Fun Facts For Earth Day in Denver

Earth Day serves as an important reminder to every Coloradoan the important role we can play in building a more sustainable future. In fact, Denver was a significant participant in the first Earth Day. There were demonstrations in 1970, which were recorded as the largest single-day protest in history with 20 million people.

Earth Day started in the spring of 1970 by Senator Nelson of Wisconsin, following an oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969. Following the demonstrations, President Richard Nixon created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DenverLibrary.org). Furthermore, throughout the 1970s, Congress authorized legislation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act (Colorado.edu).

What can we do this Earth Day to make a difference?

Here at CAP Management, we are partnering with over 6,000 homeowners to lower emissions, reduce water use, and send less waste to landfill. We have learned a few things along the way that can help you and your homeowner’s association to make a positive impact:

• Re-Examine Your Waste: The average American landfills 4.5 pounds of garbage every day, 22% of which is compostable. Partner with your HOA to identify composting partners (such as Scraps) to divert waste from the landfill. CAP Management has worked with many of our communities to identify where to send hard-to-recycle and toxic materials by partnering with companies like Ridwell.
• Reduce Water Usage: As Colorado’s climate shifts to more arid, homeowners and communities are faced with higher costs for water utilities. CAP Management has worked with many HOAs to reduce water consumption, often within landscaping and irrigation systems. We have a mountain of suggestions for HOAs in our publication, Creating Sustainable Homeowners Associations.
• Join Colorado’s Commitment To 100% Renewable Electricity By 2040: Since 2010, Colorado has tripled the state’s total generation coming from solar – now 30% from wind and solar as of 2020. Many buildings throughout Colorado are exploring and adopting distributed solar installations, and leveraging federal and state tax credits along with various financing options (PPAs or C-PACE). CAP Management is excited to help our HOAs adopt renewable energy in their community.

Each of us can play a role every day, too, to lower our collective impact. Since relocating back to Denver and joining the team at CAP Management, I have continued to challenge myself to live more sustainably.

• Ride RTD Transit Or Commute To Work On A Bike: Denver has one of the best transit and trail systems in the U.S., so it’s ideal for lowering your carbon footprint every day.
• Shop Responsibly: by bringing my own bags, choosing retailers committed to sustainable practices, and being sure I use every ounce of groceries I buy every week. Reducing food waste is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon and waste footprints.
• Use Electricity Wisely: We all need power to live, but I try to identify when I can turn off lights, unplug chargers, and hang clothes to dry versus using the dryer. I keep my showers short and will try to wear clothing over and over to reduce the amount of water used to wash clothes.

Being more sustainable this Earth Day is an opportunity for each of us to grow personally, reduce our impact, and work together to improve our collective future. If CAP management can help your association address key issues, reach out to me at Brandon.Tidwell@CapManagement.com. As the new Chief Sustainability Officer, it’s my privilege to help Colorado communities and homeowners build a more sustainable future.