Going Green

April 25, 2009

Green is the new black, that’s what they say. Going green has been important to me for a while-even before it became so trendy. Today, I am very excited to join up with a returned Peace Corps Volunteer group in Denver to do some volunteering for a green cause.

We meet at a local neighborhood church. There are already a bunch of other people waiting inside. They are all members of the neighborhood association. All around Denver, neighborhoods are making an effort to go green with a project called “Greenprint”. This is a government program that is run out of the mayor’s office.

A woman representing the project stands up and tells us more about it and what we’ll be doing today. She is very knowledgeable about all things green. She tells us that we are doing the first neighborhood-sponsored “blitz” today. We will be going door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor to give people free Green gifts.

We have a bag of CFL (energy efficient) light bulbs to give away as well as free reusable grocery bags. We also have a lot of services to offer-all for free. For example, people who qualify can use some of the stimulus money to get their homes weatherized and even get a free energy-efficient refrigerator. They can sign up for totally free recycling, and they can choose to switch their power source from coal burning to wind energy. We help them reduce their junk mail.

We also sit down and talk to Mary who must be about 89 years old. She says she is lonely. She tells us she wishes there was less trash out in the alley and asks if there is any way we can tell the Mayor’s office to get a dumpster out there. We install a light bulb for her. This project is about people connecting with other people and caring for each other as well as for our Mother Earth.

We have coupons to save hundreds of dollars on electric lawn mowers. People are excited about all of the possibilities. They thank us for standing out in the cold rain today going door-to-door talking to the neighbors about these important issues. I feel like I have truly made a difference today.