Our Favorite Things: Volume 7

by Maggie Flickinger

Heading to Sweden?  A stay at the Kolarbyn Ecoresort promises to be an adventurous highlight.  Rustic grass & moss covered cabins enjoy cozy interior details of stone wood-burning fireplaces and sheepskin adorned beds.  A wood fueled sauna floats on the idyllic Lake Skarsjon, with dense woods surrounding.  Wildlife abounds, with wolf, moose, lynx, beaver & bear being among the highlights.  This is also truly a local ecoresort, as it is actually owned by the area’s community farmers.

From Nicole, our intrepid Denver cyclist:  I value that this Great Road Rides Denver has an urban emphasis.  It encourages riding directly from home rather than traveling by car to a less urban setting with bike in tow, a practice that has always confused me.  Laws, safety and road etiquette are clearly expressed, validating an urban cycling experience that I could never have put into words.  I am very excited to experience a new side of  Denver by riding a route I would never have found on my own!

Sometimes, spatial limitations waylay even the best green intentions.  Don’t have space for both a compost bin and a recycle?  Basketbin cleverly combos the two with a dishwasher safe, lidded compost insert that marries a standard recycle / wastebin, making separation a snap.  This seems like it would be a great solution for commercial or home offices as well.  The best part?  They’re currently on sale for just $28 from SFMOMA.

Ex-Barrett Studio-er Greg Uitto shows off Populus’ new burly cargo bike.  In a great example of a green business “walking the walk,” Boulder home energy company Populus encourages county-wide business to be done on their fleet of Yuba’s Mundo bikes, outfitted with roomy cargo bags for tools & briefcases as well as lights for evening use.  Tally one for shifting from “the company car” to company bike(s).  We have one question though:  are those stylie aviators Greg is sporting part of the Populus uniform?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

by Maggie Flickinger

It’s full blown spring in Boulder and the chill fingers of frost have (hopefully!) passed us by. We’re all starting on our gardens…expanding, starting anew, and learning from past seasons. Last year, I bemoaned the loss of my “in-ground” garden when I bought a rowhouse with the only ground-floor area being a lovely concrete pad.

Now, I am building a custom trellis to hang from the second floor deck, getting a looooooong (72″) box to live on the pad, and planting zucchini which will twist and curl their way ever upwards. This will not only give me yummy eats later in the season, but will shade my lower patio and give it a degree of privacy. A custom made 36×36 cedar planter for the upper deck will reunite me with the joy of digging in the dirt, albeit at a smaller scale than I’ve had in the past. The large planter is a better solution than small individual container planting as watering is more efficient and I can continue with simple guild planting (also known as kinship or companion planting), naturally discouraging pests and encouraging growth!

Nicole has enterprising plans for her back yard: a complete overhaul involving edibles, a chicken coop & scratch yard, and a spacious deck for socializing. Nathan is growing his Permacultural dream with the addition of new baby goats and a cousin studying Sustainable Agriculture who will be summering with his family and helping the farm along. Amy planted hers starts and then had to dig them up the next day after an unusually late frost threatened…they’re happily back in the ground now!  Sam has his front & back yard beds raked and primed and is ready to teach his little one more about garden planning and planting.