Greenings from Boulder!

BOULDER, Colo. — One of the best ways to learn about green living is to see how other people do live the lifestyle. And what better place to do that than Boulder, Colo.?

Photo courtesy of ald.colorado.edu/

Nestled beneath the famous Flatirons, the small city takes pride in its commitment to make the Earth a better place to live.

This became very evident to me when I first arrived in Denver. It's funny that a restroom can tell you a lot about the place where you just landed. During my first trip to the Mile High City, I noticed the toilet seat covers in the ladies restroom were made of a completely different material than the one's in Sky Harbor in Phoenix.

Sure, it's a silly realization, but it says a lot about the state. If it cares so much about the decomposition of its toilet seat covers, how much care goes into its buildings or its roads?

After about a 45-minute trip via the E-470, I found myself in Boulder, and the realizations just kept coming.

While visiting University of Colorado, I was bombarded by recycle bins in the front of every building on campus. Again in the bathrooms, the paper towel dispenser prompted me to use less — a sticker with the words, "Watch Your Waste!" and "Please Conserve, Use Paper Towels Sparingly."

Then later on Pearl Street, which was reminiscent of University Boulevard or Mill Avenue in Tempe, the importance of sustainability was still evident among the street performers and college students.

Under a tree in the middle of the square, a sign advertised solar-powered wireless Internet for the area, a relatively new service introduced in summer 2007.

Through all this education I got courtesy of the city of Boulder, I was surprised to find that Starbucks was the coffee of choice in the area, as the company still does not brew Fair Trade certified coffee.

That's precisely why my latte while waiting for my plane in Denver came from Caribou Coffee, which is certified by Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance.

We can all learn a lot from Boulder and the entire state of Colorado, while becoming more conscious of our habits.