The goal of our Education & Outreach project is to develop relationships and vehicles for outreach to Sustainabiity Alliance members, policymakers, and the community at large.
Our current activities include: sending out a monthly e-mail newsletter with an events calendar, news, and ways to connect; updating our website with information about our activities and links to articles and resources; publishing sustainability-related articles and op-eds in the Durango Herald and other local media; hosting local educational and outreach events; and establishing relationships with groups in the sustainability community to leverage or coordinate efforts and create synergies.
Past activites have included: theAppleseed Series on Exploring Local Sustainability, the Four Corners Green Living Expo, Earth Day events, the Green Umbrella Networking Event (November 2007), Swadeshi Festival (through 2007), Beaming Bioneers (October 2007), and the Homegrown Food Conference.
For more information or to participate in our activities, please contact us.
The Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado will partner with 4CORE to collaboratively represent SW Colorado in the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado's 'Sustainability Collaborative' initiative. The Collaborative is a facilitating organization that oversees a consortium of government, nonprofit, business, and education sector representatives on the development and implementation of regional social, economic, and environmental sustainability initiatives.
SASCO is specifically excited to connect with policy initiatives taking shape on the Front Range through the Collaborative and to educate, communicate and advocate for sustainability policy in SW Colorado. The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado's mission is "to advance sustainability through collaboration among nonprofits, business, government and education."
This opinion piece first appeared in The Guardian on December 21, 2011.
With the recent failure of the Durban climate talks, the collapse of carbon prices in Europe, and news that emissions grew a record 6% in 2010, it's time to re-evaluate the economic approach to climate that now dominates the conversation.
The creation of carbon markets, carbon offsetting and the valuation of eco-systems are premised on the idea that marketisation and reliance on economic incentives will yield sustainable outcomes. Many environmentalists like these policies because they seem to work with, rather than against our existing economic institutions and incentives. But as market-thinking expands with eco- and carbon-footprints, an obvious question is whether economics in command has become part of the problem.
It's a conclusion one might draw from analysing the Occupy Wall Street movement. In a few short weeks a rag-tag group of under-thirties has been able to transform the global conversation about economic issues by focusing on three basic points, all of which are essential for stopping runaway climate change and ecological overshoot.
It can be tempting to eat strawberries in winter, even though they have been imported from halfway across the planet or grown in energy-intensive greenhouses, carrying a heavy ecological and social footprint and lacking in the nutrition you get from eating in-season and local fruit. But we all do it. Do some research into what is naturally grown in your area in the season, and prefer these to encourage greater local, regional and global sustainability. This way, you'll also rediscover the pleasure of meals changing with the seasons and meet the people who produce and supply local food! Visit Healthy Community Food Systems (HCFS), the Growing Partners of SW Colorado, and Turtle Lake Refuge. Check out HCFS’s Food System Tools, like the Year-Round Local Food System Calendar. The Durango Farmers Market also has extended their market season, to provide local food around the holidays and throughout the winter season as well.
Business skills course offered to agricultural producers and Ag-related businesses this January!
Experienced and new farmers, ranchers, and agriculture related businesses are invited to attend the Leading Edge "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity" course offered by the SW Colorado Small Business Development Center.
The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, a statewide sustainability organization, has released summary materials, including a final report and videos, from its 2011 Statewide Sustainability Roundtable, held on November 16 in Colorado Springs. The event was designed to give voice to the main issues of sustainability from around the state. Much of the discussion this year focused on effectively messaging sustainability. Roundtable participants provided recommendations for talking to various audiences about issues such as energy, economic development, food, and sustainability education.
The creation of carbon markets, carbon offsetting and the valuation of eco-systems are premised on the idea that marketisation and reliance on economic incentives will yield sustainable outcomes. Many environmentalists like these policies because they seem to work with, rather than against our existing economic institutions and incentives. But as market-thinking expands with eco- and carbon-footprints, an obvious question is whether economics in command has become part of the problem.
Experienced and new farmers, ranchers, and agriculture related businesses are invited to attend the Leading Edge "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity" course offered by the SW Colorado Small Business Development Center. 
The 
