Boulder Magazine Fall 2007 :: feature articles :: business profile

Boulder Buzz
By Tyera Eulberg & Felicia Russell

Civic Drive

Amid all the news about presidential primaries this fall, don’t forget to do your civic duty here at home and vote in the Nov. 6, 2007, coordinated election. Open space, hate crimes, FasTracks, affordable housing and green building codes are bound to be hot issues this fall as city councils around the county face turnovers of half their members. Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette each have four of seven seats open; Boulder has seven of nine seats open. Make sure you are registered to vote by Tuesday, Oct. 9, and apply for an absentee ballot by Oct. 30. For information about the upcoming election, visit the County Clerk’s website at www.co.boulder.co.us/clerk/elections. —F.R.

Up-to-Date Opera

In 2000, critics lauded Dead Man Walking as the best work of American musical theater since West Side Story premiered more than 40 years earlier. This fall, CU Opera opens its 2007-08 season with this thought-provoking story about crime and capital punishment. “It’s a real coup for us that we’re the first academic institution that has the opportunity to perform this piece,” says William Gustafson, director of opera studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dead Man Walking is the first opera by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrance McNally. It is based on the autobiographical book by Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun who served as a spiritual counselor for inmates on death row. “A piece like Dead Man Walking has the ability to reach people who wouldn’t normally go see opera,” Gustafson says.

CU Opera performs the work Oct. 26-28 in Macky Auditorium at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30pm on Sunday. But the week is filled with other activities, including a screening of the 1995 film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn; a lunchtime preview of the opera; a lecture about the death penalty by Professor of Sociology Michael Radelet, who helped Sister Helen write the footnotes to her book; and a panel discussion featuring Sister Helen and composer Jake Heggie. To purchase tickets or check times and locations for events, look online at www.cuconcerts.org/deadman.html. —F.R.

Find an After-School Jewel

The statistics are in: Children who have something to keep them busy after the school day ends are more likely to graduate and go to college, as well as stay away from drugs and crime. But how do you find the perfect after-school program to keep your kids from coming home to an empty house? This year, Boulder introduces Lights On Afterschool, bringing dozens of after-school programs across the county together on Pearl Street Mall for you to browse.

On Oct. 18 from 3:30-6:30pm, private, not-for-profit and government programs provide information about after-school opportunities, and demonstrate how fun and educational they are. Young singers sing, dancers dance, and scientists perform experiments, all celebrating their chosen after-school activities. Meanwhile, city council members, teachers and other community leaders from across Boulder County discuss the importance of after-school programs. And of course there are booths upon booths; programs range from yoga classes to sports to math (carefully hidden in a cooking class),so there’s something for every interest and budget. The city’s Family Resource School Program, in particular, offers after-school activities for low-income kids, held at school with free transportation home. “We were surprised at how much there really is around here,” says Lights On Afterschool organizer Kathryn Coleman. Above all, Lights On Afterschool—celebrated in 7,500 communities nationwide—is meant to show that an abundance of after-school programs is accessible for everyone. For more information: 303-441-3344; www.afterschoolalliance.org. —T.E.

Local Rags

In an ever widening world where calling customer service often means speaking with someone on the other side of the planet, it’s refreshing to know that you can still buy Boulder-made bow ties and handbags. Carrot & Gibbs has been thrilling bowtie aficionados and bridegrooms for 20 years with its silk ties and vests. Owner Neil Borin says he’s kept the 15-worker company in Boulder on principle. “I don’t like the whole concept of outsourcing. The quality would suffer, I guarantee it,” Borin says. These distinctive bow ties are available at Kinsley & Co. and The Regiment in Boulder and online at www.greatbows.com.

Maruca Design handbags are svelte and sassy, with unique textiles in classic styles, and they too are made locally. “We’re proud to be domestic and handmade,” says sales manager Angela Schuster. “There’s so few of us left.” The company is a cottage industry, with 10 Boulder-area seamstresses sewing all of the bags Maruca sells. When the company first started, in 1991, being made in America wasn’t a big deal, Schuster says, “but now when I mention it, it’s a real selling point.” Although Maruca bags sell around the country and online, the best deal this fall is still in Boulder at the semi-annual studio sale, Nov. 22-24.

Carrot & Gibbs and Maruca are holdouts in Boulder County's shrinking clothing-manufacturing industry.

Jila Design had been a mainstay in Boulder for one-of-a-kind women’s clothing since 1977, but it plans to close its retail shop this fall to focus on an online store and made-to-order items. Although the county is still home to several clothing companies—including Fresh Produce, Spyder, Wallaroo Hats, Cool Sets and SkirtSports—most have moved their manufacturing facilities overseas or to another part of the country. —F.R.

Get Climate Smarts

Boulder celebrates a new era of conservation and carbon vutting this fall with ClimateSmart, a city campaign to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Last year, the city passed the Climate Action Plan, promising as a community to uphold the Kyoto climate agreement. To do so, Boulder must reduce carbon emissions to 7 percent below what they were in 1990 (that’s 22 percent less than what we emitted in 2006) by 2012. ClimateSmart works with businesses, industry and individual people to reach this goal, offering carbon-conserving tips, community resources and even carbon coaches. “We know you’re busy,” says the ClimateSmart team, so they have “plans in store for you, your light bulbs, your water heaters and your legs—biking is great for your social life.” Those plans include rebates on solar-energy systems and wind energy credits. In addition to its guides and resources, ClimateSmart’s website (www.beclimatesmart.com) boasts a Boulder carbon tracker showing the results of local businesses and neighborhoods taking climate action.

ClimateSmart launches Sept. 8, with a big event in Central Park from 11am to 3pm. Be there to learn more about the city’s plans and to explore how you personally can cut carbon emissions. For information, call Beth Powell at 303-441-1846. And keep your eye on www.beclimatesmart.com. —T.E.

Fishing for the Truth

Choosing fish at the market is tough these days. Between potential health effects from high mercury concentrations and concerns about overfishing, some days it seems safer not to buy fish at all. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has made the decision easier with its online consumer guide, FishWatch (www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch).

The website gives information about nutrition, fisheries management, and population numbers and habitat for more than 25 oceanic species. FishWatch is “for people who want to arm themselves with knowledge and make their own decisions,” says Susan Buchanan, NOAA Fisheries Service spokeswoman. This is the first time that NOAA has gotten so involved with consumer education. With a barrage of lists from advocacy groups that are more often based on policy agendas than science, it’s no wonder that people are confused about which fish to buy.FishWatch doesn’t tell consumers which fish to buy; it simply gives them the tools to make that decision. To ease your mind, Buchanan says that the great majority of fish sold in markets is legally harvested under government-instituted fishery management plans.

Fish is a low-calorie, high-protein food packed with nutrients that are important for heart and brain health. So the next time you’re at the market, don’t forgo the flounder. Just do a little research first to feel confident that the fish you buy is good for your health and the world’s fisheries. —F.R.