| EARTH DAY DENVER |
The City & County of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health hosted Earth Day Denver 2013 on Monday, April 22nd from 10 AM- 2 PM to celebrate the 43rd annual Earth Day. Due to cold temperatures and snow, the event was moved inside to the Wellington Webb Municipal Building Atrium. But this didn’t stop nearly 60 local businesses, organizations, and agencies from showing off the environmentally-friendly and sustainable services and products that they practice or provide to hundreds of residents who attended the event, sponsored by KBCO 97.3 radio station. |
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Each year, Denver’s Earth Day Fair showcases local businesses, organizations, and agencies that practice or provide environmentally-friendly and sustainable services and products. Earth Day Denver is FREE and open to the general public. We especially encourage residents, employees, teachers, and students in/near downtown Denver to stop by the event. In 2012, Earth Day Denver became the 1st large-scale, City-sponsored event to be Zero Waste, with the help of 3 valuable partners. (See “Zero Waste Success” below) That same year, some of Denver’s favorite food trucks joined the celebration! In addition to the exhibitors, Earth Day Denver typically showcases significant programs in Denver or emerging technologies each year. (See “Annual Highlights” below) Check out our albums with some of the best shots from previous Earth Day Denvers in our photos section on our Facebook page.
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| ZERO WASTE SUCCESS |
Earth Day Denver created a Zero Waste policy for 2 reasons: to demonstrate to other event planners how easy it is to minimize the amount of waste that it sends to the landfill AND to educate residents and attendees about waste management practices and services available in Denver. These goals would not have been reached without 3 Very Important Partners. |
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- The most important partnership is with Denver Solid Waste Management and Denver Recycles, who train volunteers, provide color-coded carts (purple=recycling, green=compost, & black=trash), and haul away the 3 waste streams.
- Our exhibitors and food trucks follow our Zero Waste guidelines to provide only materials that are locally recyclable, compostable, or reusable – and not to sell or give away disposable water bottles.
- Our Zero Waste volunteers educate attendees on how to properly sort their waste to ensure that the waste streams are not contaminated.
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2013 Zero Waste Post-event Report:
- 2 carts of recycling (mostly cardboard from exhibitors’ materials)
- 80% full cart of compost
- 20% full cart of trash
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| ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS |
2010: Launch of Denver B-Cycle, the first citywide bike sharing program in the US; Mayor Hickenlooper gave awards to Certifiably Green Denver businesses, a program in Denver’s Department of Environmental Health that provides free, confidential, non-regulatory environmental assistance to Denver’s business community. |
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2011: Mayor Vidal gave awards to Certifiably Green Denver businesses, a program in Denver’s Department of Environmental Health that provides free, confidential, non-regulatory environmental assistance to Denver’s business community. |
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2012: Green Fleets display of 11 alternative fuel vehicles & equipment used by Denver’s Public Works/Fleet department ant Denver International Airport; Mayor Hancock gave awards to businesses that made exceptional strides to make their operations environmentally sustainable or contribute to the environmental sustainability of the Denver community, through participation in 2 programs through Denver’s Department of Environmental Health: Certifiably Green Denver which provides free, confidential, non-regulatory environmental assistance to Denver’s business community, AND the Denver Energy Challenge which was designed to stimulate local economic growth, increase energy efficiency investment in Colorado, and advance the state's energy independence through large-scale energy upgrades.
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2013: Near Zero Emissions Vehicle Showcase, featuring the latest technology of 7 alternative fuel vehicles that the public can buy (within 2 years), including hybrid electric, plug-in electric, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cell; Hybrid solar PV & biodiesel mobile generator provided courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide 100% renewable, clean energy to the exhibitors’ booths (generator planned, but canceled because location changed due to snow) |
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- You can also find a list of the current year’s confirmed participants on the right hand side of this page.
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| DID YOU KNOW? |
April 22, 2013 marks the 43rd anniversary of the grassroots fair that inspired a nation to reflect upon the Earth and their impact on it. Each year, the City & County of Denver hosts a FREE Earth Day Fair to educate and engage Denver residents about the ways that we can protect our natural resources for future generations and to celebrate innovative sustainable technologies and businesses.
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