Blog
Check back regularly for the latest Cool Boulder Campaign news.
Continue to the next section to review our full blog!
2023 Themes
January:
New Year Kick-off & Biodiversity
February:
Garden and Habitat Planning
March:
Soil Health and Regenerative Practices
April:
Tree Planting & Tree Care
May:
Biodiverse Places and Spaces
June:
Drought & Water Use
July:
Community Heat Impacts & Mitigation Strategies
August:
Wildfire Resilient Landscapes
September:
Pollinators & Insects
October:
Harvest / Regenerative Agriculture
November:
Seeds – Adaptations & Propagation Methods
December:
Off-Season Yard Care / Compost as a Climate Resource
Interested in a specific topic?
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Boulder’s Community Comes Together to Create Food Security and Climate Resilience by Transitioning Landscapes, and the NbS Team Throws the Bee Fest
The Nature-based Solutions team collaborates with community members and organizations to create the Bee Festival and two landscape transitions. Click to read more!
Wet Meadow Restoration in Colorado: Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) are changing landscapes - see their impact in restoring a wet meadow in Colorado using low-tech solutions!
Circularity & Nature-based Climate Solutions
Earth’s land is being starved of the life it once effortlessly supported, and humans can help. Through regenerative practices, of which clean composting is central, we can feed it back the bounty it repeatedly provides.
Instrucciones de la bolsa de siembra de invierno/ Winter Sow-Bag Instructions (Spanish)
Una bolsa de siembra es una bolsa de plástico ziplock de tamaño galón que contiene tierra, semillas de flores o vegetales y agua – eso es un pequeño invernadero que se pone al aire libre en el sol, durante los meses de invierno, para que las plantas jóvenes comiencen a crecer en su jardín de flores o vegetales.
The Joy of Thrifting
Thrift store shopping supports a more sustainable world. Read about the joy of thrifting with this Boulder County Thrift Store Guide, developed in collaboration with the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Boulder County, the City of Boulder and Eco-Cycle!
Rewetting the Sponge
An examination of restoration practices for improving landscape absorbency in the dry Front Range climate.
The 2023 Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest
The Keep it Clean Partnership is hosting the second Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest! All Kindergarten-12th grade students who live in and/or attend school in Boulder County are invited to participate in a free art contest with the chance to win art supplies, gift cards, and for your art to be featured on the Keep it Clean Partnership website. (This includes both the Boulder Valley School District and St. Vrain Valley School District)
Artwork should explore the following prompt:
Our watershed is a complex and interconnected system of land, water, air, and the humans, plants, and animals they support. Each of these members plays an important role in keeping our watershed healthy and thriving. For this art contest, we challenge you to explore the role of one of these community members in our watershed.
Deadline for Submissions: 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 17th, 2023
Take Action: Propagate Trees!
Feeling down about climate change, wanting to do something, but not sure what? Consider propagating trees and giving them away!
PLAY Boulder & City of Boulder Forestry’s Fall ‘23 Tree Sale is Here!
City of Boulder Forestry, the PLAY Boulder Foundation and Cool Boulder are committed to increasing the urban canopy in Boulder and doing our part to cool the city. You can help add to the urban canopy by planting a tree on your Boulder property! Help fight climate change in your backyard!
Planting Rain with Brad Lancaster: Event Recap
Cool Boulder is excited to present to you an presentation by rainwater planting pioneer, Brad Lancaster, sharing stories and inspirational examples of how planting rain could help create landscapes and communities that are resilient to climate change, as well as healthier and happier places to live! Read on to find the presentation recording, watch a short film on Brad’s work, review resources provided by Brad and more!
Recruitment is COMPLETE for Our Environmental Chemical Exposure Study!
Recruitment is complete for our Environmental Chemical Exposer Study! Thank you to everyone who applied for this community science opportunity! Participants will walk their dogs while wearing a chemical monitoring wristband and clip on their dog's collar to help us learn more about personal and animal exposure to environmental chemicals. Community participation will help us assess the exposure that people (and dogs) are experiencing during daily activities outside in Boulder.
Cool Boulder Livestream!
Tune in at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday, June 29th, for a Cool Boulder livestream!
Cool Boulder is excited to offer you an evening with rainwater planting pioneer, Brad Lancaster, sharing stories and inspirational examples of how planting rain could help create landscapes and communities that are resilient to climate change, as well as healthier and happier places to live!
Brad Lancaster has worked with communities all over the world to bring both indigenous and traditional knowledge of rainwater planting together with contemporary approaches and technologies that enable us to live and thrive on the water that comes to us for free from the sky. He will share stories from his experiences with these different places and cultures.
Recognizing that Colorado’s future climate will much more closely resemble places like New Mexico, we need to learn from those who have already been adapting to a limited ground/surface water future. Brad will share the emerging lessons and best practices that are reshaping both the way we approach infrastructure development and water policy, both in his native home of Tucson, AZ (average rainfall 10-12”/yr) and elsewhere. Learn about specific approaches being taken in other communities and examples of household and community projects that are easily implemented at both levels.
Sign Up Now for Our Environmental Chemical Exposure Study!
The University of Colorado Boulder and City of Boulder are recruiting 40 city of Boulder residents with dogs to participate in a one-week long study. Participants will wear a chemical monitoring wristband and clip on their dog's collar to help us learn more about personal and animal exposure to environmental chemicals.
Your participation will help us assess the exposure that you and your dog are experiencing during daily activities outside.
Easy Ways to Take Action!
Looking for easy ways to take action on climate change or biodiversity loss? Check out these simple actions you can take to get involved!
Give Leaf Mold a Go
With change comes the opportunity to rethink. Let’s take five minutes to consider two ideas that may reduce or eliminate your need for yard bags: using some fallen leaves to mulch landscape plants, and using the rest to create leaf mold.
Actions for Earth Day & Arbor Day 2023
Both Earth Day 2023 and Arbor Day 2023 are steadily approaching - what what are they? Click here to find out more about these two important environmental days of celebration, action, and advocacy, as well as the opportunities for action offered by Cool Boulder, its partners, and more!
Healthy Soils - 101
Good stewardship of soil–at your home, school, or workplace–is one of the most important things you can do for the planet!
Opportunities in March & April
Looking for opportunities to act on climate change? Cool Boulder’s themes for March and April are Soil Health & Regenerative Practices and Trees, respectively. Read on to see how you can get involved and engage with these topics, or check out our events calendar for even more opportunities!
Cool Boulder has partnered with Zero Foodprint to build healthy soil on local farm land
Food systems are a critical force for averting and adapting to the climate crisis. By creating an economic connection from consumers and business back to farmers and ranchers, we can restore soil health and sequester carbon.
Resource Central’s Garden in a Box Sale has Launched!
Resource Central’s Garden in a Box provides everything you need to remove water-thirsty pants like grass and replace them with a garden that uses much less water. The ‘box’ includes professionally designed plant by number maps and instructions to help you design your waterwise garden, care guides and info sheets with maintenance suggestions, as well as the option to plant a perennial or vegetable garden (vegetable garden kits available in the spring).
With an average of 60% of residential water use occurring outdoors, replacing parts of your lawn with a xeriscape, or waterwise landscaping with plants adapted to our semi-arid climate, is an easy way to drastically reduce your water bills!