CORE is working with the City of Aspen's Canary Initiative and Telluride's Sheep Mountain Alliance on a program to encourage Aspen's residents and visitors to shop exclusively with reusable bags.
Shopping with reusable bags promotes a number of positive environmental practices including:
- Reducing oil consumption
- Reducing energy use (manufacturing, transportation and disposal)
- Reducing public trash pollution
- Reducing waste disposal costs
- Reducing trees cut down for use in paper bags
- Reducing your personal carbon footprint (CO2 emissions)
- Promoting wildlife, particularly marine, welfare
- Supporting a green industry
- Supporting sustainable business practices
As part of this initiative CORE is collecting support for a City of Aspen program to permanently and significantly reduce disposable bag consumption. Community input and feedback will be integral to the success of this initiative. Below are a two short outlines of current programs, a few links for further reading and a petition to offer your support and voice your comments.
Aspen-Telluride Challenge
THE ASPEN - TELLURIDE CHALLENGE HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH LABOR DAY WEEKEND. CORE and SMA would like to thank the grocers for their continuing support!
On May 24th, 2008 Aspen and Telluride partnered on a awareness campaign to see which town could best promote the use of reusable bags within each community.
Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, grocers in each town will be contributing 5 cents to a Green Fund for each reusable bag that is used during checkout. The 'winner' will be determined by which town raises more money, per capita. These funds will be used toward an environmental project in each town.
The goal of the program is to raise awareness regarding the benefits of shopping with reusable bags and to educate citizens on the negative effects of disposable bags, particularly plastic bags.
Following the completion of this program, it is hoped that it will be replicated in other towns across Colorado and the entire Rocky Mountain region.
For more information please contact:
Nathan Ratledge David Allen
CORE, Aspen Sheep Mountain Alliance, Telluride
970.544.9808 970.728.3729
Aspen High School
CORE staff have also been working with Aspen High School's Energy Club on the creation of an ultra-energy efficient reusable bag.
This program is aimed at providing a locally designed, regionally produced and low cost bag to Aspen's visitors. Aspen realizes that engaging the tourist community will be imperative in reducing bag consumption. And with this in mind, the initial goal of this program is to provide bags in 500 of Aspen's 2000 hotel rooms by the beginning of the 2008 ski season.
In addition, this program also provides a number of benefits to Aspen High School and the local community including:
- Real world experience for the students
- Environmental/energy education and awareness
- Community and student engagement
- A new revenue source for the high school
- All funds generated from the program will go directly back to Aspen High School
Links
