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