Craft Beer

As some of you may know, Melissa and I are attempting to visit all the breweries in Colorado. There are about 90 or so, the most of any state in the country, and we have been to 36 of them so far. Most of these breweries are small and independent craft breweries. There are about 1,400 in the U.S. today. Colorado is also home to MillerCoors (Golden) and Budweiser (Ft. Collins). We try to stay away from those brews that are created with corn and rice and are over mass produced, to support the local artisans of good craft beer.

To honor these craft beers, the Brewers Association has created American Craft Beer Week. You can learn more about this special week HERE. Download the Declaration of Beer Independence PDF and pledge to enjoy good tasting, quality, local beer.

You may also enjoy this video, I Am A Craft Brewer, a collaborative video representing the camaraderie, character and integrity of the American Craft Brewing movement. Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media … and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country.

If you have about 3 minutes, please take the time to watch and learn.

"One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised." - Chinua Achebe
CHEERS TO GOOD BEERS!

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

This is Your Brain on Adventure

How adventurous are you?
You stand on a 300-foot cliff and think, Mommy. Ted Davenport stands there and thinks, Sick air! The difference, neuroscientists are finding, may lie in the very anatomy of our minds.

Take the following survey to find out:
SURVEY

My results:
Your Adventure Index score is 9, which compares to a national average of 5 for all adults.

Read more HERE.

Happy Earth Day!

Go hug a tree!!!

1. Bank Online - Online Banking, BillPay and Paperless Statements
Not only will you save time and money with online services, you'll help the environment. If every U.S. household stopped receiving paper bills and statements, 687,000 tons of paper would be saved every year, enough to circle the Earth 239 times.
Javelin Strategy and Research: www.payitgreen.org/get-the-facts.html

2. Bright Idea
At home, replace your light bulbs with CFL bulbs. If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars¹.
¹www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

3. B.Y.O.Bag
Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. That amounts to over one million per minute. Billions of bags end up in land fills each year. When shopping, bring your own reusable bags. Most grocers offer them for less than $1.50. The reusable bags preserve resources by cutting down on the huge number of paper and plastic bags that are discarded annually.
www.reusablebags.com/facts.php

4. Give up the Glow
A screen saver is not an energy saver. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75% of all electricity consumed in the home is standby power used to keep electronics running when those TVs, DVRs, computers, monitors and stereos are "off.” For example, turning off your computer when not in use would save you about $70 a year. The carbon impact would be even greater; shutting it off would reduce the machine's carbon emissions by 83%. Unplug to save more.
www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment

Bonus Tip: Pass the Green Torch
Going green with your children is a great way to spend time together, have fun as a family, and develop habits in your children that will benefit the environment for years to come. Check out www.kidsbegreen.org to help your children go (and grow) green! Give your kids the responsibility for your family's recycling program. Consider matching whatever they earn through recycling. They'll learn about going green and saving money at the same time.
www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/green-living/ways-to-go-green-4

Want to know your financial paper footprint? Click here

Ready for the Playoffs?

Vail Powder Day

Two weekends ago, Melissa and I drove up to Vail and had the best powder day of the season. With more than five feet in the past two weeks and a report of 13 inches Saturday morning, we were knee deep in powder while it continued to dump all day. We spent the majority of our time in Sun Down Bowl, with hardly anyone else in sight!

NOTE: This is my first movie using iMovie. The video is from our digital cameras, so the quality and lighting is bad. I'd like to have some tracks slowed down or sped up, but this program does not allow that in the version I have. Anyways, enjoy a very amateur video.

Ghost Signs

Inspired by MetroGnome

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen, Colorado

GO SOX!!!!!