boulderweekly.com/briefs
Boulder meets 2010 census goal
The mail-back phase of the 2010 Census is complete, and 75 percent of Boulder residents participated, which is the same rate achieved in 2000.
Census workers are now visiting, in person, every residence that did not mail back a completed census form. Census workers will also re-visit every address that was previously classified as vacant or as non-existent to ensure that the classification was correct and to take the count in person if the address was misclassified.
Workers will begin in the University Hill and Goss Grove neighborhoods to try to count college students before they leave for the summer. Census workers are identifiable by a census badge, and many will also be carrying a census bag. Census workers will visit a household up to six times to attempt to reach the residents and complete the questionnaire. If no one is home, the census worker will leave a notice about how to complete the interview or schedule a visit. Follow-up operations begin May 1 and will continue through July.
For more information visit www.2010census.gov.
Longmont Humane Society hosts fundraiser
Ella’s Walk, a fundraiser for the Longmont Humane Society, will be held on May 15 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds picnic area.
The walk, in memory of Meredith Hope Emerson, is named for Meredith’s dog, Ella. It is a tribute to Emerson’s life and a celebration of her passion for animals and her willingness to help others in need. Emerson was abducted and killed in 2008 while hiking in Georgia with her dog, Ella, which she adopted from a rescue organization. Ella will once again join the festivities and be introduced on stage prior to the walk.
Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. The three-mile walk along the St.Vrain Greenway begins at 9:30 a.m. After the walk, activities on “Mutt Main Street” include the “Adoptable Pet Parade;” agility and flyball demonstrations; Angelyne, the amazing deaf cattle dog, showing off her skills; canine massage; and a microchip clinic. Live music throughout the festival will be provided by Mojomama.
The Longmont Humane Society has set a goal of raising $45,000 at the walk. All proceeds go to the care and shelter of homeless animals at Longmont Humane Society.
Bike clinics roll out
Community Cycles, a nonprofit that educates and advocates for biking as alternative transportation, will host three rolling bike clinics in May.
Rolling bike clinics are bicyclepowered mobile bike shops designed to fix broken bikes in Boulder’s high-density, low-income neighborhoods.
Volunteer bike mechanics load Community Cycles’ large-capacity bike trailers with all the tools needed for a mobile bike shop. They ride to the neighborhood, set up shops and fix bikes for the day.
The clinics, which will be held from noon to 5 p.m., are scheduled for May 8 at the San Lazaro Mobile Home Park at 5505 Valmont Ave.; May 15 at the Mapleton Mobile Home Park bordered by Folsom, Valmont and Mapleton; and May 22 at the Orchard Grove Mobile Home Park at 3003 Valmont.
Call 720-565-6019 for more information, or sign up at www.communitycycles.org/classes.
Paradigm Pilot garners praise
Boulder County’s Paradigm Pilot project has received a second place award in the Denver Regional Council of Government’s (DRCOG) 2010 Local Government Awards Program for Collaboration.
The “Paradigm Pilot Project: A Blueprint for Change,” a Boulder County Housing & Human Services Housing Development project, follows the design, development and testing of new sustainable building technologies in two affordable housing units of the Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA). The duplex and single-family affordable housing units are located at 900 Avalon in Lafayette.
Paradigm Pilot involved the construction of energy-efficient affordable housing units partly funded by Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) funds. The renewable energy features include passive solar, systemsbuilt (modular) construction, performance building design and the use of photovoltaic and geothermal loops. The Paradigm Pilot project’s development timeline was less than a year — from comprehensive plan amendment in November 2008 to certificate of occupancy in September 2009.
For more information, visit www.bouldercounty.org/hhs/pilot.htm.
Naropa gets environmental award
The Princeton Review has named Naropa University as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the country. The education services company selected Naropa for inclusion in a resource it created for college applicants called “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges.” Naropa was recognized for its zero-waste program, particularly because at the 2007 graduation ceremony, 2,000 people produced just one small bag of trash. The university composts its waste from the Naropa Café as well as its bathroom paper towels, and students are given bus passes for local and regional travel. Naropa also purchases 100 percent of its electricity from wind power.
The Princeton Review Guide also provides information on schools that have an important environmental studies curriculum. Naropa offers a B.A. in environmental studies and minors in subjects ranging from horticulture to sacred ecology, as well as graduate programs in environmental studies. The Princeton Review Guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/greenguide.
Local groups team up for festival
Pekoe Sip House has teamed up with Sambazon, Conscious Coffees, Ideal Market, Radda, Cronin Jewelers, Urban Pearl, Easton Brazilian Jujitsu, Breeze Bars, Izze, Celementine Studio and Pharmaca to host a benefit festival on Saturday, May 22.
The festival, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Ideal Broadway Shops on Alpine and Broadway, will raise awareness and funds for the Global Education Fund. Food, beverages and giveaways will be available, as well as live music by Samba Dende and Ginga, face painting, children’s book reading, arts and crafts and a raffle. Proceeds will be donated to the Global Education Fund.
County wins well workplace award
The Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) has awarded Boulder County a ‘Gold’ Well Workplace Award for its efforts in maximizing employee health and wellbeing.
WELCOA recognizes organizations that make a commitment to employee health and well-being, and Boulder County met seven of the organization’s benchmarks and underwent a review to examine workplace wellness efforts.
It ranked gold on a scale of bronze to platinum, and an award ceremony was held on April 27 at the Boulder County Courthouse.
Kinetics workshops on deck
In preparation for the Aug. 28 Colorado Kinetics Sculpture Race at Union Reservoir in Longmont, two “Build Your Own Kinetic Sculpture” workshops have been planned, for May 22 and June 12.
The workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Longmont Parks and Recreation Department, at 7 S. Sunset St. in Longmont.
Anyone over age 14 is welcome; the cost is $5 for Longmont residents and $6.25 for nonresidents.
Phone registration is available until May 21 by calling 303-651-8406. Online registration is available until May 19 at www.kineticists.org.
Women’s cycling event returns
Venus de Miles, Colorado’s only allwomen’s cycling event, will return to Boulder County for its third annual event on Sunday, Aug. 29.
Online registration is open, and event details can be found at www. venusdemiles.com. Organizers expect up to 3,000 participants in this year’s event, which is open to women of all ages and ability levels. Participants may choose from one of three course options (33, 51 or 67 miles), all of which wind through the Boulder foothills and are supported with aid stations, mechanical assistance and entertainment-fueled rest stops. After the ride, a festival will be held at Prospect Park in Longmont, featuring gourmet food, live music by Elephant Revival, cocktails, beer from Lefthand Brewery and a “wellness station” offering massage, mini-facials and other treatments.
Venus de Miles is organized by and benefits Greenhouse Scholars, a Boulder nonprofit that provides mentoring and scholarship support to highperforming, under-resourced students.
For more information, contact Teresa Robbins at teresa@venusdemiles.com, or call 303-460-1745.
Reptile expo comes to Longmont
The Colorado Reptile Humane Society’s (CoRHS) annual open house “The Reptile Experience!” will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, from noon to 5 p.m.
The open house will feature adoptable animals, information on how to create habitats for your pet, an opportunity to meet the Colorado state reptile and pet snakes, lizards and more. The event is the only time all year that the shelter is open to the public for tours and visiting animals. Admission is $5 per person, which will help fund ongoing efforts by CoRHS to shelter, feed and provide medical care for reptiles and amphibians. For more information visit www.corhs.org.
