Is your glass half full?

Schedule your home energy assessment in recognition of Earth Hour!

Families are in week 3 of the YVSC Food Waste Challenge.

March 2017

Call me "glass half full," but one thing that has come out of the 2016 election is a renewed sense of public engagement in issues critical to people, planet and prosperity. Americans are getting involved and taking action to support the causes they care deeply about.

Locally, YVSC offers many ways for you to dig in and make a difference in the Yampa Valley:

Get an Energy Assessment of your home
Observe Earth Hour
Reduce your household food waste
Come watch an environmentally-themed movie with us
Volunteer for a YVSC program!

Read on for more details and ways you can engage with the work of YVSC.

Sarah B. Jones

Executive Director

Earth Hour: Climate Action starts with you

Saturday, March 25

8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Worldwide

Earth Hour is a global initiative to raise awareness of energy use and unite people to protect the planet. It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then, it has grown to engage people in more than 172 countries and territories worldwide.

Since 2010, YVSC has led our community's observance of Earth Hour and encouraged people to go "beyond the hour" to make changes in their daily lives to conserve energy. Students in Steamboat schools will once again participate in the annual school Earth Hour observation by turning off classroom or hallway lights, going outside or engaging in learning activities that don't require electronic devices or electricity.

You can join people around the globe in this inspiring event by turning off your lights and powering down your devices from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 25. Come on, when was the last time you ate dinner by candlelight?

> Climate action doesn't stop after March 25. Here are the top 10 things you can do to conserve energy and protect the climate.

Help YVSC go beyond the hour in our community by donating today


	YVSC encourages local students to go beyond the hour to save energy at home and at school.

When you donate to YVSC, you provide the knowledge, tools and opportunities for people of all ages to make resource conservation part of their daily routine.

It's not too late to start reducing your food waste

YVSC's Food Waste Challenge is off to a good start. 51 families have committed to tracking and reducing their waste over six weeks. So far, participants are getting in the habit of tracking their waste, and in the coming weeks they will focus on the EPA's Food: Too Good to Waste

Strategies:

1. Smart Shopping - Buy only what you need.

2. Smart Storage - Keep food fresh and avoid spoilage.

3. Smart Prep - Prep now, eat later.

4. Smart Saving - Eat what you buy.

> You don't have to be part of the Food Waste Challenge to save money, resources, time and food! Learn more online .

Make your summer event sustainable with YVSC

Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time to start planning your Sustainable Event now. YVSC is offering waste reduction consulting and recycle and trash station services to reduce waste at your next event. Whether you're planning a small birthday party or a large wedding, we have resources to help make your event more sustainable.

> For more information on reducing your event's environmental footprint, email [email protected] .

> Ready to start planning? Fill out a short online form with basic event details.

At the Fork: A Film about Husbandry and Wife

Thursday, March 23

6:30 p.m.

Library Hall

Join YVSC and Community Agriculture Alliance at the Bud Werner Memorial Library for a refreshing documentary on animal husbandry. This film offers a new perspective on our relationship with farm animals as John Papola and his vegetarian wife, Lisa, explore the moral dimensions of farming animals for food. Their journey leads them not to big money industrialists, but to real farmers grappling with the same questions as them.

Shop at City Market?

Through their Community Rewards program, you c an su pport YVSC every time you shop at City Market using your value card . There's no cost to you; you can ea rn 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 (click here for instructions) and swipe your card when you shop. * Please note: You must re-enroll your card each year.

Get funding to make your commercial building more efficient

FREE C-PACE webinar
Wednesday, March 22
2-3 p.m.
Online

Routt County businesses are now eligible to participate in the
C-PACE Program or Colorado Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy. This means that commercial building owners can roll the cost of energy or water-efficiency upgrades into a 100% financed, low-interest loan that can be paid back over up to 20 years through the building's property tax assessment.

> To register for the introductory webinar, click here.

> For the full schedule of other C-PACE education events and in-person trainings to become a C-PACE certified construction company, visit www.copace.com/events.

Free energy assessment for Atmos/YVEA customers

With several more months of the heating season still ahead, now is the
time to sign up for a home energy assessment. An assessment includes infrared imaging, a blower-door test and a substantial report of prioritized energy-efficiency suggestions. For YVEA electric customers who also have Atmos Energy natural gas as their primary home heating source, home energy assessments are FREE while funding lasts this year. (Small extra charges apply for homes larger than 3,000 square feet or located 20 miles outside of Steamboat Springs.)

> Sign up for a home energy assessment at EnergySmart Colorado.

> To learn more about local rebates available for energy efficiency upgrades, visit Atmos Energy or Cen$ible Energy.

YVSC wish list

YVSC recently moved within the same office suite at 141 9th St. We are now all the way to the back of suite 102. We are looking for several items to make our new space the perfect fit. If you are looking to donate one of the following items, please email [email protected] .