01 18 CAPITOL HILL RESIDENTS TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE By Haines Eason It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when following the news on our changing climate. Big storms and long droughts seem to happen at increasing frequency and for longer duration, and the effects are the result of global forces. There is a saying that’s been around for some time, however: think global, act local. And, a group of locals organizing behind the banner of “Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action” (ANCA) is putting that slogan into practice. So, just what is Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action? Their mission statement says they aim to create shared, place-based climate action on a block-by-block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood level. What does that “action” look like? In the present, the goal is for neighborhoods that sign on to eventually host a forum at which real steps to curb greenhouse emissions at the local level are ratified. Even as the program is new to many, it has had the broad support of important local and national partner organizations—the ICA-USA (Institute of Cultural Affairs), CHUN (Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods) and MSU Denver (Metro State University) Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. MSU has gone so far as to provide interns and establish student training opportunities for forum leadership. To date there have been four forums, all in the Capitol Hill area. Forums have been hosted by Congress Park Neighbors, South City Park Neighborhood Association, Cheesman Park West Association and CHUN.
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Hannah Figliomeni tops up a cup of coffee at iconic Tom's Diner on Colfax on a recent Saturday morning. Tom's has had a LIFE rack in its foyer for ages. If you ever can't find a copy, drop in and visit them for one and a hot plate of food. Photo by Haines Eason. The program is the result of the efforts of several local volunteers, including founding member OliveAnn Slotta, an adjunct math professor at Metro State University. Slotta reports the group operates by consensus and operates by shared leadership, but the goal is the same: increase citywide neighborhood participation, encourage neighborhoods to host forums and, through the forums, decide on real strategies that result in reduced carbon emission. The city engages directly with this effort via
its Sustainable Neighborhoods Program. Taylor Moellers, Program Administrator for the program, has been working with Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action group almost since the beginning. She reports that as of now 13 neighborhoods have earned a Sustainable Neighborhood Certification and says that in early 2018 a 14th should come aboard. Moellers isn’t releasing the name of the neighborCONTINUED ON 10
DIY ARTMAKING BUSINESS SEED OF NEW LIFE FOR LOCAL YOUTH By Jack Etkin Art has helped Kaitlyn Sterlace overcome personal difficulties. It has become a guiding force, a source of comfort and healing, changing how she views the world. Having reaped benefits from her own aesthetic creations, Sterlace, 24, is passionate about becoming an art therapist and its use of cognitive behavioral therapy. “It’s the idea that your thoughts influence your feelings, and your feelings influence your behavior and your behavior influences your actions,” Sterlace says. “So, if you surround yourself with beautiful things, then you’ll make yourself have happy thoughts and, in turn, a
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happier life. “If you use the hands-on process of art to work through things, then you have that physical thing (you created) that contains your emotions in a sense, and you can see it and remind yourself that you’ve healed through that.” In August, Sterlace began going part-time to the Community College of Denver, taking the art and psychology courses required for a Master’s degree in art therapy. Her career path initially began forming in a counseling session when Sterlace was about 16. She told her counselor, “I want to help people everyday, and I want to do art everyday.” At that point, Sterlace was residing in her home-
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Cherry Creek residents give the city an earful over parking.
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town of Corning, New York. Her counseling sessions with a social worker arose out of a childhood trauma that occurred when she was very young but didn’t come to light until years later. After Sterlace professed to wanting to help people on a daily basis and create art, the social worker advised her to look into art therapy, which Sterlace had never heard of at that point. Since she was diagnosed with PTSD, Sterlace has been more focused on using art therapy to benefit those suffering from the anxiety and depression associated with that disorder. CONTINUED ON 12
Our Curmudgeon weighs in on Denver gentrification situation.
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