and swipe your card when you shop.
*
Please note: You must re-enroll your card each year.
- Go to this page.
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Login to your account.
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Once you're logged in, click on your name in the top right corner, which will take you to your Account Settings.
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Under Community Rewards, enter Yampa Valley Sustainability Council in the "Find Your Organization" box.
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Choose Yampa Valley Sustainability Council #72471 and click Enroll.
- Once you enroll in the program, you must re-enroll your card each year.
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Recycle your Christmas tree
Until January 31, you can drop off your tree anytime at the Howelsen Ice Arena parking lot. Please remove all tinsel, ornaments, lights, nails, etc. No wreaths, please. For more hard-to recycle resources, click here.
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Upcoming Events
Tuesday, January 24
5:30 - 7 p.m.
Creekside Cafe
Wednesday, January 25
8 - 9 a.m.
Steamboat Springs Board of Realtors Conference Room
Thursday, February 2
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Library Hall
February 7
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Natural Grocers
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Yampa Valley Sustainability Council |
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