Transition
Denver’s monthly ZERO WASTE potlucks continue!
Monday, Nov.
30 700 Kalamath, northeast corner 7th and Kalamath 6-9 pm,
Bring something
yummy to drink and/or eat, and your own plate, silverware, napkin.
This potluck
will be hosted by our newest Transition Denver initiating committee member, Michele Hart.
She works
for the Redirect Guide, which is housed in the beautiful 700 Kalamath building.
Come one,
come all…..no special agendas, just getting to know each other and building our lovely community.
_________________________
Harvesting
True Growth is a developing nonprofit that is organized by prisoners and ex-prisoners for the support of prisoners and ex-prisoners.
The mission
is “to provide an ongoing harvest of healthy food, education in horticulture and healthy cooking skills that support
the community and help instill a healthy lifestyle while creating a strong work ethic as we show responsible concern for the
community and ourselves that will rebuild society’s trust in us.”
For more information
on this inspiring new project, visit http://harvestingtruegrowth.weebly.com/
________________________
Thursday,
November 19, 7 PM, Denver Presbytery Center, 1710 So. Grant St.
Front Range
Organic Gardeners present Kipp Nash of Community Roots and Sundari Kraft of Heirloom Gardens.
Learn more
about the rapidly growing Neighborhood Supported Agriculture movement.
Front Range
Organic Gardeners (FROG) is Colorado's oldest garden club (since 1987) devoted to organic gardening. Our group of notice and seasoned gardeners welcomes visitors and new members to the monthly meetings. The meetings feature speakers on timely organic gardening topics, as well as demonstration,
plant swaps, field trips and social gatherings.
For more info,
contact Linda Tegtmeier at 303-755-7871 or at frogardeners@comcast.net
Transition
Denver
303-300-3547
c. 720-837-6237
www.transitioncolorado.ning.com
www.growlocalcolorado.org
*************************************
CODE GREEN!
A TransACTION
– Transition in Action
PASS THIS
ON TO AS MANY FOLKS AS YOU CAN!
The Denver
Planning Board & City Council will soon hold two joint "Listening Sessions"
to hear public comments about the new zoning code.
This is a
chance for us all to show up, WEAR GREEN and speak (no more than 3 minutes each) about the importance of a new code that includes
robust sustainability and resiliency measures that will take Denver into a vibrant future.
Listening
Session 1: Wed., Nov. 18, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm (Sign up to speak from 5-5:30pm)
Listening
Session 2: Thurs., Nov. 19, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Sign up to speak from 12-12:30pm)
Location:
also at the Wellington E. Webb Building, 201 West Colfax Ave., Room 4F6/4G2
(YOU DON’T
HAVE TO SPEAK….JUST SHOWING UP WEARING GREEN WILL SHOW GREAT SUPPORT)
Not sure what
to say?
HERE ARE SOME
TALKING POINTS ABOUT URBAN AGRICULTURE AND SOLAR ACCESS!!!!!
FEEL FREE TO INCLUDE THESE IN YOUR COMMENTS:
(The following recommendations are provided by Denver Backyard Farms – Promoting Urban Agriculture
and Sustainable Development in the City of Denver ---- www.denverbackyardfarms.org) The 3 most important points follow, along with other points.
1. We want
Urban Agriculture (UA), which includes both botanical and zoological components, to be permitted as a primary use by right
in all zone districts in the City.
2. The zoological
aspect of UA should permit the keeping of food-producing animals (e.g., chickens, ducks, goats, etc.) in the very same manner
as dogs or cats are currently permitted. In other words, there should not be
any difficult and costly special use permit required for the keeping of food-producing animals.
3. The products
of Urban Agriculture should be allowed to be sold on the lot on which they were produced as a use by right, regardless of
the underlying zone district. This would include such things as fruits, vegetables,
honey, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, poultry waste, etc.
There should
be no written agreement required for the keeping of food-producing animals.
The term "livestock"
is highly misleading and should not be applied to food-producing animals.
Public rights-of-way
should be allowed to be used for the botanical component of Urban Agriculture with the permission of the owner of the right-of-way
(e.g., CDOT).
Outbuildings,
sheds, shelters, hothouses, enclosed gardens, coops, runs, trellises, structures, storage facilities, etc., that are required
for the proper keeping of animals or for the growing and/or storage of plants/crops should be permitted without limitation
on numbers. One permanent structure less than 150 square feet in area and less
than 10 feet in height should be permitted to be constructed with zero side and rear setbacks, as long as it is constructed
in the rear half of a lot and is not constructed within an easement.
Commercial
greenhouses engaged in plant husbandry and/or the sale of any and all products of Urban Agriculture (whether or not they originated
on the greenhouse property) should be a use by right in all zone districts in the City.
AND NOW FOR
SOLAR ACCESS!
(Solar access
talking points provided by Gerry Todd, Legacy Economy)
Solar access
is important for the following reasons:
• PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING
• ROOFTOP PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRICITY,
NOT JUST TO RETIRE COAL PLANTS BUT ALSO TO CHARGE THE BATTERIES OF PLUG-IN ELECTRIC CARS, THEREBY CUTTING OUR TRANSPORTATION
OIL CONSUMPTION, CO2 EMISSIONS, AND GOING TO WAR FOR OIL
• SOLAR SPACE AND DOMESTIC HOT
WATER HEATING, THEREBY GETTING THE NATURAL GAS OUT OF OUR BUILDINGS
• SUMMER FOOD GARDENING AND WINTER
COLD FRAME FOOD GARDENING
• SOLAR CLOTHES DRYING
THE ABOVE
LEAD TO GROWING GREEN JOBS, TRANSITIONING TO A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ECONOMY AND CREATING A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
WEAR GREEN WEAR GREEN
WEAR GREEN
If you would
like to follow up after the meetings, or if you can’t attend the meetings-
Individually
email - rather than blast - all 13 members of Denver City Council:
Rick.Garcia@denvergov.org,
Jeanne.Fatz@ci.denver.co.us, Paul.Lopez@denvergov.org,
Peggy.Lehmann@denvergov.org,
Marcia.Johnson@denvergov.org, Charlie.Brown@denvergov.org, Chris.Nevitt@denvergov.org, Carla.Madison@denvergov.org, Judy.Montero@denvergov.org,
Jeanne.Robb@ci.denver.co.us, Michael.Hancock@denvergov.org, Carol.Boigon@denvergov.org, linkhartatlarge@denvergov.org
and the Mayor: milehighmayor@ci.denver.co.us
Suggestions from Gerry:
Your own story in your own words is important.
If you're looking for some inspiration, below are some ideas, many from our recent Transition Denver 2030 Envisioning. You
might choose one or a few that resonate most with you, then tell your story or speak your passion in your own words.
Universal
message, in your own words:
I want leadership
and action on climate change and that starts with strong passive solar access protection.
Supporting
messages - choose one or a few that speak most powerfully to you, using your own words:
I have/want
solar and I need my solar access protected.
The climate
crisis requires much stronger passive solar protection than Denver's ever had.
Who wants
to live is a shadow all winter long? It's so depressing!
To solve climate
change we have to cut Xcel's fuel mix from 57% coal to ZERO% in ten years. To do that, we need every solar technology, and
we need leadership to get it installed throughout Denver.
I need solar
access for my winter cold frame which keeps me in the salad greens all winter long - and without diesel fuel hauling them
here from California or Mexico while putting CO2 in the atmosphere all the way.
How do you
propose we de-carbonize our economy fast enough to avoid the worst consequences of climate change?
There is a
conflict between solar access and development rights. But what about the right of our children and grandchildren to inherit
a planet with a habitable climate? Isn't that more important than anything else?
Denver homes
have been getting larger and larger - with larger carbon footprints. We don't need larger homes; we need real action on climate
change, starting with the zoning code protecting passive solar access and providing leadership to turn Denver into a Solar
City.
I shouldn't
have to - and I can't afford to - build my home up to the zoning height limit to reach the sun - and by the way, then shade
my neighbor to the north! We need passive solar access for my home as it is now, at my first floor windows.
The "population
growth is inevitable" paradigm is unsustainable and has set us up for the housing sector bust which cascaded into our economic
bust. Denver - Everywhere - has enough housing. Now we need to focus on quality. And that means not more homes and not larger
homes but rather focusing on cutting our CO2 emissions and our fossil fuel consumption - and cutting them enough to solve
climate change and to become energy independent. And that requires enough passive solar access to get the job done. Show me
that the code provides enough passive solar access to do that.
Making the
scrape-and-rebuild model work required over-investing in housing, which required we under-invest in education - and it shows!
A 50% dropout rate is shameful and unsustainable. We need to abandon the scrape-and-rebuild model and focus instead on decarbonizing
Denver by fixing what we've got. And that starts with preserving passive solar access.
We need lots
of solar access so we can have enough PV to electrify our cars and get off oil and "go to war no more" for oil - or any other
resource. Now that's a real step toward sustainability!
Climate change
is very much a local issue, and the obvious first step is to protect enough passive solar access so we can de-carbonize our
local economy.
Transition
Denver
303-300-3547
c. 720-837-6237
www.transitioncolorado.ning.com
www.transitiondenver.org
www.growlocalcolorado.org