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September 2017 News for Healthy Communities

Sustainability Summit, Best Practices Guide Help Cannabis Businesses Go Greener

Like any other crop, cannabis needs the right combination of light, temperature, nutrients, water and pest control to thrive. However, as most legal cannabis cultivation is done in repurposed industrial buildings, cultivators must work even harder to create optimal growing conditions. To help cultivators make their “green” operations even greener, DEH and the Cannabis Certification Council will host the upcoming Cannabis Sustainability Symposium.
The Cannabis Sustainability Symposium, held October 17 and 18, is geared toward cannabis industry professionals, though government officials and members of the public are welcome. The event gathers experts from across the country to address the unique environmental challenges and opportunities posed by cannabis cultivation. Sessions will highlight everything from water efficiency to energy management to waste minimization.

DEH staff, including Sustainability Advisors Emily Backus and Jeremy Lauffenburger, helped convene the Cannabis Sustainability Workgroup, which has been instrumental in organizing the symposium. The group also crafted the recently released Cannabis Best Management Practices Guide. The guide is a helpful tool for cultivators, offering realistic, impactful, and verifiable guidelines supported by data about the industry’s environmental impact as well as straightforward advice on reducing that impact.
 
The Cannabis Best Management Practices Guide will be a feature of the Cannabis Sustainability Summit, which expands significantly on the 2016 event.

“This year’s symposium is longer at a day and a half, and will include tours of cannabis facilities so attendees can see sustainability examples,” Lauffenburger said. “It will build upon the information from last year but go more in depth on all the focus areas: energy, indoor environment, water, waste minimization and more.”

In addition to helping Denver meet its ambitious climate goals, Lauffenburger adds that cultivators can see a lot of benefits from improving operational sustainability. Improvements can help save resources like energy and water, while also impacting the bottom line. “There’s also the opportunity to build more goodwill with the customer base and in their communities,” Lauffenburger said.

Learn more about the Cannabis Sustainability Symposium and read the Cannabis Best Management Practices Guide.

Health Inspectors Offer an Inside Look at Public Safety
The term "public health inspector" generally brings to mind images of a clipboard-bearing professional examining the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen. However, DEH health inspectors do much, much more.
DEH’s Public Health Inspection division is responsible for ensuring that food service establishments, child care facilities, residential health centers, emergency vehicles, body art establishments, boarding homes, and swimming pools are each in compliance with health and safety regulations. Inspectors even respond to odor and noise complaints as well as to areas with high lead levels.

While every Denver resident benefits from health inspectors’ hard work, few have ever seen these professionals in action. However, residents, students or anyone interested in pursuing a career related to public health investigations are welcome to apply to ride along with a DEH investigator to learn more about the investigation process and the division’s mission.

Ride alongs take participants through a standard investigation, allowing participants to shadow an investigator with the permission of the business’ owner or manager. While participants can’t specify the exact facility they will visit, or the specific investigator they will shadow, they can specify the type of facility they would like to visit. Participants are welcome to ask investigators questions throughout the process, which generally lasts between two and four hours, but no photos or recordings are allowed unless approved by the manager of the facility being investigated.

Members of the public that are interested in learning more about the Public Health Inspections division and participating in the ride along program should visit the division’s website, which details the ride along process and includes a FAQ section and an application link.


City Awarded Federal Grant to Electrify Denver Ride Sharing

For Denverites, taking advantage of ride sharing and car sharing through companies like Lyft and Uber is about to get much more sustainable. The City and County of Denver was recently named a sub-recipient of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) that aims to increase environmental sustainability across the community's ride sharing industry.

The $1.9 million grant will support Seattle, Portland, New York City and Denver in testing different methods for introducing electric vehicles into these transportation network companies. Denver in particular will partner with General Motors’ car sharing platform, Maven, to deploy 150 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) for use by transportation network company (TNC) drivers over the next three years, according to Tyler Svitak, Energy and Transportation Administrator for DEH.

According to current DOE estimates, the grant could help Denver ride share drivers travel nine million EV miles (eVMT), which is the equivalent saving 300,000 gallons of petroleum and reducing 1,966 metric tons of carbon dioxide (mt CO2e).

The grant also aims to provide real-world proof that EVs can save money and prove performance in high-mileage fleet applications, which will pave the way for TNC drivers to earn more revenue and reduce transportation emissions.

The grant falls under the umbrella of Denver Smart City, a multi-agency program of the City and County of Denver aimed at leveraging innovative technological advances to improve the quality of life for residents. Supported through industry and community partnerships, along with more than $6 million in federal funding, Denver Smart City is working to ensure residents receive immediate, complete access to city services in a manner that is mobile, affordable and environmentally sustainable.

Denver Animal Shelter Programs Keep Pets and People Together

Relinquishing a pet to Denver Animal Shelter is rarely easy for pet owners, but for some individuals and families facing housing, health or financial difficulties placing a pet in the shelter’s care may seem like the only option. Finding effective ways to keep pets happy, healthy and in their homes with their families is a large part of Denver Animal Protection’s mission, and DAP veterinarian Dr. Louisa Poon presented on DAP’s progress at the Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies fall conference in Black Hawk in late September.

In 2016, for example, more than 1,000 pet owners in Denver were unable to keep their animals because of medical issues, cost of care or a lack of pet-friendly housing resources. However, that year DAP was also chosen by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to administer the HSUS Pets for Life Program.

Pets for Life specifically supports low-income and underserved residents of Denver’s 80219 and 80204 zip codes, where 84 percent of pet owners report they have never accessed veterinary services. Instead of operating as an enforcement program, the Pets for Life program takes a non-judgmental and supportive approach by working directly with pet owners. This approach allows DAP staff to reach those in the community who have the least access to information and services, improving quality of life for both animals and people. To date, more than 600 pets in these zip codes have received free spay and neuter services, and the program can even provide resources like free collars, leashes and vaccinations.
 
Meanwhile, DAP’s Safe Haven Program was established specifically for pet owners experiencing temporary homelessness. Often, pet owners who have experienced a fire, domestic violence or hospitalization are forced to rely on family and friends to provide animal care. When that isn’t an option, DAP is. As many of Denver’s chronically homeless residents are also pet owners, the shelter provides temporary shelter to these animals when temperatures drop below 15 degrees C as well.
 
Like Pets for Life, The Safe Haven Program makes it possible for pet owners to get the resources they need to welcome their pets back home. Animals provide companionship, comfort, and unconditional love, and preserving the bond between families and their animals is vitally important. By better understanding Denver’s pet population and issues that impact owners, DAP hopes to continue to strategize on how to best prevent pet relinquishment.

The Human Walking Program is Back!

Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Denver Public Library - Main Branch, North Lawn

Denver Public Library and Denver Animal Shelter are teaming up to help needy office workers break the shackles of sedentary corporate life. Come and see big-hearted, friendly and adoptable dogs rescue these needy people and take them for a walk!


U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Energy Efficiency and Solar Possibilities for Your Home Workshops
October 7, 8, 14 and 15
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m

Photo Credit: Thomas Kelsey/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Reminder!
Denver Environmental Health is seeking public feedback on the 80x50 Climate Goal. DEH is asking those who live and/or work in Denver to take a brief survey and provide comments on recommended strategies.
Take the 80x50 survey
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