Green Tips for Summer 

By Barbara Rivera, Congress Park Green Team

Transportation Options To Reduce Pollution and Congestion

• Don’t have a bike? No Problem! Denver B Cycle bike sharing program has a bike for you. In 2016, B Cycle riders made 354,652 trips, saving an estimated 76,452 gallons of gas and avoiding 1,503,820 pounds of CO2 emissions! Follow the directions at any B Cycle station (stations at Botanic Gardens, 12^th & Columbine, and along Colfax at Columbine, Steele and Garfield).
• Reduce single occupancy/single use car trips. Combine several personal errands into single outings. Carpool with neighbors on your regular trip across town to Costco.
• Turn your commute into your daily workout. Ride your bike to work and skip the gym that day. Save time and money, and get fit!

Water Conservation

• In the western United States, over 50% of residential water is used on landscapes. A lot of that goes to turf grass. Switching to xeriscape reduces this water use by 60%. Reduce grass areas in your lawn and replace with low water xeriscape beds, and native plants. Use mulch to reduce evaporation. For great ideas, visit www.coloradowaterwise.org
• Waste less water on the grass areas by aerating, keeping grass taller and adjusting your sprinkler heads to minimize watering sidewalks and street! Run sprinklers in shorter back-to-back cycles to increase water retention (run your cycles for 5 min each then repeat instead of running each cycle for 10 min). www.denverwater.org/residential/conservation-tip/watering-your-lawn
• Toilets use 24% of our water consumption! Fix leaking toilets or replace your old toilet with an ultra-high-efficiency model that can pay for itself in water savings. Denver Water offers rebates for qualifying models. www.denverwater.org

Home Energy Efficiency

• Replace your furnace/air conditioner’s air filter every month or two to increase efficiency.
• When cooking, cover pots with lids to speed cooking times and keep kitchen cooler.
• Replace traditional light bulbs with LED bulbs. They use 70-90% less energy and last 15 times longer! Start with those lights most used.
• Hang your laundry outside to dry on our hot, sunny Colorado days.

Waste Diversion & Reduction

• Say “No Thanks!” to plastic shopping bags. Keep re-useable shopping bags in your trunk and remember to carry them into the store (and return to your trunk for next trip)!
• Consider backyard composting for lawn clippings and food scraps OR sign up for a City compost bin (available for most of Congress Park). Go to www.denvergov.org to get your own green compost bin or share one with your neighbor.
• Reduce plastic & non-recyclables: Use Compostable garbage bags (available at Sprouts, King Soopers) and re-useable straws (available for 50 cents at Sweet Cooie’s Ice Cream @ 3506 E. 12^th). Bring your own cup to the coffee shop!

Remember- Every Little Bit Helps! Together We Can Make a Huge Impact