04.29.19

Grantee Spotlight: Sustainable Resilient Longmont

Grantee Spotlight: Sustainable Resilient Longmont

“We’re focused on cultivating a more sustainable, resilient, and thriving community.”

“We’re focused on cultivating a more sustainable, resilient, and thriving community,” says Abby Driscoll, Chair of the Board of Directors of Sustainable Resilient Longmont, a grantee of your Community Foundation. “To that end, we support environmental protection, responsible economic growth, and social equity.”

 
That’s a tall order achieved through education, advocacy, and action.
 
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“Our Earth Day program – now in its fifth year – approaches the broader context of sustainability,” explains Abby. “Earlier this month, through community engagement and youth environmental education, our Longmont Earth Day Celebration served as a reminder to take care of our planet, and provided an opportunity to promote what’s involved in saving in our planet – from addressing air pollution to climate change.”

 
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As well, according to Abby, a sustainability roundtable brought together leaders from across the state for “a rich discussion about climate change issues facing Boulder County, and what’s being done about it. What these leaders are doing, and learning how we can all making a difference, was really inspiring.”

 
Equally inspiring is the organization’s renewable energy program, launched in 2017. “We were very successful in our first year,” says Abby, referring to a resolution passed by the Longmont City Council, committing Longmont to a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. “Now we’re looking at implementation and how to get there.”
 
At the same time, Sustainable Resilient Longmont’s Zero Waste program – its longest running program – is “all about education.”
 
“Longmont was the first city in Colorado to offer residential curbside recycling pickup services in the early 1980s,” Abby says. “We’ve accomplished a lot, but there’s much more to do.”
 
In fact, Longmont is below the national average in residential recycling, despite its long history of zero waste leadership and innovation. Longmont residents, consider joining your neighbors in exploring the possibilities for moving the city closer to zero waste, and sign up for Longmont Community Cleanup Day on May 11. 
 
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