Boulder Zero Waste Trips, LLC offers customized guided field trips to Boulder, Colorado. The typical 2-day Agenda includes site visits, discussions, presentations, and other educational opportunities designed to provide your group with a clear understanding on how to meet the challenges in implementing a Zero Waste strategy in your community.  We can also design a 3-day tour if you want to learn even more about what Boulder has to offer.  We build custom agendas to meet the needs of:

• Government staff and officials
• Civic and Community Leaders
• Schools Groups
• Businesses

Arrival

Check-in at one of Boulder's Zero Waste hotels, either the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites (Boulder's first Zero Waste hotel), Briar Rose Bed & Breakfast, or the St. Julien Hotel in downtown Boulder.

Day 1

8:30 am - Meet in hotel lobby.  (After having your delicious Zero Waste breakfast at Outlook's "Blues & Greens" restaurant!)

Start with a tour of the Boulder County Recycling Center (Material Recovery Facility).   This will be your chance to ask questions about single stream recycling, processing issues and the economics of recycling.

Need a morning pick-me-up? We can stop at a Zero Waste coffee shop.

Next would be visit to CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) which recycles electronics, Styrofoam, athletic shoes, textiles, porcelain, large plastics, and even yoga mats.  This could include question and answer time with Eric Lombardi, Executive Director of Eco-cycle, Inc.

Lunch - a meal at one of Boulder's Zero Waste restaurants  (and meeting with manager and tour of the kitchen and recycling and composting bins).

After lunch could include meetings with pertinent government agencies and officials, including the City of Boulder Environmental Affairs office and the Boulder County Resource Conservation Division.

Will Toor, Boulder County Commissioner and former mayor of Boulder who was instrumental in the implementation of Boulder's Zero Waste Resolution has discussed sustainability issues with Zero Waste Trip attendees, including the role of government in promoting the Zero Waste concepts and programs.

Evening Free Time - I recommend an evening on the Pearl St. Mall, Boulder's lively and entertaining pedestrian mall.  I can recommend a Zero Waste restaurant for your delicious and environmentally responsible evening meal.

Day 2

8:30AM - Meet in the hotel lobby after your Zero Waste breakfast.

This could include visits to one or more of the dozens of businesses who are Zero Waste Partners with Eco-cycle. (Retail stores, services/consulting businesses, manufacturers, financial institutions, not-for-profit businesses & foundations, health care providers, etc.);

And/or a discussion with Western Disposal executives about the role of private haulers in a Zero Waste community. Discussion would include business services, hauler regulations, etc. Included would be a tour of Western's composting operation, transfer station, etc.

Lunch - Zero Waste Box lunch at Chautauqua Park, located at the base of the Flatiron mountains.

And/or a tour of the Boulder County Jail Compost Center;

And/or Eco-products can talk to your group about compostable dinnerware;

And/or a tour and question and answer session at ReSource, a used building materials reuse facility;

And/or visit to a Boulder school to witness the day-to-day operations of school recycling and discussion of Eco-cycle's award-winning school recycling program;.

And/or more learning from Zero Waste businesses. 

And an afternoon stop at a Zero Waste smoothie shop is always welcomed! 

Evening Free Time - Explore Boulder!  Enjoy another delicious and environmentally responsible meal at a Zero Waste restaurant.

HOW ABOUT ADDING A WEEKEND IN BOULDER? Come early or stay late for your Zero Waste experience in beautiful Boulder. For example Boulder Farmers' Market (Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons) has gone Zero Waste. And depending which weekend you're in Boulder, there might be other Zero Waste events for you to enjoy!