Event! High Altitude Gardening

You are invited to a garden chat with Karen Anderson, "The Plant Lady," from Paradise Gardens. Karen has been specializing in high altitude, organic, and native gardening since 1977, and is offering to share her experience, knowledge and passion with you in a casual , informative gathering at the Ute Pass Library! She will begin with working with, and building your soil, and then address other questions in the gardening world. Bring your notebooks!. This is a free class thanks to the generous support of the Ute Pass Friends of the Library.
Library: Ute Pass Library - 8010 Severy
Contact: Lisa Steck-Gillen
Contact Number: 684-9342
Presenter: Karen Anderson

Classes! H.A.S. Vegetable Gardening Success Lecture

Heres an upcoming lecture sponsored by the Horticultural Arts Society, including a tour of theformer Penrose home gardens:

The April 11th Spring Lecture Series of the Horticultural Art Society is being held at the Carriage Room at Penrose House, 1661 Mesa Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, starting at 10 am. A garden tour of the beautiful grounds of the former home of El Pomar founders Spencer and Julie Penrose, will follow the lecture.
The Lecture will be “Yes You Can: Veggie Gardening Success: Come learn the ABCs of vegetable gardening, plus some special tips and techniques that will help you succeed in our challenging area. ” Planning and persistence will pay off when you go out to harvest your own veggies! Lecturer Leslie Holzmann has been growing plants since she was a toddler, a very long time ago. The lessons learned from over 20 years of successes and failures in her Black Forest vegetable garden, added to the knowledge gained during an eleven year stint as a volunteer Colorado Master Gardener, enable her to offer proven advice to help you succeed in growing your own food here in the Pikes Peak region.
This event will be free to HAS members AND to the general public. PLEASE NOTE: Please pre-register (seating is limited) at hasgardens@gmail.com or by phone (719)357-9427.
We are always delighted to see everyone at this event.  We take great pride in offering an event at this lovely conference center each year.  If you have any questions, please call or email us at the above address and phone.

Resource! Free Hazardous Waste Disposal

Here's another great resource for getting rid of dangerous household items:  the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility.  They've even got a nifty video about what they do.

Resource! El Paso County Recycling Directory

Don't know where to recycle that unusual item?  Don't throw it away.  Find a local recycling option in the El Paso County Recycling Directory.

Event! April Sustainability Breakfast -Spirituality & Sustainability

The Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future, along with the Catamount Institute and Sustainable Fort Carson are holding their monthly Sustainability Breakfast Series on the topic of Spirituality and Sustainability on Thursday, April 9th, from 7:30 - 9:00 AM in the Wildcat Room at the Ivywild School.

Join a panel of religious thought leaders for discussion of Faith and Environmental Stewardship in the Pikes Peak region. What do religious texts say about taking care of the Earth? What has been lost in translation? How can sustainability strengthen a congregation? These questions and much more will be discussed. Stay tuned for a list of panelists and save the date!

• Thursday April 9, 2015
• 7:30am - 9:00am
• Ivywild School, 1604 S. Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80905 

No need to RSVP - just come! Free & Open to the Community.
Bring your own breakfast or come early and grab something in the Principal's Office or Old School Bakery.

Resource! CSU Extension CMG Garden Notes

Colorado State University Extension offers great resources in conjunction with their Master Gardener program. Take at look at these guides to: Climate Summary: Colorado Springs, Colorado Vegetable Planting Guide

Organization! Pikes Peak Earth Month

Take a look at their website: "You found the go-to website for Pikes Peak Earth Month! Earth Day is more than just a day. It has spread to every day of our lives and April has become a month to celebrate our daily endeavors toward sustainability through local actions. April is also a great time to reach out to those who may not be aware of the benefits of making smart choices about the earth and its resources, to share our collective knowledge, and increase our connection with our community and the earth history."

Event! Garden of the Gods Earth Day

Join in the fun at this annual event!

Organization! Catamount Institute

From their website: Catamount Institute is a non-profit organization based in Colorado Springs, CO, whose mission is to develop ecological stewards through education and adventure. From School Rooms to Board Rooms, we create a vibrant community, where each of us takes responsibility for our actions and business leaders engage in practices that respect our natural resources, give back to the community, and positively affect the bottom line. Our children experience the wonders of the outdoors firsthand, while developing life skills that will serve society, as well as themselves. .

Resource! Checkout Kill A Watt Meters.

From Colorado Springs Utilities website: We've teamed up with the Pikes Peak Library District, PPLD, to provide Kill A Watt meters that can be borrowed, just like books, to help you check-in to energy savings. A Kill A Watt meter is a simple and remarkably useful device that reveals how much plug-in appliances are costing you to operate. Two meters are available at each PPLD location for check-out. To measure an appliance’s electricity use, simply plug the meter into a wall socket and then plug an appliance or small electronic item into the meter. The meter will display how much energy the device uses over a specific period of time – even when the electronic is supposedly switched off. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that about 10 percent of household electricity use is consumed by idle devices, or those that continue to draw power when they are off. This waste can be measured by the Kill A Watt meter. Once the high-energy use appliances are identified, you can take special care to turn them off, unplug them if not needed or replace them. By making energy-saving adjustments, you can take charge of your electricity use and lower your utility bill. We have energy and water experts available to answer your questions at the Conservation and Environmental Center. To find a library location, visit the PPLD website.

Classes! Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscape Classes

From the Colorado Springs Utilities site: "We are committed to the intelligent use of water. We provide classes with experienced instructors to help you make the best use of this precious resource. There is no charge for classes and reservations are not required, unless otherwise noted; however, seating is limited and first come, first served. All classes are held at Colorado Springs Utilities Conservation and Environmental Center, 2855 Mesa Road, home of our beautiful xeriscape demonstration garden. For more information call (719) 668-8232." Click here for more information.

Event! Vegetable Container Gardening

Garden anywhere! For those of you who don’t have space for a garden, or prefer to stick to a smaller space -- container gardening is a great way to grow. Julie, from Summerland Gardens, will talk about which plants thrive in containers. No registration required for this free program. Click here for more information Library: Cheyenne Mountain Library - 1785 S. 8th Street Suite 100 Date: 4/11/2015 Start Time: 10:30 AM End Time: 12:00 PM

Event! The Big Cool Science Festival at Colorado College Saturday, April 4, 2015

It's Cool Science time at Colorado College! Come kick-off Earth Month with us and find out how much fun science, math and engineering really is with live "Science Magic" demonstration shows, tours and dozens of fun and engaging hands-on science activities, including real magic tricks based on science. Presented by Cool Science, the Colorado College Cool Science Club and local companies, schools, clubs, nonprofits, museums and other organizations. The event is free, but please pre-register, and a $2/child (or $5/family) donation via Paypal (or cash at the door) will be appreciated to help cover our costs. Most activities are intended for students ages 8-15, but there will be fun for all ages.

Resource! Pikes Peak Library Green Living Resources

Pikes Peak Library staff is pleased to recommend a plethora of resources for our patrons interested in living green. Click here to explore. You can always find it as a category, listed under All Subjects in the Research column of our website: PPLD.org. Be sure and explore our subscription Databases if you want reliable, up-to-date info. There's a wide range of topics listed under recommended Websites. Composting, Recycling, Energy Savers, Local Organizations--they're all there. Finally, connect to the PPLD catalog for items of particular interest. You can further limit these catalog results if you want a specific type of item (DVD's for instance), or age group.

What this Blog is all about!

This blog is maintained by the Green Team of the Pikes Peak Library District. Every spring, we will highlight local events, organizations and resources enabling the community to live a greener, more sustainable life. In line with the library district’s mission, we hope you will SEEK: sustainable practices, ENGAGE in earth-wise living, and TRANSFORM the world that it might be an even better place for our children and generations to come!