In a Saturday celebration in front of the Durango Discovery Museum, energy efficiency and other green practices got their moment in the sun – a scorching hot sun that underscored the threat of climate change.
The fragility of Earth was symbolized by eggs dropped from a step ladder during the Sustainability Showcase Celebration. The eggs were protected by all sorts of padding, such as plastic cups, paper and balloons, but some still splattered on the pavement.
In their own ways, local organization and businesses showed how they each are padding the egg.
With $500,000 in funding from a three-year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, officials said they were attacking climate change in their own ways, whether it is the Discovery Museum putting on education programs, 4Core and La Plata Energy Association conducting energy audits or the Southern Ute Community Action Programs increasing ridership on its Road Runner transit system.
“There’s multiple partnerships working together to do tremendous things for the community, in terms of reduction of greenhouse-gas emission, energy efficiency, worksite wellness,” said Gregg Dubit, executive director of 4Core, the Four Corners Office For Resource Efficiency, which is administering the grant.
La Plata County was one of 50 Climate Showcase communities across the country to get the grant, which formally ends this year, but the investment was substantial enough to sustain many programs going into the future.
The climate-zone exhibit inside the Discovery Museum was funded by the grant. A display of thick to thin tree rings shows a much drier climate over 300 years.
An air-pump station that launches toy cars made from plastic soda bottles also fuels the imagination for alternative forms of energy.
The grant also paid for an architecture class for middle school students last summer, said Sarah Margoles, director of education and public programs at the museum.
When designing their own homes, the students took energy efficiency to the extreme.
“They were very idealistic, (to the point of) ‘Well, I don’t need a bathroom. I’m just going to go to the bathroom outside,’” Margoles said.
The grant also paid for a portable, electronic globe to teach visiting students about changing weather patterns.
The Magic Planet demonstrates how Durango is connected to the rest of the world, Margoles said.
“A tsunami in Asia affects us locally,” she said. “A sea-level rise can affect us. If the Amazon is flooded, we’re not going to get chocolate, or if Florida is flooded, where are we going to get our orange juice? That’s stuff that really hits home with kids.”
Businesses also are getting the message.
4Core has created a brand called Resource Smart Business to recognize those making strides in sustainability, workplace wellness and energy efficiency.
So far, 13 businesses have been certified as Resource Smart: Durango Natural Foods, Durango Coffee Co., Pine River Valley Bank, Renae Marie clothing boutique, For the Birds, Earthen Vessel Gallery, Habitat ReStore, Brown’s Sport Shoe, Animas Museum, Pediatric Associates of Durango, Maria’s Bookshop, Pet Haus and Housing Solutions for the Southwest.
The businesses were acknowledged for their efforts, which included installing more efficient heating and lighting systems and finding other outlets for packaging and waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
jhaug@durangoherald.com
