Love This Place Like a Local

Perhaps you’re an Old School local who’s been in Summit County for decades – you know, the type who still has a “ZL” license plate and won’t ever give it up.  Maybe you’re a relative newcomer, but your kids were born here and celebrate their birthdays at the local pump track.  Or maybe you’re a Breckenridge Grand Vacations homeowner and don’t live here full-time, but you’ve been coming to Summit County year after year and regularly give back to the community.  However, you identify with Summit County and the High Country Conservation Center (HC3) believes that everyone who loves this place embodies the spirit of a local and can #BeLOCAL.

A new community engagement campaign created by HC3, #BeLOCAL, hopes to inspire all locals and would-be locals to care more and do more to protect and preserve our mountain home.  Take for a moment Sherri Calderini, who enrolled in HC3’s CARE program.  At zero cost to her, HC3 was able to complete an energy assessment and seal up air leaks, add insulation and upgrade to LEDs, which will save her $700 annually in energy savings.  If every local did this, we could save enough electricity to power over 2,000 homes for a year!

Caring for our community goes beyond caring for our environment alone – it means helping people too.  HC3’s Grow to Share program, now in its fourth year, grows food for families in need while simultaneously reducing food waste, a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions.  The Grow to Share program donates excess produce from HC3’s community gardens and the Summit CSA farm-share program to residents along with nutrition and cooking information.  In partnership with Summit County WIC and the Family and Intercultural Resource Center, Grow to Share embodies what it means to #BeLOCAL.

“The goal of #BeLOCAL is to celebrate Summit County locals for who they are and what they believe.  And most importantly,” explains HC3’s Executive Director Jen Schenk, “we want to get residents to get involved.  We want all of our Summit locals, and our visitors, to join together to create a brighter, better future and to ‘Love this Place like a Local’.”

In 2018, HC3 challenges you to #BeLOCAL by identifying an issue that you care about and then committing to taking action.  HC3 has a variety of programs to get you started, as do the many local nonprofits in the community.  Whether it’s energy efficiency in your home to fixing a water leak in your irrigation system or starting food composting at work and growing your own food at a community garden, your actions make an environmental difference.

No matter who you are or where you’re from, we consider you a local if you care enough about this place to conserve, give back and make a difference.  #BeLOCAL is about rallying our community together in a fun, engaging way to increase our commitment to recycling, composting, energy conservation, water conservation and living in a more sustainable way.

You can support HC3 at the 29th Annual Tim McClure Benefit on Friday, February 23rd from 6 – 10 pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Breckenridge.  Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.  VIP tickets are $60.  Tickets include appetizers, live music, entertainment by EveryBelly Dancers, silent auction and unlimited tastings of local beer, wine and spirits.  VIP ticket holders receive a pint glass and early access to the silent auction.

Visit HC3’s website at highcountryconservation.org to learn more about our programs and how you can join the movement.

About High Country Conservation Center

High Country Conservation Center is a nonprofit organization focusing on waste reduction, energy efficiency and clean energy, water conservation, and sustainable food production in Summit County, Colorado.  Its programs include Composting in the Schools, home energy audits and ratings, community gardens and sustainable business programs.  Its mission is to promote practical solutions for waste reduction and resource conservation in our mountain community. Learn more at www.highcountryconservation.org.