Eco-briefs | The Second Kitchen food co-op plans to expand on the Hill

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Second Kitchen co-founder Sara Brody

The Second Kitchen Food Buying Coop, which was created two years ago by three University of Colorado students, has outgrown its current location at 1076 Grant Place and announced plans to try to move to a bigger space. The co-op is trying to raise enough money by the end of the summer to move into the former Delilah’s Pretty Good Grocery location at 9th Street and College Avenue.

The co-op, which has 95 members and 10 people on a waiting list, has sustained its operations through member dues and volunteers. To make the move to a bigger location and increase membership, the co-op will need to raise $50,000 by August.

“[The Second Kitchen] will be a place where people feel connected to the community around food, and at the same time, it will provide the resources for people to eat easily with the seasons,” Sara Brody, co-founder of The Second Kitchen, said in a statement released by the company. “We wish to have a space that is welcoming and supported by our community members and Boulder at large.”

Visit www.thesecondkitchen.org for additional information.

— Abby Faires

COLORADO SENATE APPROVES RENEWABLE ENERGY BILL

On April 15, the Colorado Senate approved a bill that would raise the state’s renewable energy requirement to 25 percent for rural electric cooperatives. The bill, SB 252, now awaits approval from the House of Representatives.

Electric cooperatives are private, not-for-profit businesses governed by their consumers, known as “consumer-members,” according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) website. Under this structure, electric co-ops provide economic benefits to their local communities rather than distant stockholders.

If passed by the House, SB 252 would require rural cooperatives with more than 100,000 meters to obtain 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. To help compensate for extra costs, the bill would also allow co-ops to tack on an extra 2 percent to customer bills, rather than the 1 percent that gets added now.

Colorado’s existing legislation requires investor-owned utilities such as Xcel Energy to get 30 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2020.

“We congratulate the Colorado Senate for taking a big step forward in expanding solar and wind energy in Colorado with SB 252,” Executive Director of Conservation Colorado Pete Maysmith said in a statement. “Renewable energy has already added thousands of jobs, brought in new investments, and put Colorado on the map as the leader of clean wind and solar energy nationwide. … We look forward to SB 252 moving forward so Colorado can remain a leader in clean technology.”

— Abby Faires