The coal mining chapter of Redstone’s history has been closed for the past few decades, and although that sounds like good news for the fight against climate change, the abandoned Coal Basin mines are far from benign. Even though new rock isn’t being broken, these mines are still releasing copious quantities of methane into the […]
climate change
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Carbondale man arrested in NYC
During the international Climate Week gathering in New York City, Arn Menconi, a Carbondale resident, was one of 149 protesters arrested on Sept. 17 for blocking access to the Federal Reserve Bank, demanding the Fed regulate Wall Street fossil fuel financing. Protesters called attention to both public and private fossil fuel financing. As reported by […]
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Polis signs slew of laws to fight climate change
On June 9, The Colorado Energy Office announced that Governor Jared Polis signed a series of bills passed by the state legislature designed to equitably reduce carbon emissions through policy changes and a significant allotment of funding. These new laws — ranging from establishing new energy efficiency standards in home appliances, granting tax credits for […]
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Aspen approves Sustainability Action Plan
On February 24, the City of Aspen announced that the City Council had approved the Aspen Sustainability Action Plan (ASAP), replacing the previous Climate Action Plan and setting new goals for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the next five to seven years. Aspen’s previous initiative for sustainability, penned in 2017, set the primary goals of […]
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Local climate educator returns from the Arctic
Nearly 100 miles offshore, north of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, Sarah R. Johnson, founder of Wild Rose Education in Carbondale, carefully leaned out of a hovering North Slope Borough Search and Rescue Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. Pausing for just a moment to take in the vastness of the Arctic Ocean, Johnson exhaled as she released an ice ball […]
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Coalition grapples with climate pollution at local defunct mine
Redstone used to be a coal mining town. From the 1950s until the early nineties, Mid-Continent Resources extracted coal from several mines in Coal Basin. Some reports say the company produced in excess of 21 million tons of coal. These days, the Crystal River valley boasts a scenic drive, a clear river, hot springs, mountain […]
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Letter from Michigan
Greetings, Bonedalers and valley folk, from (near) the shore of Lake Michigan! For almost two months (with a week-long break for Mountain Fair), my wife Bonnie and I have been at a little cottage in the woods about 10 miles north of the Indiana border. We have been coming here for years. It’s in a […]
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Wildfire and mudslides and drought, oh my!
Intense rainfall over the last several weeks led to numerous mudslides throughout the region. The most notable events occurred in Glenwood Canyon, a direct result of last year’s Grizzly Creek wildfire, though unburned areas also experienced slides, such as Highway 133 near Redstone. “The debris flows that we’re seeing outside the burn areas in Colorado […]
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My gift to your children's children's children
Friday, while cheering on Roaring Fork High School’s graduation parade, I was surprised to find a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. My emotional state was prompted in equal parts by civic pride, respect and terror. Let me explain those, one-by-one. First, I’m proud of our local schools. It takes a […]