League of Women Voters to Explore Initiatives for Recycling, Renewing, and Repurposing in Chaffee County

Recycling, Renewing, Repurposing. What are the possibilities and obstacles? How are local innovators addressing these issues?

These and other questions will be discussed at the League of Women Voters Chaffee County (LWVCC) Monday, January 13, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Salida United Methodist Church, 228 E 4^th Street.

A panel of local experts will share how we can create a more sustainable future for our community through innovative methods of creating a new life for waste materials.

John Armstrong founded B1 Energy and Recycling to make our community greener and cleaner. John sees the obstacles of recycling in rural Colorado as an opportunity to create an infrastructure model that works. In 2022-2023, John participated in the Colorado’s Founder Competition/Idea Factory to refine his idea into a flexible and scalable solution: a mobile recycling facility. Dubbed the “Roadie,” John says that B1 Energy’s recycling platform on wheels “can now show up in a community, start recycling immediately, and educate people on the importance of recycling.,”

Julie Mach is the founder and owner of Elements Mountain Compost based in Salida. She started the business in 2014 and has expanded her knowledge in waste management as a Certified Composter Operations Manager with the US Composting Council and as a board member for Recycle Colorado. Previously she worked for over a decade in environmental conservation and outdoor recreation management. When not working, you can find Julie playing in the mountains on skis or bikes.

Grant Hamel’s journey has taken him from studying biochemistry to tackling the complexities of manufacturing design and systems engineering. At VeroTouch, Grant’s dedicated team focuses on developing renewable systems that transform how materials and labor are utilized at every stage of the building process. Driven by a deep sense of community, Grant is passionate about addressing housing challenges through collaboration and innovative solutions. He believes in building a future where affordable, sustainable housing is accessible to all. Outside of work, Grant champions healthy living, seeing it as the foundation for personal and professional success.

Beth Helmke brings varied leadership experience from her professional background in the nonprofit sector, education, nature-based youth programming, and communications.

She has a Bachelors in Molecular Biology and Masters in Nonprofit Management and currently work as Chaffee County Government’s Deputy Director. Beth is passionate about stewardship and sustainability and building a more inclusive and diverse outdoor recreation culture and community. Her love for trail running, summit seeking, and all manner of backcountry adventuring also ties in well with her involvement with Chaffee County Search and Rescue.

The LWVCC monthly meeting, and social will precede the presentation at 11:15 a.m.

Contact:

Marjie Gray

719.395.8948

Marjiegray2fish@gmail.com

https://www.lwvchaffeecounty.org