Contributions from: Nicholas Massey, SUN Sustainability Committee; Bryan Penny, SUN treasurer; Mark Mehringer, SUN president; and Amanda Allshouse, SUN secretary

SUN events in April:

Monthly meetings: 3rd Tuesday, April 19. SUN Block Captains/Outreach, 6:30–7:25pm; SUN board, 7:30–8:40pm. Central Park Rec Center Multipurpose Room.

Blood drive: Bonfils Blood Mobile, Central Park Rec Center, April 30. To reserve a time, go to: www.bonfils.org/, click “Donate Blood,” “find a location” and enter site code 5463.

Celebrating opportunities for sustainability throughout the City of Denver in April

Two events the weekend of Earth Day and multiple ongoing opportunities via the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) are ways by which residents in Denver can celebrate and harness opportunities to live more sustainably, said Susan Renaud, DEH community engagement administrator, who presented during the March SUN block captain/outreach meeting. Earth Day events center on the opening of the University of Colorado A Line: Downtown in Union Station on Friday, April 22 from 10am–2pm; and in Stapleton at the Central Park Station 10am–2pm Saturday, April 23 (where members of the SUN board will be staffing a table). Four ongoing opportunities include the Denver Energy Challenge, Certifiably Green Denver, Sustainable Neighborhood Network, and the Community Active Living Coalition:

The Denver Energy Challenge is a program that helps Denver residents reduce consumption of energy. A residential energy conservation program provides free energy advising—a free personal concierge service is provided by the city for improvements in home comfort and energy efficiency and lowering of energy bills. Some suggestions include switching to LED bulbs, improving insulation, recommending contractors, low interest loans (2.75%), and more; 10,000 Denver residences have been enrolled. www.denverenergy.org
Certifiably Green Denver is a green business program that provides free consulting to the commercial sector to reduce the consumption of resources and to lower overhead costs (energy/water/resource management/transportation). The program has helped over 1,700 Denver businesses, with 176 having achieved the full certification to date. The City of Denver currently offers some incentives for businesses who join. Currently, one Stapleton business, Smart Space, is certified. www.denvergov.org/cgd

Community Active Living Coalition is a program that currently has 300 community members who participate and conduct walk analyses. If you are interested in improving Denver’s walkability, visit www.walkdenver.org/ join-denvers-community-active-living-coalition/.

Sustainable Neighborhood Network is a program that works with neighborhoods to help them to achieve their sustainability goals. This program is driven by neighborhoods and the city provides support services and structure to facilitate the projects. Currently, eight neighborhoods participate. A new application process opens April 20 for matching funds up to $2,500 for projects. With community support, SUN is positioned to participate in this program in the future. www.sustainableneighborhoodnetwork.org/sustainable-neighborhoods-denver. Stapleton residents interested in involvement in SUN’s sustainability committee or a seat on the SUN board should email StapletonUnitedNeighbors@gmail.com.

NW Aurora-Stapleton-Stanley Marketplace Neighborhood Survey

You are invited to participate in this collaborative research effort: www.surveymonkey.com/r/NWASPSMP

Aims of this community-based research effort are to determine the sustainable economic, social and political relations between the Northwest Aurora Neighborhood Organization (NANO), SUN and the Stanley Marketplace. This survey is led by Associate Professor of Urban Sociology and Intergroup Relations Theodoric Manley, Jr., PhD, College of Arts & Sciences, Johnson & Wales University, a private, nonprofit, accredited institution located in east Denver.

Annual Meeting May 17 & Proposed Amendment to SUN Bylaws

Notice: A vote will take place to change Section 1 of the SUN bylaws at the SUN Annual Meeting: May 17, 6:30pm, Central Park Recreation Center to ensure that there is no confusion about the footprint of Stapleton and that our organization is inclusive of all residents in the projected final phases of the buildout. www.stapletonunitedneighbors.com/Home/sun-board/sun-bylaws

Current Language: The boundaries of SUN are Quebec Street to the west, 56th Avenue to the north, Havana Street to the east and Montview Boulevard to the south.

Proposed Language: The footprint of SUN is contained within the City of Denver, bounded on the western edge by Syracuse St. (Montview Blvd. to 23rd Ave.), Quebec St. (23rd Ave. to Northfield Blvd.), Spruce Way (Northfield Blvd to 53rd Pl.), Spruce St. (53rd Pl. to 56th Ave.), and Central Park Blvd (56th Ave. to 64th Ave.); on the northern edge by 56th Ave. (Spruce St. to Central Park Blvd.), 64th Ave. (Central Park Blvd. to Havana St.), and Martin Luther King Blvd. (Havana St. to Peoria St.); on the eastern edge by Havana St. (64th Ave. to 56th Ave., Dallas St. (56th Ave. to I-70), Havana St. (I-70 to Martin Luther King Blvd.) and Peoria St. (Martin Luther King Blvd. to 26th Ave.); and on the southern edge by 23rd Ave. (Quebec St. to Syracuse St.), Montview Blvd. (Syracuse St. to Beeler St.), and 26th Ave. (Beeler St. to Peoria St.).