Category Archives: Blog

Environmental Inspiration: Found

Summit County, CO always inspires me.

My last post was about how I hadn’t been inspired me to write. That changed on November 8. The newly elected representative in the White House is worrisome for those working in the environmental field or any science field. Threats to the Clean Power Plan, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, promoting the unhealthiest, carbon-intensive fuel source, opening preserved public lands to oil and gas drilling, and generally halting energy and environmental progress. It’s the disregard for science, health, and information (aka facts) that’s most troubling. I’ve found my environmental inspiration. I’ll continue to use this space to share the stories that enlighten, entertain and inform people. As for the above photo: skiing in Colorado always inspires me. Continue reading →

The World’s First Fully Solar-Powered Beer Fest

img_9450I had the pleasure to attend, and sample, a very fun beer fest in Grand Lake, CO. It was part of the Spirit of the Lake Regatta and Grand Lake Brewfest, Aug 13, 2016. Finding a beer fest during a vacation is good enough. Then I saw that it was a fundraiser for youth outdoor environmental education programs. It also claimed to be the worlds’ first fully solar-powered beer fest. Even the live band was powered by solar panels. Hosted by Infinite West, it was a net-zero, zero waste event that was the perfect example of the environment of beer! Continue reading →

Taking the Proper Environmental, Health, and Safety Training

Good or bad? A garbage can full of oil.

The proper training could have avoided this garbage can of used oil.

Warning: this article might test your knowledge of environmental, health and safety training abbreviations and acronyms!

As professionals in the environmental field, we may be exposed to hazardous work conditions, possibly radiological, chemical and/or physical. For some of us it’s a routine part of our jobs. If you are working around hazardous conditions, there is most likely a required environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) training course you’ll need to complete. Unfortunately, people often get inadequate information or misinterpret the course(s) they need. Depending on your job, the required course could be from a federal regulation, state regulation, a requirement of a client, and even individual job locations may require a specific course or more. Continue reading →

Joy of The National Parks In Photos

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Getting lost in a metasedimentary cirque in Glacier National Park. Remote, but accessible.

Filmmaker Ken Burns called the National Parks, “America’s Best Idea.” I don’t know if I’d go that far. See: cheeseburgers and basketball. They’re still a wonderful idea. In honor of the National Parks 100th birthday on August 25, 2016, here are some of my favorite photos and locations from exploring the parks. They have shaped who I am as a person and environmental professional. Growing up and going to school in the eastern U.S., I was in awe of the photos of the majestic National Parks in the western U.S. I wanted to see these huge landscapes and get lost in the mountains and deserts. I’ve been able to do just that over the past 20 years. Continue reading →

Environmental Art: Cold War Horse

Cold War HorseThis is part of a series where I explore interesting pieces of environmental art.

Cold War Horse is a creepy, powerful, thought-provoking statue in the expanding suburbs of western Arvada, CO, northwest of Denver. It’s a beautiful part of the Denver metro area at the base of the Front Range Mountains. The setting and expanding suburbs is part of the reason it is displayed here. If you were driving along and only paying casual attention, you’d think it was merely a red horse statue, and probably wonder, “Why is there a red horse statue out here?” and go on with your day. If you look closer, or better yet stop and get out, it’s chilling. Continue reading →

Coal, Gas, Methane, and a Local Economy

Dave Johnston Power Plant in Glenrock, WY

Dave Johnston Power Plant in Glenrock, WY with wind turbines in the distance.

Casper, Wyoming is an energy resource-driven town and people are worried about their local economy. I was in town for work and felt the shadow of a down energy economy hovering over the town. Even though I wasn’t in town for energy-related work people wanted to bend the ear of the “environmental guy”. The topics included jobs lost due to a slow natural gas market, cutting coal mine jobs, and the impact of the new methane regulations. Continue reading →

Environment of the Bolder Boulder

The Bolder Boulder finishes inside Folsom Field.

The Bolder Boulder finishes inside Folsom Field under the scenic Flatirons.

There are running races held each weekend around the country from early spring through Thanksgiving. Very few, if any of them have 50,000 runners, 70,000 spectators, and run through an environmentally conscious town. The Bolder Boulder 10K is that race. Most races are small and don’t have to consider their environmental impact. Bringing 100,000 people into a town of 100,000 people for a running race will certainly have an environmental impact. What is that impact? What is the environment of the Bolder Boulder? Continue reading →

The Joy of Science & Natural History Museums

Entrance to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT.

Entrance to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT.

Dinosaurs, space, environmental processes, earth science. Are you getting excited? The best science and natural history museums promote wonder and spark your imagination. They’ll get you thinking, educate, and maybe even get you excited about the natural sciences.

I’ve been to several museums in the past few years due to my son’s interest in dinosaurs and space. This isn’t anything new for me; only the frequency has increased. I’ve been a fan of natural history museums since I was a kid. Growing up in Pittsburgh, trips to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History were a thrill. It was an impressive building filled with all these amazing things for a young scientist-to-be to explore. The dinosaurs, of course, were the biggest attraction. But there was also the diorama, “The Arab Courier.” I had to see this every visit. As a kid I “got” dinosaurs, but this was different. It put me in a curious mental place that nothing else did. I was fascinated and even a bit scared. Looking at a photo of it now, it’s still fascinating! Isn’t that a what a natural history museum should do? Continue reading →

Snake River Plain & Craters of the Moon: A Drive By

Craters of the Moon National Monument in winter.

Craters of the Moon National Monument in winter.

I drove from Helena, Montana to Boise, Idaho to get between work locations. It was one of the longest drives I’ve ever made between two job sites. The drive is beautiful, through the mountains south of Butte, MT and then west hugging the mountains along the north side of the Snake River Plain. I added a short stop to see Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is not an every day drive. Most people will never make the drive across southern Idaho. I’ll probably never do it again. That’s why I wanted to highlight it. Below is a photo tour of the drive with a brief discussion of the geology of the Snake River Plain and Craters of the Moon. Continue reading →

An Environmentally Friendly Star Wars Rebels

The Purrgil in Star Wars Rebels. Image via StarWars.com.

The Purrgil in Star Wars Rebels. Image via StarWars.com.

Star Wars Rebels season 2, episode 15, “The Call”, is based on an environmental story that’s been told over and over. Don’t underestimate nature. Trust nature. Embrace nature, natural process, and it’s beings. If you do, you can use nature to your advantage, you’ll succeed, and/or you’ll be fulfilled. It’s a theme that countless popular movies, books, and shows have explored. Avatar, The Lorax, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Pocahontas, or nearly any nature-themed Disney movie. For a show about a group of misfit Rebels trying to defeat the evil Empire, the Rebels come across as “Environmentalists” in this episode.

Continue reading →