Newsletter
News at Groundwork Denver
September 20, 2011 – Groundwork Denver Swaps its 10,000th Porch Bulb
 On September 20th, a team of 15 volunteers participating in the annual E Source Forum swapped out our 10,000th porch light bulb from an incandescent to a CFL! If you've volunteered for the Porch Bulb Project, you know what a huge milestone this is. Each team of two volunteers might knock on 40 doors and change 5 to 10 bulbs. Over 2,000 volunteers have helped us reach the 10,000th bulb! This achievement demonstrates that even small actions can have big impacts when we all get involved.
10,000 bulbs = $400,000 saved = 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions reduced = 10,000 conversations about how to help people and the planet at the same time!
September 14, 2011 – The Changing Face of America’s Environmental Stewards:
Young, Urban and Culturally Diverse
Denver, Colo —This week over 60 youth, most from distressed inner city neighborhoods across the United States, will convene for the Groundwork USA Youth Summit hosted by Groundwork Denver and the National Park Service at Rocky Mountain National Park. While most of these high-school aged ambassadors come from communities struggling with the challenges of high unemployment rates, gang-related violence, and failing schools, this event will allow the youth to explore and talk about something different, and something important to them: environmental stewardship, National Parks, and the future of public lands.
Participating youth are members of Groundwork Green Teams operating in economically and environmentally distressed neighborhoods of communities like Lawrence, Massachusetts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Richmond, California, and Denver. The Green Team program is a youth development and employment model that engages low-income young people in building their environmental awareness and leadership skills, along with preparing them for a variety of green careers from urban planning and environmental engineering to public health, green landscaping, environmental justice, and more.
Green Team youth take on a variety of projects—from building community gardens, planting trees, cultivating gardens, to fixing and giving away bikes—that connect the youth with their neighborhood and with the environment surrounding it.
 “Environmental stewardship takes on a very different meaning in the context of a distressed urban setting. Planting a tree or a small garden, cleaning up trash or removing graffiti is often a first and most powerful experience many of our young people have with improving their local environment and making positive community change,” explained Wendy Hawthorne of Groundwork Denver.
With support from a strong partnership with the National Park Service, Groundwork USA is helping their network of affiliates broaden their Green Teams’ horizons even further: once Groundwork youth get a feel for environmental stewardship on the ground in their own communities, they travel to a nearby National Park site to conduct a service learning project, whereby they learn about stewardship of public lands and potential career paths in federal land management.
“In my experience at Santa Monica Mountains [National Recreation Area], I learned that nature in all its forms is beautiful, and that we have to protect it,” said Trevor, a member of the Groundwork San Diego Green Team.
On Thursday and Friday September 15, and 16, in Rocky Mountain National Park, Groundwork youth will participate in a daylong hike and a morning-long service-learning project. They will have hands-on opportunities to work, play and connect to the park. Groundwork youth will meet and interact with federal partners from the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management to discuss the relevancy of public lands to a rapidly urbanizing and diversifying country. “We are excited to engage the next generation of environmental stewards at Rocky. National Parks should reflect the changing demographics of this country,” says Ben Baldwin, Research Learning Specialist at Rocky Mountain National Park, “and Groundwork is helping us take a big step toward that goal.”
September 11, 2011 – Local Businesses Support Earth Day Strive to Not Drive Events
Sixteen businesses in the Tennyson St Berkeley business district supported Strive to Not Drive by offering discounts to patrons who walked or biked to their shops September 3 through 11. Discounts ranged from $5 off a haircut to free cookies to 50% off prescription lenses. Participating businesses included:
Berkeley Community Acupuncture http://www.bcaclinic.com/
Bookery Nook & Ice Cream Parlour http://www.thebookerynook.com/
Botticelli Hair Design http://www.facebook.com/pages/Botticelli-Hair-Design/113243175381225
Brush & Comb http://kmgh.cityvoter.com/the-brush-and-comb/biz/619610
Cake http://www.cakedenver.com/
MODesTEA http://www.modesteaco.com/
Mouthfuls http://www.mouthfuls.net/
My Sweet Bakery http://mysweetbakery.com/
Ooh! Aah! Jewelry http://oohaahjewelry.com/
Organic Pizza Company http://organicpizzacompany.net/
Planet Pet http://planetpethoodplus.com/
Sports Optical http://www.sportsoptical.com/
Tenn Street Coffee http://www.tennstreetcoffee.com/
Thunderstorm Computers http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thunderstorm-Computers/125265220861498
Trenchtown MMJ http://www.trenchtownmmj.com/
Yankee Trader http://www.yankeetraderantiques.com/
May 20, 2011 – Lt Gov. Joseph A. Garcia Presents 2011 Governor’s Service Awards
DENVER —Friday, May 20, 2011 —Lt. Gov. Joseph A. Garcia along with representatives from Serve Colorado - the Governor’s Commission on Community Service presented the 2011 Governor’s Service Awards during a special awards ceremony Friday, May 20 at the State Capitol.
The Governor’s Service Awards are presented in recognition and appreciation to individuals, community/civic leaders, various organizations, AmeriCorps Members, and Senior Corps, for their outstanding contribution to volunteerism and service throughout the State of Colorado.
“I would like to extend my congratulations to the many volunteers here today,” said Lt. Gov. Joseph A. Garcia. “This level of volunteerism and dedicated service helps Colorado thrive through these tough economic times.”
The 2011 list of Governor’s Service Award recipients included:
For more information on the Governor’s Service Awards, please contact Serve Colorado at 303-866-6426 or visit www.colorado.gov/gccs.
April 22, 2011 – Bike Fix-A-Flat Gets Bikes Rolling For Free
 In honor of Earth Day, Groundwork Denver volunteers set up shop next to Urbanistic Tea and Bike Shop in the West Highlands neighborhood to fix bike flat tires for free. Despite a cold morning, people started bringing their bikes around 11:00. Volunteers and the Groundwork Green Team fixed 18 bikes, trailers and strollers. Roll on!
April 22, 2011 - Local Businesses Support Earth Day Strive to Not Drive events
Thirteen businesses in the West Highland business district supported Strive to Not Drive by offering discounts to patrons who walked or biked to their shops on April 22nd and 23rd. Discounts ranged from a free ice cream cone at Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli to a free chiropractic exam at Iselin Chiropractic. Participating businesses included:
Garnet Gecko
Mondo Vino
Mead St. Station
The Uncommon Thread
Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli
El Camino Tavern
Seafood Landing
Pizza Alley
Iselin Chiropractic
Highlands Cork and Coffee
Kismet
Urbanistic Tea & Bike Shop
Sushi Hai
In addition to the business incentives. The following three businesses were sponsors of the event:
 
February 15, 2011 — Youth Program Director Wins LiveWell Award for Excellence
 Youth Program Director, Shane Wright, was presented with an Award for Excellence by LiveWell and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for all of his efforts to bring healthy eating and active living to Southwest Denver. Congratulations Shane!
February 7, 2011—Groundwork Lawrence Talks about “ActFresh” on All Things Considered
Did you know that Groundwork Denver is part of a national network called Groundwork USA? Listen in to Heather McMann, Executive Director of Groundwork Lawrence, on All Things Considered on WBUR. Heather is helping to lead a statewide advocacy campaign called "ActFresh" that is supporting a variety of policy measures aimed at creating healthier neighborhoods, especially in low-income communities. Thanks to Heather, and Groundwork Lawrence, for their leadership on this important issue!
[Read article and listen:
http://www.wbur.org/2011/02/07/act-fresh-campaign]
February 5, 2011— The Green Team Meets with the U.S. Surgeon General
Green Team members met with the U.S. Surgeon General today to share their solutions to combating childhood obesity.
[Read the story or watch the video here:
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/02/05/child-obesity-summit-held-in-denver/]
February 3, 2011—Student Volunteers Help Switch on Conservation
See the article about our Take Charge project in the Met.
[Read about it here:
http://themet.metrostudentmedia.com/features/2011/student-volunteers-help-switch-on-conservation/]
January 28, 2011—Julie Connor and Stephanie Fry on Go Green Radio
Tune in to Go Green Radio as Stephanie Fry and Julie Connor discuss the Take Charge: Student Energy Education and Action project!
[Listen here:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/Show/Episode/51539]
January 23, 2011—Groundwork Colorado (!) Goes to Pueblo
 Groundwork Colorado hosted Pueblo's first Porch Bulb Community Outreach Event as part of the Take Charge program funded by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. As many as 40 students from Districts 60 and 70 high schools participated, earning community service credit required by school programs."
The Pueblo Chieftan covered it here:
http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_a5095458-26b5-11e0-976c-001cc4c002e0.html
January 1, 2011—Groundwork Denver Goes Statewide!
Groundwork Denver, now Groundwork Colorado, is taking the Porch Bulb Project statewide! We will be training “Student Energy Ambassadors” around the state to implement the Porch Bulb Project and educate their own communities about energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. We are looking for high school and college students, as well as teachers and youth group leaders, who are interested in participating in the project. The project is funded by ARRA 2009 grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and is sponsored by Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment, Workforce Development Council and State Energy Sector Partnership. Contact Stephanie@groundworkdenver.org for more information or to find out how to participate.
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