Let’s make Lyons, CO a model Green Star Zero Waste Community for small towns
Making Lyons a Green Star Zero Waste Community
A Green Star Zero Waste Community is a community where every sector – businesses, schools, local government, community events, and neighborhoods – is striving for 90 percent recovery of discards via waste reduction, recycling, and composting.
Lyons will become a Zero Waste model for other small towns to emulate.
In fact, we’ve already started: Lyons Elementary has been a Zero Waste leader for 10 years now as an Eco-Cycle Green Star School. Now it’s time for our community to follow our children’s lead with the goal of becoming a model sustainable community, as referenced in our Zero Waste Resolution, which was adopted in 2010.
We’ve already started!
Lyons Elementary has been a Zero Waste leader for 10 years now as an Eco-Cycle Green Star School. Students recycle, compost their food waste, AND practice overall waste reduction. Now it’s time for the rest of the community to follow our children’s lead.
Goals for expanding Zero Waste in town:
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Make Lyons Middle/Senior High School a Green Star School
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Make Lyons Town Government Zero Waste
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Sign up businesses for recycling and composting service
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Engage residents in Zero Waste practices such as backyard composting and purchasing products with less waste
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Make all major community events Zero Waste
Why go for Zero Waste?
Practicing Zero Waste means much more than recycling and composting everything you can. It means redesigning our waste systems to prevent wasteful and polluting practices and to capture discards for use in place of natural resources, which feeds the local economy.
The “stuff” of our lives has a big impact.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency states that the production, transportation, and disposal of our goods and food make up 42% of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
On the bright side: Up to 90% of ALL our discards can be recycled or composted!
By practicing Zero Waste solutions—refusing wasteful products, reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting—we can prevent greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion right now.
Lyons will model the future of sustainability.
Lyons is the perfect town to model a future where every sector of the community works together to recover discards, save energy, and resources and prevent greenhouse gas emissions. Our goal is to be the first Green Star Community so that others will follow.
>> Learn more about Zero Waste
How can you help?
Participate!
There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved. Activities and events will include opportunities to provide public input into new recycling and composting services, home and business waste monitoring projects, waste reduction challenges, a Zero Waste Festival, a U-Fix-It Clinic, and a Hard-to-Recycle Roundup.
As a Lyons resident, you will recieve regular emails about the Green Star Zero Waste Lyons campaign from the Town of Lyons listserv.
Calendar of Events
Become an Eco-Leader!
We need Eco-Leaders in our schools, government, businesses, neighborhoods, and at events. Eco-Leaders are taught Zero Waste practices, like properly sorting recycle and compost material, so they can teach their family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. The more eco-leaders in the know, the more they can get the word out about making Lyons a Green Star Community and how everyone can play an important role.
>> Sign up to be an Eco-Leader
Contact Information
Eco-Cycle Contact:
Kathleen Thurmes
Campaigns Coordinator
Email: kathleen at ecocycle dot org
303-444-6634 ext. 120
Town of Lyons Contact:
Toby Russell
Sustainability Coordinator
Email: trussell at townoflyons dot com
Sponsors
In 2016, Eco-Cycle received a two-year grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency* to partner with the Town of Lyons to help our community achieve Zero Waste. With additional funding from the CAN’d Aid Foundation’s Crush it Crusade and other community partners, Lyons is striving to achieve Zero Waste in every sector.
*This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 96851801 to Eco-Cycle, Inc. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.
