Sam Fuqua

Proposition II, one of two statewide ballot measures in Colorado this year, relates to the tax revenue generated by tobacco and nicotine product sales.

Proposition HH is one of two statewide ballot measures in Colorado in 2023. The Property Tax Changes and Revenue Change Measure relates to state property taxes and revenue limits. The ballot measure would reduce property valuation rates over the next decade and allow property owners to exempt part of their property’s value from taxation.

Plastic is almost everywhere through its presence in packaging and all kinds of products. And little bits of it end up in our natural environment, including in the water. Scientists call them microplastics and they're showing up in Front Range watersheds.

Shoes are a big source of waste. Not when we’re wearing them, but before and after they come and go from our feet. In Boulder, Colorado, there are several efforts to reduce the impact of shoes on the environment.

 On Monday, May 22, the lower basin states on the Colorado River announced an agreement to cut their use of the river's water by about 13% over the next three years. The deal avoids federal intervention for now and offers a short-term fix to the long-term issues related to global warming and over consumption of the river by the seven states in the region that depend on it. Professor Jack Schmidt who directs the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University shares his analysis of the agreement.

Repair it or replace it? Most of us face that choice at least a few times a year. When a home appliance, a mobile phone or another piece of technology stops working, we may not know how to repair it ourselves. There’s a growing number of do-it-yourself organizations and advocates that are helping de-mystify repair work and reduce the amount of fixable stuff that gets thrown away.

The push to compost as much food waste as possible in Boulder County suffered a setback earlier this year. The largest composting facility on the Front Range started turning away truckloads of food waste due to contamination. Some of those trucks were carrying food from school cafeterias, including from the Boulder Valley School District.

November 11 is Veteran’s Day, a federal holiday set aside to honor military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Many combat veterans still struggle with the trauma of their war experiences. There’s a large sculpture project taking shape in Boulder County that is helping veterans heal through art.

After a COVID-related break, Boulder has reinstated a requirement that food businesses report what they’re doing to comply with the city’s zero waste ordinance. Restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops and almost all other businesses involved with food are supposed to be doing their part to reduce waste.