Green City Guide: Denver

The air might be thin and the town tucked a mile high into the sky, yet Denver fosters a love for nature like no other city. Perhaps brought on by the breathtaking mountain vistas, this love comes with a deep-seeded attention to environmental responsibility. Denver was a pioneer in the environmental movement, and eco-minded communities are easy to come by. The city boasts some 200 leafy green parks, many created and expanded by Denver mayor Robert Speer as part of the City Beautiful movement in the early 1900's. Government officials continue to push green initiatives and support green business growth today.

For the most recent green news, check out TreeHugger's Denver archives.

1. Take Public Transportation
   Denver's Regional Transportation District offers cheap and efficient bus and light rail systems, including a free shuttle bus that runs to central locations along the 16th street mall. Starting at $2 a ride, the light rail is your ticket to downtown and the suburbs.


2. Stay at a Green Hotel: The Hotel Monaco Denver or the Doubletree Hotel
   Recently voted one of Travel and Leisure's 500 World's Best Hotels for 2009, the eco-conscious Kimpton Hotel chain's four-diamond Hotel Monaco Denver is a luxe green hotel solution. As with all of the Kimpton hotels operating under the chain's "EarthCare Program," the Hotel Monaco Denver employs green cleaning supplies and offers recycling for staff and guests, as well as towel and linen reuse. Guest rooms include recycling bins, complementary coffee is organic, and energy efficient bulbs and low-flow systems for faucets, toilets, and showers conserve energy and water. The hotel's Panzano Restaurant, meanwhile, focuses on seasonal ingredients and dishes up a gluten-free menu suitable for Celiacs.
   
   Conveniently located downtown near the convention center, zoo, and the airport (if you can't avoid the flight), the Doubletree Hotel allows guests to control their own room climate, conserves water and energy, and saves landfill trash with unlined waste-baskets and recycling bins.


3. Dine at a Green Restaurant: Potager, Watercourse Foods, and Kate's on 35th
   For upscale green dining, Potager Restaurant and Wine Bar sources all ingredients May through December from local farms. In summer, a garden out back sprouts with vegetables and herbs. Staff conserves water and energy and the restaurant is partially wind powered. Ordering wine with your meal? The cork is sent to a local firm to be recycled into tile.
   
   Vegetarian food is easy to come by in this city. For a tasty brunch, head to Watercourse Foods which plates up both vegetarian and vegan versions of banana bread French toast, as well as vegetarian po' boys and reuben sandwiches. Watercourse also has two other locations in the city: City, O' City specializes in vegetarian and vegan pizza and Watercourse Bakery has gluten-free vegan baked goods on hand. Another option is vegetarian Kate's at 35th Ave, famous for its Chili Rellenos Casserole.


4. Get Organic Produce Delivered With Door To Door Organics
   Door To Door Organics of Colorado ensures healthy food is just a phone call away. The company works with Denver farmers to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables locally whenever possible, and the box (available in four sizes) changes every week, depending on what's in season.


5. Catch a Sporting Event or Concert at the Pepsi Center
   Denver's Pepsi Center recently went 100 percent green, purchasing enough renewable energy to offset all electricity used for sporting and concert events. The arena also has an extensive recycling program, offers hybrid-only parking spots, and posts "no idling" signs.


6. Check out Eco-friendly Art at Translations Gallery or the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver
   Both Translations Gallery and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver have been known to feature green-themed art and design. Through June 2009, Transitions Gallery will highlight SA Schimmel Gold's pop art mosaic portraits made from recycled materials, for example. Complete with an eco-friendly roof garden, the Museum of Contemporary Art operates out of a building certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. Visitors who arrive via public transportation or by bike earn a discount on admission.


7. Go Shopping for Used Clothing, Books, Music, and Movies
   Several organizations in Denver provide new life for gently used merchandise. Fashion buffs can dig into the bounty at Buffalo Exchange, book lovers have popular independent bookstore Tattered Cover Book Store, and music and movie fans will easily get lost in the sprawling used CD and movie store Second Spin, which has racks overflowing with some 70,000 used CDs and 30,000 used movies.


8. Drop Your Clothes off at a Green Dry Cleaner
   

   Splash some organic ketchup on your evening dress? Revolution Cleaners uses only non-toxic technology to remove those stains, and runs their plant on wind power. Pickup vans use alternative fuels and uniforms and laundry bags are made from organic cotton and renewable hemp fiber.



9. Order an Organic Coffee at Wash Perk
   For a cozy corner and a hot drink, coffee shop Wash Perk will satisfy your next caffeine fix. Their green program includes recycling bins, smart to-go products like compostable utensils, and a dishwasher that only uses 1.5 gallons of water during a 90-second wash cycle.


10. Hit the Parks and Trails, and Go Walking, Climbing, Biking, and Hiking
    Don't leave Denver without soaking up some of the pristine mountain landscape. Trails.com has excellent biking trails on file and RockClimbing.com dishes on all the best rock climbing spots in the area. For a more detailed list of outdoor sports and companies that offer them, check out TripAdvisor.com.

Travel much? Check out more Green City Guides.

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