Summit County: The future of water

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Out Future Summit's water forums wind up this week.

Summit County panel talks on water issues wraps up this week

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A trio of water experts will tackle some of the most vexing questions about the future of our most precious resource during a June 23 panel discussion at CMC in Breckenridge (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.).

Former Blue River water commissioner Scot Hummer will moderate the panel, with speakers to include author Steve Maxwell, Colorado River Water Conservation District director Eric Kuhn and water attorney Barney White.

According to a press release from Our Future Summit, the goal of this meeting is to talk about the future of water and how we will deal with problems associated with it. There just doesn’t seem to be enough water of the right quality in the right places, both here in Summit County, in Colorado, in the western United States and in much of the world. (more…)

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Summit County: Home-buying workshop set for May 19

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Our Future Summit offers roundtable on financing, saving and more

Summit County home ownership can be attainable. Learn how with the May 19 Our Future Summit workshop.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local residents will have a chance to learn strategies for making home buying possible, staying in your home affordably, and selling your home profitably at this month’s Our Future Summit meeting.

“We will be discussing ways to make home ownership possible for those believe home ownership is out of reach,” said Our Future Summit founder Howard Hallman.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 pm. to 9 p.m. at the Summit County Community & Senior Center. (more…)

Filed under: affordable housing, Colorado, real estate, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County: Local think tank addresses sustainability

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Dec. 9 community roundtable will help determine topics for next year

Sunrise over the Gore Range, in Summit County, Colorado.

By Bob Berwyn

Click on the image to visit Our Future Summit online.

SUMMIT COUNTY — You may not know it, but Summit County has its own local grassroots version of a think tank with a focus on long-term community sustainability. Our Future Summit, founded by Howard Hallman, will be hosting its final community roundtable of 2010 at 7 p.m. tonight at the Summit County Community & Senior Center (County Commons, 0151 Peak One Drive, Frisco, Colorado).

For the sake of transparency, Our Future Summit is a Summit Voice sponsor, and I hope to work more closely with Hallman’s grow in the coming year to highlight sustainability issues. I remember having long talks with Hallman as he was in the process of starting up the organization, and it’s been fun to watch it grow to become a key clearinghouse for information on sustainability issues. I alway come away from talks with him feeling more positive about the future of Summit County. (more…)

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Colo. tax-cut measures would hit Summit schools hard

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Colorado voters will decide on three tax-cutting measures in November.

Summit County forum set for Sept. 25, 9:30 a.m. at the Summit County Community & Senior Center

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A trio of tax-cutting measures on the November ballot could take a $2.3 million bite from local school budgets next year, with additional impacts during the next 10 years.

Several local experts, including Brad Piehl, treasurer of the Summit school board, and Karen Strakbein, assistant superintendent of the Summit School District, will participate in a panel discussion on the impacts amendments 60 and 61, as well as proposition 101. An as-yet un-named representative from Colorado Mountain College may also join the panel.

A coalition of local groups sponsoring a series of forums on the measures is urging “any and all interested proponents, opponents and undecideds to help stimulate a lively conversation about these November ballot measures … Saturday morning.”

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Sustainability or greenwashing — you decide!

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A recently opened Burger King franchise in Germany includes a wind turbine and several hundred solar panels that generate about one-third of the restaurant's energy usage. PHOTO COURTESY BURGER KING.

Safeway opens a LEED certified store and a German Burger King goes green with wind and solar power

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Fast food joints aren’t known for being the most environmentally sensitive operations, but that could change if the design for a new Burger King in Germany catches on. The franchise in Waghäusel was built with more than 700 solar panels and other renewable energy features that supply a third of the restaurant’s power.

The green burger emporium is part of Burger King’s push toward social responsibility, outlined in a program called BK Positive Steps. On the company’s website, it says that, for example, that all its beef comes from cows that have raised in an environmentally friendly way. Other than that, the statement is short on details, but it does specify that no beef comes from “recently deforested tropical rainforests.” (more…)

Filed under: Environment, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

SustainaBiz: Do well, without compromising the future

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

World economy could fall off a cliff if businesses don’t embrace sustainability

CORE director Graham Russell warns that the world economy could be headed for a fall, as local business owners (from left) Todd Rankin, Jon Harrington, Roger Roberts and Thom Beckett prepare to share their experiences as part of Sustainabiz panel.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The local business community tackled the topic of sustainability with gusto during this week’s annual Sustainabiz conference in Frisco, as local entrepreneurs shared hands-on lessons of how they’ve applied green principles to their own operations.

At its heart, the concept of sustainability isn’t really that hard to understand — It’s about meeting today’s needs without compromising the future, and about a value system that integrates natural systems with human activities. (more…)

Filed under: business, Environment, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

VIDEO: Sustainability in Summit County

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Sustainability is one of the biggest buzz words around, and while it’s easy to talk about in general terms, it’s not quite as simple when it comes to nailing down a definition that’s useful for making decisions on a day-to-day basis. On June 1, a group of Summit County residents shared their thoughts in a roundtable discussion hosted by Our Future Summit. Watch a 10-minute video summary of the discussion and listen to a recording of the entire session here.

Filed under: affordable housing, business, Environment, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

A sustainable Summit?

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Forum, business conference to tackle sustainability issues this week

The three pillars of sustainability shown as a Venn diagram.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY  —  As a lead-in to SustainaBiz 2010, Our Future Summit is hosting a free community roundtable on June 1 to explore myths and realities about sustainability from a local perspective.

The roundtable is open to any and all participants willing to describe what a sustainable lifestyle or business means to them, as well as how successfully reality is matching their ideals. The roundtable is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Summit County Community & Senior Center. (more…)

Filed under: business, Environment, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Education roundtable to discuss funding alternatives

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Get schooled at the April 22 Our Future Summit roundtable on education funding.

Foundation support for targeted programs seen as option

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit school board treasurer Brad Piehl will co-host an April 22 panel discussion on school funding as part of Our Future Summit’s ongoing series of community conservations on timely topics.

Summit School District assistant superintendent Karen Strakbein will be on hand to summarize findings from a March 30 district open house attended by 350 parents, students, teachers and other community members.  The open house focused primarily on finding places to trip $800,000 from the budget.

“This is a time when we need to think of creative solutions for increasing student achievement in the midst of declining state funding,” Piehl said, urging anyone willing to share ideas to attend the roundtable. The discussion will be co-moderated by Our Future Summit president Howard Hallman.

In what appears to be an absence of stable government funding for education, the talk will look at some new approaches to supporting education in Summit County, including the establishment of foundations to support targeted programs.

More discussion points include:
•    Tracking post graduate performance in higher education and career choice;
•    Rethinking our idea of how we reward teachers;
•    Expanding existing mentor programs.

The event is free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact bpiehl@jw-associates.org or future1946@yahoo.com.

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You’re invited: Community forum on transportation

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Could moveable lane barriers help ease congestion on I-70?

I-70, Dam Road and Summit Stage operations up for discussion at March 11 Our Future Summit event in Frisco

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local leaders and transportation experts will gather for a roundtable Thursday to discuss high country transportation issues, including some potential ways to ease I-70 congestion and the latest on talks with Denver Water on the nighttime Dillon Dam Road closures.

Speakers at the forum include I-70 Coalition chair and Frisco town manager Michael Penny, new Colorado State Patrol commander Capt. John Lupton, Sheriff John Minor, Summit Stage director John Jones and Denver Water operations director Brian Good. The forum is part of the Our Future Summit series of community roundtables on local topics. (more…)

Filed under: I-70, Summit County Colorado, transportation | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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