A Bold Sustainability Vision for Denver Startup Week

By: Cottonwood Institute 

We have a bold vision to make Denver Startup Week the most sustainable free entrepreneurship event in the North America — and we need your help!

Denver Startup Week is right around the corner from September 24–28, 2018 and Cottonwood Institute is excited to team up with an impressive coalition of partners, including: Colorado State University, Copia, Downtown Denver Partnership, The Alliance Center, The Commons on Champa.

For 2018, we are focusing our sustainability efforts to encourage attendees and venue hosts to:

1. Go for zero waste:

Only 18% of waste in Denver is recycled or composted, which is nearly half of the national average of 34%. We can do better!

Consider the following tips to reduce waste at Basecamp Launched by Chase for Business and other Denver Startup Week venues:

• Minimize food waste by only taking what you can eat at events with food
• Avoid food items and drinks with plastic packaging (i.e., wrapped candy, bagged snacks, single-use coffee cups, etc.)
• Recycle or compost your waste at venues with zero waste bins
• Bring your own reusable water bottle and coffee cup
• Bring your own reusable plate and cutlery to events with food
• Refuse non-reusable swag/giveaways
• Avoid creating more paper waste by taking pictures of printed collateral

2. Reduce your carbon footprint:

Help reduce SOVs (Single Occupant Vehicles) on the road to reduce carbon emissions and improve Denver’s air quality! Travel to and from Denver Startup Week using alternative transportation:

• Ride or carpool with Lyft
• Car share with Zipcar or car2go
• Ride RTD bus or light rail
• Ride a Denver B-Cycle bike
• Ride a Lime or Bird scooter
• Walk

Get Involved:

If you would like to serve on the Sustainability Committee, become a Sustainability Volunteer, or if you would like your venue to meet this year’s sustainability benchmarks, contact: Ford Church, Founder and Executive Director, Cottonwood Institute, via email, or at 303.447.1076 x700.

Sustainability Partners:

A special thanks goes out to the following partners for helping to drive sustainability efforts at Denver Startup Week this year and beyond!