Coyote Gulch

Friday, January 11, 2008

2008 Democratic National Convention

Mayor Hickenlooper is urging local restaurants to go green before the 2008 Democratic Convention this summer, according to The Rocky Mountain News. From the article:

Mayor John Hickenlooper went before the group of people he used to be a part of -- restaurant owners -- and made his pitch Thursday for them to get green before the Democratic National Convention. "I'm not too humble to reach out and beg your support," he said. "To promise you it will be worth your while, that the payback will be dramatically beyond whatever investment you make and, if we work on this together, we'll end up with putting on something people will talk about for decades and decades." The plea was made before about 150 in the restaurant industry who gathered downtown for a workshop on ways to make their businesses more environmentally-friendly by the time the convention rolls around Aug. 25-28. Many came to the workshop with ideas already in use -- from Ted's Montana Grill offering free downtown parking to employees at their corporate office if their vehicle gets more than 35 miles per gallon to Odell Brewing Company using wind to power its plant in Fort Collins. Some suggestions came courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, including replacing spray valves that blast three gallons of water per minute to low-flow spray valves that use 1.6 gallons per minute. That change alone could save the restaurant $1,400 per year. "Going green is good for your bottom line," said Chip Blair, owner of Beau Jo's Pizza. "You will save money." It's all a part of the emphasis on making the convention the greenest in history. Each arm of the convention has made a strong effort. The Democratic National Convention Committee hired a first-ever director of greening and the Denver 2008 Host Committee helped sponsor Thursday's event.

Meanwhile convention organizers are still looking for a few good bloggers to cover the convention. They're running a map that shows the states where bloggers have applied. We noticed New Mexico is still without an applicant. How about it NewMexiKen? From the convention weblog:

Judging from the rush of applications we've received since the DNCC Press Gallery opened on December 10, there is no shortage of enthusiasm in the blogosphere for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

For the first time, we're offering the opportunity for one blog to be credentialed from each of the 56 states and territories. Who will be on hand in Denver come August 2008 to feed you the latest as speakers from your state take the podium or your delegation rolls in to town?
"2008 pres"
6:30:18 AM