Green Lyons, local news for the eco-conscious Lyons resident

Letter from the owner & Green Lyons news…

I fell in love with Lyons after running on the sweet-smelling desert trails of Hall Ranch, hanging on the deck at Oskars after long climbing days, and reading the paper and drinking Chai at the Stone Cup on my way to work in Longmont. Since moving here, I’ve found Lyons offers more than I originally anticipated, including excellent gardening opportunities, tubing, plenty of really neat people, and the most eco-conscious community I’ve ever been a part of.

In fact, I discovered earlier this year that 120 Lyons residents reduced their overall energy consumption by 11 percent in 2008 (see article later this week). And we have businesses that are models of sustainability, such as A Spice of Life (see article later this week). Lyons is hip, and it’s green.

However, it could be even greener if more residents recycled and composted their food waste.
According to www.Cool2012.com, biodegradable materials amount to half of our country’s discarded resources. Unfortunately, that stuff doesn’t break down as it would in a compost pile. Instead, your veggie leftovers, breads, and paper plates “decompose anaerobically, without oxygen, and in the process become the number one source of human-caused methane and a major player in climate change.” Plus, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, basic recycling reduced the country’s carbon emissions by 49 million metric tones in 2005.

So, in an effort to finally put my money where my eco-mouth is and to support Lyons’ ongoing sustainability efforts, I’ve started a curbside recycling and compost business. Lyons Curbside Recycling and Compost will be locally oriented and green as possible. I’ll buy what I need from local business, and once I have 35 customers signed up I’ll hire someone from Lyons to work with me. Once I have 100 customers I’ll buy a diesel-engine truck, which I will run on bio-fuel.

I need 15 people to sign up to get started. Join me in making Lyons a greener place!

-Lizzy Scully

Budgeting and other stuff

I've just completed the budget plan. 

* In order to start picking up compost and recycling, I need at least 15 customers. I will start picking up recycling on August 3rd or as soon as 15 people sign up for recycling and/or compost

* Once I have 35-50 customers, I can hire someone to work four days per month

* Once I have 75-100 customers, I can hire someone to work eight days per month

* Once I have 150-200 customers, I can hire someone to work 16 days per month

I will hire a Lyons resident.

Additionally, once I have 100 customers I can purchase a used diesel engine truck, which I can run on biodiesal, thus further supporting the sustainability of my business, the community, and the environment.

A note on the costs of pick-up services:

Compost is significantly more expensive than recycling because it costs money to drive to and drop compost off at A1 Organics. Once I get 250 customers, I'll be able to cut the cost of composting from $18 to $16 per month (from $9 to $8 per pick up). If people sign up for the recycling and compost services in equal numbers, I will be able to cut the recycling cost from $11 to $10 per month (from $5.5 to $4.5 per pick up).

In addition to standard pick-up services, I will offer a monthly newsletter with information about community sustainability efforts.

Why should you compost?

PROBLEM: Landfilling food and paper is heating the planet.

As communities work to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the first place to look is in the garbage can.

Every day, communities across the U.S. send tens of thousands of trucks to bury biodegradable materials such as paper products, food scraps and yard trimmings. These materials amount to half of our discarded resources. When buried in a landfill, those lettuce heads, grass clippings and paper boxes don’t just break down as they would in nature or in a compost pile. They decompose anaerobically, without oxygen, and in the process become the number one source of human-caused methane and a major player in climate change...

For more infomation and to read the entire article, please visit the Cool2012 Website.