"It's kind of a prototype for a small commercial business," says Steve Schoo, marketing communications director for Independent Power Systems, based in Boulder. "But we've done hundreds of custom installations on residences and much bigger commercial buildings in three states."

The new year is a great time to turn over a new leaf and make some eco-friendly resolutions. In this week’s column, we’ve gathered a few suggestions for making your home a greener, healthier place to live.

It's still an organization devoted to shaping a better future for tomorrow's adults and encouraging community service. However, today's members, mostly between ages 9 and 19, are as likely to come from the city as the country.

"The number one, with a bullet, most conscientious thing a car owner can do for the environment, and especially for our air quality, is to properly maintain the vehicle," says Christopher Dann, public information officer for the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division.

If nothing else, these kinds of purchases recycle usable items and help sustain our local economy. Some stores are also run as nonprofit charities, and the money goes to a number of good causes. Others help people who simply need extra cash (and who doesnt these days?) to sell unwanted items.

And if you investigate further, you can find an even greener benefit. Among the Open Studios artists are people recycling discards and outright junk into jewelry, pottery, garden sculptures, paintings and more. Take Mary Barron, owner of Adagio Art Glass in Boulder (www.

Some organizations are like a rental company because they buy the cars for member use, says Karen Worminghaus, executive director of eGo CarShare. We may be the first to use the peer-to-peer method we lease some vehicles from members and keep the title for the lease period.

So Wilke will show you the one ice-melting product McGuckin carries that will chemically bust up ice in a powerful hurry if youre not fussy. But he says a high enough residue of that stuff left on the ground will actually sterilize your soil, so hell be happier to explain why there are better choices.

Head out any time after 9 a.m. that day for an early look at the Tool Library at the ReSource Yard, at 6400 Arapahoe Rd. The party starts at 2 p.m., and there is a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m., with live music, food and special guests until 5 p.m..

Among other things, it contracts with PACE, the program that trains businesses to reduce their environmental impacts in 10 minutes. Once a business learns to, say, pressure-wash a restaurant patio without harmful chemi cals, it is added to the PACE Allies list, posted on its website and shared with businesses looking for certified service providers.