Green-Certified Businesses
At 4CORE, we are proud to showcase the businesses that are leading the charge toward a more sustainable future. Our Green-Certified businesses have demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship, taking tangible steps to reduce their carbon footprint, conserve resources, and implement sustainable practices.
PEARL CERTIFICATION LEVEL
DESERT SUN
Desert Sun Coffee Roasters is a Colorado-based company specializing in organic, fair-trade coffee. Owner Zachary Ray prides himself and his company on ethical sourcing practices and works directly with farmers through a cooperative. Desert Sun Coffee is also a member-owner of the only roaster-owned, coffee-importing cooperative in North America, Cooperative Coffees.
Desert Sun works directly with small-scale farmers, ensuring fair trade practices and the highest quality beans. Their commitment goes beyond your cup; they invest in eco-friendly initiatives like building compost facilities and reforestation projects. They also run their own website, FairTradeProof.com, to show consumers where their coffee comes from.
Additionally, they were awarded the 2020 Sustainability Award by the Specialty Coffee Association.
COLUMBINE LANDSCAPES
Columbine Landscapes specializes in ecologically friendly design, installation, and maintenance services. Their work focuses on cultivating a sense of place, pollinator habitat, and biophilia. They are also Southwest Colorado’s rainwater harvesting experts and a woman-owned business.
Columbine Landscapes is leading the industry with conversation-starting landscapes featuring functional and beautiful rain gardens that employ Permacultural and regenerative approaches to pollinator-friendly, native plants-forward, low-maintenance landscapes that showcase a dynamic southwest Colorado aesthetic.
PLATINUM CERTIFICATION LEVEL
DURANGO OUTDOOR EXCHANGE
Durango Outdoor Exchange is also Platinum, taking unspoken policies and putting them in writing: an energy conservation plan, a waste-cutting purchasing plan, and a commitment to use low VOC cleaning supplies and low-flow water fixtures. Long before certification, the consignment store installed a 7 Kw solar panel system and a DC fast-charging EV station. The business donates skis for use as Navajo reservation vegetable garden fences and identifies needed items to go directly to local non-profits.
FIRST SOUTHWEST BANK
First Southwest Bank has served the San Luis Valley and rural Colorado for over 100 years. This locally owned, independent community bank with its six Southern Colorado branches (Alamosa, Center, Cortez, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Saguache) is proud to be one of the two CDFI banks in the state and the only serving within the Four Corners states.
First Southwest Bank puts the community first by providing sustainable solutions for its members. The bank branches continuously partner with others to create sustainable outcomes for those who bank locally. Since 2016, they have offered numerous services that supply loans for energy efficiency and solar upgrades for homes and businesses through LEPA. Members “pay as they save” with on-bill financing for solar enhancements, electric vehicle loans, and eBike loans.
CREAM BEAN BERRY
The owner of this Main Avenue ice cream destination, Katie Burford, has been seeking out ways to reduce impact from the get-go, and customers can tell. In addition to having an energy conservation plan and reducing waste in every way she can think of, she offers discounts for folks who bring their own shake cups, etc., delivers with her electric vehicle, and works with the only natural foods distributor in the state - a co-op that supports independent dairy farmers.
Also, notably, there is a trio of choices for spoons: metal/reusable, compostable fiber or bamboo. So when faced with a gaggle of littles wanting a cool treat, this may be the sustainable option.
GABLE HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST INN
Innkeeper Tracie Trotter makes great strides to use local, unpackaged, and otherwise sustainably sourced breakfast foods: 81301 coffee, eggs from nearby chickens, and Farmer’s Market produce. She makes sure she knows when Gosar Ranch Natural Foods is in town delivering, so she can get her breakfast sausage at that time, and Animas Chocolate squares are on every pillow at guest arrival. Moreover, she uses ceiling fans and natural ventilation to cut down on heating and cooling costs; employs a rain barrel (and soon more) to catch runoff from the roof; and offers eBikes for guests to cruise around town. Let your friends and family know about this Earth-friendly option five blocks from Main as they plan their Durango visits.
MANNA - THE DURANGO SOUP KITCHEN
Manna The Durango Soup Kitchen was founded by volunteers in 1985 in response to the death of a community member due to starvation. Over the years, the location has changed, but its mission remains constant: to provide nourishing meals and supportive services in an atmosphere of acceptance and caring for those in need in the spirit of faith and love.
Manna serves meals in reusable and compostable containers from its Take Out Window, and make recycling and food scrap composting easy for everyone on their campus. Many of the donated products received by Manna are already in their 2nd or 3rd life, and they reuse a mountain of cardboard boxes for participants to shop in our Free Food Market. EWG verified 3-in-1 soap is offered for showers, and packaging is made from recycled material. Solar panels on the Resource Center roof soak up the sun and convert it to electricity, while worms in their Community Garden turn leaves and weeds into soil.
GOLD CERTIFICATION LEVEL
THE SWEATY BUDDHA
The Sweaty Buddha is a home for both new and seasoned yoga practitioners alike. It offers a welcoming, friendly space to create a community around a playful yet challenging yoga practice.
The Sweaty Buddha has made numerous eco-friendly improvements, such as modifying showers to use less water, installing aerators on sink faucets, sealing exterior doors against the weather, and switching from fluorescent to T8 LED lighting. Additionally, The Sweaty Buddha initiated a "Green Initiative" program to incentivize and reward students who opt for manual transportation methods, like biking or walking, to attend classes rather than driving.
DOROTHY PARKER DESIGN
Dorothy Parker Design does interior design with the environment in mind. Parker encourages clients to convert to electric and helps them make decisions about sustainable furnishings, flooring, and wall coverings. Her reputation has garnered her continued design direction on some large construction projects. After an energy efficiency audit, she converted her office to green power (a phone call to LPEA) and sealed her windows and doors with weatherstripping.
SAGE FRESH EATS
Sage Fresh Eats, known for its locally sourced ingredients, excels in sustainability, particularly in the areas of materials, waste, and food. The restaurant uses recycled or bamboo paper products, minimizes plastic, avoids styrofoam, and buys from companies with take-back programs. They also prioritize repairing equipment over replacing it, using a life-cycle approach to decision-making.
Over 75% of Sage’s waste is recycled, and usable electronics are donated. They’ve reduced packaging by starting with 100% compostable options and encouraging their vendors to do the same. Sage’s menu features plant-based proteins, and its animal products are sustainably and humanely sourced. Additionally, they donate expired produce and send food waste to feed a local rancher’s pigs.
Visit Durango
Visit Durango is dedicated to making La Plata County a welcoming place for both residents and visitors, using the power of tourism to inspire a balanced, vibrant community.
Their commitment to sustainability shines through in several key actions. They’ve implemented a purchasing policy that prioritizes buying from minority- and women-owned businesses, followed by local suppliers, and only going outside the area when necessary. Other efforts include a fragrance-free workplace policy and a thoughtful remodeling policy. To conserve energy, they’ve installed outlet timers on their display screens to reduce vampire power and are currently exploring water-saving upgrades for their bathrooms.
Michi Pottery
Michelle Herringer, owner and potter, has prioritized sustainability in every aspect of her business. She reuses all plastic materials, recycles excess clay and glaze, and collaborates with other potters to consolidate shipments. Her electric vehicle, powered by her home’s solar panels, is used sparingly as she moved her studio into her home to save energy, time, and money. Michelle also filters out any clay or pollutants from her sink and repurposes end rolls from the local newspaper, which would otherwise be discarded.
In response to a wildfire that destroyed her home decades ago, Michelle developed a wildfire mitigation plan, including a bin stocked with hoses and equipment—something she encourages all Durango residents and businesses to adopt. She has also formally requested that Rocky Mountain Clay, her materials supplier, reduce its energy consumption. Above all, Michelle is proud that her pottery products are durable, reusable, and designed to last a lifetime.
Timber Age systems
Timber Age is leading the way in sustainable innovation with its revolutionary approach to energy-efficient construction. They create foam-free, insulated structural panels for homes and buildings, starting with a process that minimizes environmental impact. Their factory is strategically located near wildfire mitigation sites, ensuring that the wood used travels less than 100 miles from forest to home.
By managing the transport and maximizing the use of each log, Timber Age produces highly efficient three-layer, cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. These panels, manufactured in their soon-to-be-renovated Mancos facility, are designed for modular homes, particularly in the affordable housing sector. Built on Passivehaus principles, these homes will require minimal energy for heating and cooling.
Additionally, their facility incorporates innovative waste reduction, using a briquetter to convert sawdust into fuel for a boiler that heats the factory in winter—demonstrating Timber Age’s commitment to sustainability at every step.
SILVER CERTIFICATION LEVEL
O-BAR-O CABINS
Herb Sayers and Natalie New, owners of O-Bar-O riverside cabins, are dedicated to making their accommodations the most sustainable in the region—a goal 4CORE believes they are close to achieving.
They’ve implemented energy-saving practices by training staff to reduce consumption and using dark sky-friendly protocols. To conserve water, towels, and sheets are only washed upon guest request, and high-efficiency toilets are installed in every cabin. Delicate laundry is taken to Kelly’s Green Dry Cleaning, helping to keep the river clean.
O-Bar-O provides guests with picnic baskets containing wooden utensils and palm leaf plates to minimize plastic waste. They also encourage recycling by offering compostable bags and reusable coffee filters in all cabins. Lotions and shampoos are provided in refillable bottles, and Natalie donates old linens to local animal shelters during her weekly, low-emission trips into town.
BRONZE CERTIFICATION LEVEL
Unitarian universalist fellowship of durango
For several years, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango’s Environmental Justice Team (EJT) has been committed to enhancing the church’s sustainability efforts. Even before formal engagement, the church had installed electric vehicle chargers and solar panels. After working with 4CORE on an energy audit of their three buildings, the church implemented climate-conscious upgrades, including LED lighting, faucet aerators, and efficient irrigation systems. They also added bike racks to encourage alternative transportation and reduce traffic noise.
The EJT continues to lead efforts for sustainability, such as requiring ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, offering plant-based meal options, and ensuring any new construction is environmentally sensitive. They also educate congregants on reducing their carbon footprints and encourage remote work for staff.
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Together, we can build a greener, more sustainable community—one business at a time.