Great Divide Brewing Company Launches Community Recycling Program

The Denver brewery received a $16,000 grant to start a much-needed neighborhood recycling service.

Denver’s Great Divide Brewing Company has always strived to be environmentally conscious; its smart green building and  storm water protection program are perfect examples. But now the 24-year-old brewery is undertaking its most ambitious effort yet: The start of a community recycling program in the RiNo district, funded by a $16,000 grant administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

In February, the brewery was awarded grant funding through the CDPHE’s competitive Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) grant program. Great Divide’s lead sustainability coordinator and quality assurance manager, Erin Cox, decided to focus the funds toward diverting the brewery’s recyclable waste, which was, unfortunately, ending up in landfills.

“We estimate that we use 2,000 pounds of polypropylene grain bags a month, and all of this was going to the dump,” Cox says. “We realized if we were struggling with recycling these items, then surely our neighboring breweries were also having the same issue.” Grain and specialty malt bags made of recyclable polypropylene plastic are common in U.S. breweries. But recycling centers typically won’t accept polypropylene bags unless they’re baled and compacted—not an easy task for most small breweries. The folks are Great Divide are hoping to make the process easier.

Members of the Great Divide team pose with their newly acquired grant. Photo courtesy of Great Divide Brewing Company

During the grant application process, Cox and her “green team” of environmentally-conscious Great Divide employees reached out to fellow breweries in the RiNo area, asking them to pledge support and commit to utilizing the recycling program, should the grant funding be awarded.

Seven breweries signed on, giving Great Divide’s grant application a boost—and it worked. Funding secured, the brewery was able to purchase and install two balers and a pallet scale. The balers will allow the brewery to collect and compact the polypropylene grain bags to send off to recycling facilities, while the pallet scale will help track the success of the program. The awarded grant also enabled Great Divide to register as an official recycler in the state.

While Great Divide anticipates offering its recycling resources to small businesses throughout RiNo beginning in the fall, the pilot program is only open to Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Black Shirt Brewing Co. The three breweries will work to implement the most efficient and environmentally-friendly practices for the program moving forward.

“At the end of the day, this grant serves as a way to ensure that we’re impacting the environment as little as possible,” Cox says. “With these new resources, we are now able to not only bale our own waste streams, but we can handle our neighbors’ recyclable byproducts as well.”

In addition to the brewery’s innovative recycling program and green operations, Great Divide encourages employees to live as sustainability as possible by offering eco passes; eliminating disposable plates, cutlery, and coffee cups at all Great Divide locations; and providing educational opportunities for best sustainable practices at work and at home. We’ll raise a pint to that.

1812 35th St., 303-296-9460

AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB ANNOUNCES $70,000 IN “LIVE YOUR DREAM” GRANT AWARDS

Are you an avid climber? Do you wish you were out at the crag right now instead of at work? Well, good news for you: The American Alpine Club in partnership with The North Face just opened up the application process for the 2018 “Live Your Dream” program which consists of $70,000 in grant awards offered to climbers of all levels to embark on a climbing trip of their choosing. The AAC will award $200 to $1,000 per individual selected to receive funding. The only qualification needed to apply is a healthy appetite for adventure. Since 2012, the AAC and The North Face have been teaming up to help fund the climbing community’s insatiable appetite for adventure. In 2017, “Live Your Dream” grant awardee, Matthew Brikebak, used his funding to tackle the Grand Teton, South Howser Tower and Mt. Rainer, all in one year. Ben Peters was also awarded grant money from the “Live Your Dream” fund in 2017, and used it to spend a month establishing first ascents in the Tasermiut Fjord in southeast Greenland. In fact, “Live Your Dream” grants have supported nearly 400 trips to-date, something that Whitney Bradberry, marketing director at the American Alpine Club says is one of the most exciting components of the organization, which has been in operation since 1902.

“This grant is an exciting departure from our history,” said Bradberry. “We’ve been providing financial support for cutting-edge and exploratory ascents for decades. While it’s important to advance the upper fringe of our sport, those grants do not resonate with most of our members. This program is designed to speak to all climbers who have dreams, and to reward some of those climbers, no matter their ability level.”

So how will you spend your “Live Your Dream” grant money? Applications are being accepted until March 31, 2018. An application fee of $5 for members of the AAC, or $20 for non-members, is required. Click here to apply today, and happy climbing!

SOMETHING INDEPENDENT TO LAUNCH TRADE SCHOOL ALONGSIDE OUTDOOR RETAILER

For the first time in nearly 30 years, two of the biggest outdoor industry trade shows, Outdoor Retailer and SnowSports Industries America Snow Show, will combine in Denver this week — drawing roughly 20,000 outdoor industry employees, retailers, buyers and members of the media to the city for a full week of gear demos, launches, educational seminars and community events.

While the massive trade show is mostly geared towards industry members, one Colorado company is opening up the juicy educational opportunities from the show to the public. Starting on January 24, Denver-based Something Independent — a local company whose focus is to celebrate the industry and the culture of the outdoors — will kick off a free five day-long event featuring art exhibitions, inspirational talks by industry leaders and discussions at the Denver Theater District Gallery.

In partnership with the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and the Denver Theater District, Something Independent’s Trade School will officially open its doors at 2 p.m. on January 24 with a session called “Maintaining Soul Through Growth” featuring Topo Designs, Burton and Oskar Blues Brewery.

“Real work, the kind that keeps one up at night and gets one out of bed before first light, is inherently personal and often collaborative,” says Chuck Sullivan, co-founder of Something Independent. “It’s fueled by passion and purpose. You see it reflected in those melding their work and their love for the outdoors. There’s a grit and resilience in their mindset. Their approach to work looks bold, principled and committed. And, there’s a trickle-down effect to this.” Sullivan hopes that Trade School will serve as a valuable learning tool and inspiration for the outdoor community and beyond.

Other Trade School highlights on the docket for the week include a panel discussion on inclusion in the outdoors, a talk on “prescribing nature” and a session highlighting the work of the ski patrol.

For a full schedule of free Trade School events taking place throughout the week, visit: trade-school.co.

WHAT ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARKS?

As the clock struck midnight in Washington, D.C. on Friday, a federal government unable to reach an agreement on a required spending bill began the rare process of closing up shop — freezing all non-essential government jobs and placing roughly 800,000 federal workers on furlough. As budget talks continued across the aisle throughout Friday and late into Friday evening, the reality of a government shutdown — the first since the 2013 shutdown during the Obama administration — became imminent, and the effects of a shuttered federal government began to take place immediately.

As an arm of the Department of the Interior, what does this mean for the National Park Service?

An email from Interior spokeswoman, Heather Swift, confirmed that “In the event of a shutdown, National Parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures.”

This means that national parks across the country will remain open during the shut down, but access levels will vary from park to park. Any aspects of a park that require staffing — such as entrance stations, information desks, full-service restrooms, campgrounds and concessions — will be closed.

For Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado’s most-visited national park and one that has seen a dramatic increase in winter weekend visitation in the past few years, the roads that are currently accessible will remain that way, weather and road conditions permitting. “However, visitor services will be limited,” said park spokeswoman, Kyle Patterson. “Services that require staffing and maintenance, such as entrance stations, the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, Moraine Park Campground, and most restroom facilities will not be operating.”

The move to keep public lands open to the public during the shutdown came as a surprise to many members of the outdoor community who have witnessed the Trump administration propose reductions of national monuments, reduced funding for national parks and an increase in park entrance fees over the past year. Citing the backlash from the Obama administration’s decision to shutter and barricade entrances to national parks during the 2013 shutdown, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recommended keeping the parks open to thwart a move that has already been deemed unpopular by the public.

Although the national parks will remain open during the shutdown, members of the NPS are cautioning visitors to the parks. With bare-bones conditions and a lack of staff, safety and altered visitor experiences are a concern. Outdoor enthusiasts venturing into public lands during the shutdown should be prepared for minimal resources and an absence in emergency response support.

POSTCARDS FROM THE WEEKEND: THE SUN SETS ON BEARS EARS

As we steer the car into the entrance of Bears Ears National Monument, I can already feel it — how special this place is. The land reverberates with silence, and the sky outstretches its arms wide to protect it all. As far as the eye can see is nothing but nature painted in a shade of ethereal desert red and blanketed in a layer dust, everything coming together to make up the skyline. Majestic mesas rise up in the distance, creating a sea of mountains that seem to stretch on forever. As we climb higher along the dirt road that leads to the monument’s namesake, the sun starts making its descent behind us, casting the perfect light on the two mountain tops that together resemble the ears of a bear — the symbol of strength and courage and freedom in Native American culture. All around us, the setting sun lights our world on fire and we stop what we’re doing to watch it — to soak in every last second of the brilliant sun setting on Bears Ears.

Photo Location: Bears Ears National Monument, Colorado.

Postcards From the Weekend is our weekly photo series showcasing images and stories from our adventurous and outdoor-loving contributors at Elevation Outdoor Magazine. Follow along and see where our team of adventure-seekers like to spend their weekends. 

THE BATTLE FOR BEARS EARS

A thick cloud of haze blanketed Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon, as more than one thousand protestors carrying signs and donning hats shaped like bears ears took to the steps of the Utah State Capitol to protest President Trump’s impending arrival in the city on Monday, and the rumored announcement to rescind the boundaries of the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah by 85 percent that he’s bringing with him.

During an afternoon “Rally Against Trump’s Monumental Mistake” organized by a handful of conservation groups including Kids Speak For Parks, the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and The Wilderness Society, the leaders of the five tribes of The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (composed of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni and the Ute Indian Tribe) stood together overlooking a passionate and enthusiastic crowd that spilled out from the steps of the capitol across the lawn and throughout the residential area of Capitol Hill.

The protest began with a prayer and drifted into a series of speeches from people like Ethel Branch, the attorney general of the Navajo Nation who highlighted the importance of Bears Ears as a place of healing, prayer and togetherness (pointing out that the land of Bears Ears brought together the five nations in unity) and finished her speech by inviting President Trump to visit Bears Ears and take his shoes off and feel his toes touch the sand.

“I want to challenge the president. I want him to visit Bears Ears before he takes any action,” she said.

Through a quivering voice, and a few tears, Salt Lake City mayor, Jackie Biskupski (D), with her family standing by her side, spoke of the importance of protecting public lands for future generations.

“The future will judge us by what we leave behind,” she said. “I just want you all to keep fighting and protect our national monuments.

But it was 10-year-old Robbie Bond who brought down the house by sharing stories of what public land means to him. The founder of Kids Speak For Parks stood before the eager crowd and explained his mission to educate kids across the country of the importance of public lands.

“I believe it’s really hard to educate people about something if you don’t even know what you’re educating them about,” he said. Bond, a Hawaii native, is on a mission to visit all 27 national monuments under review by Trump’s administration, and share his explorations with kids at schools across America.

Having already visited 12 of the 27 national monuments on the list, Bond ended his time at the podium with a message of hope.

“I just want all of you to keep fighting to and protect our national monuments,” he said to a crowd that erupted into applause in solidarity.

Good River Beer Launches “2 Percent To Rivers” Non-Profit

In a fast-moving stream of craft breweries in Colorado, Good River Beer (GRB) always seems to be swimming upstream. When the brewery launched in the Denver market in April 2015, it jumped in feet-first by focusing on a keg-only distribution model—a novel approach at a time when many breweries were scaling back distribution to focus on taproom sales. Instead of taking on outside investors, founders Eric Zarkovich, Adam Odoski, and Preston Hartman self-funded their dream, combining their award-winning home-brewing skills (Hartman won the 2014 Front Range Home Brewer of the Year award as well as two medals for “Pro-Am” (professional-amateur) beer entries at the Great American Beer Festival). and business savvy to get their project off the ground. And while most new breweries on the scene were hoarding their earnings to curb debt, Good River Beer made a commitment to donate two percent of its gross profits to river conservation efforts. Last month, the brewery officially launched its own non-profit, called “2% to Rivers,” to do just that.

“I believe that every for-profit should be involved in some sort of conservation effort—some sort of movement that they really believe in,” says Odoski, who was inspired to create Good River Beer after meeting Hartman on a nine-day river trip in Utah. A passion for whitewater kayaking, craft beer, and do-goodery is at the core of the trios’ business.

While committing a portion of its profits to benefit organizations like American Whitewater and the Colorado Water Trust comes with challenges, the team at Good River Beer vows to stay the course.“The meaning behind what we’re doing far outweighs the challenges,” Odoski notes. While GRB currently relies on contract breweries like Denver’s Sleeping Giant to brew its bold Class V Colorado Style IPA and Gunny German Black Lager, Odoski and his team have plans to open a tasting room in the near future.

Supporting Good River Beer’s conservation efforts is easy. Coloradans can pick up 12-ounce six-pack cans of the brewery’s American Authentic Pilsner and Class V Colorado IPA and 750 ml bottles of Fu Fighter—a 8.9 percent ABV Belgian Golden Ale—at nearly 400 accounts throughout the Denver metro area.

Bonus: To boost fundraising efforts, the brewery also throws a handful of events each month, including educational opportunities, pint nights, and beer dinners. Check out Good River Beer’s Facebook page for info on upcoming happenings.

STRAIGHT TALK: JOHN HICKENLOOPER

John Hickenlooper, isn’t your average politician. He’s a geologist, served as mayor of Denver and co-founded of Wynkoop Brewing Company. He’s also an avid outdoor aficionado who embarked on his long career as a public official after a series of political conversations with patrons at his Denver brew pub. His values and background represent the spirit of the state—Coloradans elected him governor in 2010, indentifying with his forward thinking. His entrepreneurial history and geologist’s connection to the land still weave their way through his rhetoric and inform his goals and decisions at the state capitol. But the times, they are a changin’—and Hickenlooper faces more challenges than ever to continue protecting the the state’s resources. What’s more, the popular governor, who has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, will step down in 2018, due to term limit laws, but he is sure to keep influencing how Colorado evolves.

You’re originally from Pennsylvania. what drew you to Colorado?

I first came through Boulder in the 70s on my way to a geology field camp. Then, after I finished my masters in geology, the only place you could get a job as a geologist was Houston or Denver. That decision took about five seconds. I came out here in 1981 and never looked back.

Along with Colorado senators Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennett (D), you’ve been vocal about luring the Outdoor Retailer trade show to Colorado. Why is Colorado a good fit for the show and what challenges do you foresee with the state potentially becoming the host?

In terms of outdoor recreation, Colorado is the best model you could have of what outdoor recreation can be. We have so many different public spaces. We have national parks and state parks, and conservation stations all over the place. That allows us to have so many different types of outdoor recreation, which we think is a big part of our economic success. One of the things I love about the outdoor recreation industry is that the people who make so much of the gear like to be in smaller towns (versus big cities). I think it’s healthy for the financial ecosystem to have more businesses in rural parts of your state. That’s another reason why we’re so attracted to the outdoor industry. We’re also in the center of the country, which means people from the east coast and the west coast can easily make it here. Our friendly western welcome also makes the state a great place to host large conventions. I know the space in Colorado to hold the show is tight, but we’re in the process of creating the National Western Stock Show Center which is only two light rail stops from downtown. We have 650,000 square-feet of convention space, so we’ll figure out the space. We’ll make it work.

You’re currently featured in the Outdoor Industry Association’s #TogetherWeAreAForce campaign. What message are you hoping to send to Washington by being a part of this outdoor and conservation-centric campaign spurred by the outdoor community?

Washington is just now starting to measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation. There are a lot of people in Washington who think that our public lands should be completely opened up to oil and gas exploration. I’m a geologist, and I’m sensitive to the needs of oil and gas, but I think there needs to be a balance. A lot of these landscapes should be protected forever. One hundred years from now, how will we look back? Once you begin to develop, it’s very hard to go backwards.

There’s a big conversation happening right now about whether public lands should be in federal hands or turned over to the states and even private owners. Who do you think should manage them?

We work very hard in this state to responsibly manage our state lands. The vast majority of these are off limits to developers. But I think there’s a role for the federal government to have some level of public ownership because they’re protecting those lands for all Americans and that’s ultimately going to be a safer, even more secure lockbox than state control for the next generation and the generations to follow.

It’s no secret that Colorado’s population is growin, with the result of big crowds at popular outdoor destinations throughout the state. How do you plan to encourage visitors to explore the state’s outdoor treasures while mitigating those overcrowding issues?

There are issues at our popular outdoor destinations. Are those places going to become more like a national park or state park? That’s one possibility. Our national parks and state parks, and those opportunities that are easily accessible, we want to make sure that more people can get there, but it’s probably not going to be the same experience if you go on a weekend. Summer gets really busy when vacationers are here, but if you go to the really remote parts of the state, like the Never Summer Mountains, you won’t see another person the entire time you’re there. Those opportunities still exist. I think the crucial thing is that our development stays confined to urban areas and small towns.

Where’s your favorite place to go outside and play here in Colorado?

That all depends on the season. I love skiing—I’ve skied almost every resort in Colorado. But my favorite outdoor recreation is biking. Biking around Breckenridge is gorgeous, and, of course, there are some amazing trails around Crested Butte.

We know that you are a craft brewer and big beer fan. What’s currently on tap at the Governor’s Mansion?

Right now we have an IPA, a pilsner and a stout, but it rotates often.

Tyra Sutak is Elevation Outdoors’ digital editor. A Colorado native, she also  writes for 5280  and DiningOut magazines, among other publications.

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