Sustainability in Progress: Arts in C Springs Peak Environment

Have at least one “arts and culture” experience this month. Art and culture have a lot of value to our community both in quality of life and economic impact. Just the non-profit arts in our region generate 153 million dollars of economic activity annually. The most recent Sustainability in Progress gathering at Ivywild School featured two speakers telling us about arts and culture happenings during Arts Month and year-round as part of a sustainable community.
Andy Vick, executive director of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR), talks all things Arts Month and the importance of keeping the region’s arts and culture flourishing. During this 6th annual Arts Month, he encourages residents to experience one new cultural experience during the month of October. He also talks about the office’s collaboration with Creek Week, an example of how temporary public art can be integrated into sustainability efforts. Vick also shares plans to develop a new 2020-2030 Cultural Plan.
Steve Wood, director of Concrete Couch, shares how the organization builds community through art and education, building fantastical art pieces with recycled materials and teaching kids, teens, and adults new skills. Steve also details plans and progress to create Concrete Couch’s new campus in the Shook’s Run neighborhood. Recent projects have involved trail building, hillside stabilization, building soil, water testing, and a bio-retention system, along with internship and educational opportunities for kids and teens.
This episode was recorded at the September 2019 Sustainability in Progress meeting hosted by Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future. Join us the third Wednesday of every month (7:30 – 9:00 am) at Ivywild School for coffee, pastries and enlightening presentations. It’s free to attend. Send us a note to request meeting notices by email.
The mission of Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future is to promote regional sustainability and advance the Pikes Peak region's sustainability plan (PPR2030) through regional collaboration and outreach.       
Producers: Dave Gardner and Ellen Johnson-Fay
Editor: Katie Lawrie
LINKS:   
Andy Vick’s Arts Month PowerPoint Visuals
Arts Month
Peak Radar community events calendar
Concrete Couch
 
UPCOMING ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS:
Sustainability in Progress
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
7:30 to 9:00 am
Wildcat Room at Ivywild School
Free Event. Coffee & pastries provided

Peak Environment Podfest
October 19, 2019, Noon to 4 pm
Stargazers Theatre & Event Center
Join the live audience participating in 3 podcast episodes,
Learn from 3 important panels at this free event:
Groundwater Contamination (firefighting foam - PFAS) Making Local Food Flourish Colorado Springs' Energy Future
Green Drinks
Thursday, October 24, 2019
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Westside Community Center
1628 W Bijou St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Get a garden tour. Refreshments provided
$5 donation requested

Pikes Peak Environmental Forum
The Dark Side of Renewable Energy
October 25, 2019
Noon to 2 pm
Margarita at Pine Creek
7350 Pine Creek Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Event is free; you buy your lunch
RSVP here; very important
 
The following environment/sustainability organizations in the Pikes Peak region collaborate to produce the Peak Environment podcast about environmental stewardship, sustainable living and enlightened public policy in the Pikes Peak Region.
Green Cities Coalition
Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future
Pikes Peak Environmental Forum
Pikes Peak Library District Green Team
Pikes Peak Group of Sierra Club
Pikes Peak Permaculture
Keep up with all the organizations and events making our area a better place to live. Subscribe (free) on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode: