Waneka said he was not content to go with easier off-the-shelf solutions to the cooling needs at the schools. Exploring options might produce a truly sustainable energy system and reduce fuel costs. “To me, it is foolish not to explore,” he said.
Category: Environment
Aspen Journalism’s “Connie Harvey Environment Desk” is named in honor of the longtime Aspen environmentalist.
Volunteers report uptick in illegal campfire rings
Given the moment’s urgency, the Forest Conservancy is seeing record levels of staffing, recruitment, total hours and in-kind value. Through Aug. 17, volunteers with Forest Conservancy have worked more than 8,800 service hours, which Johnson said represents an in-kind contribution value of more than $340,000, or the equivalent of 10 to 12 seasonal employees.
Common ground: Protecting our public lands
Citizen involvement amplified the call to protect national assets and save something for the future. A campaign to win hearts and minds for preserving the inspiring vistas was beginning to sensitize America to the natural treasures of which it had taken possession.
Becoming the White River National Forest
The story of the WRNF is therefore a weave of time and place, and of a people for whom the forest is both an economic lifeblood and a battleground for conservation and preservation.
A crisis of the commons
The idea of selling off lands held in public trust throughout the United States is grounds for national reflection on the significance of these very lands. Historically, the privatization of land across the continental United States has been, in large part, a protracted scandal of greed, corruption, exploitation and opportunism.
Aspen’s cultural scene tests the ‘theory of abundance’
Sources see this abundance as a benefit to the consumer, to the community and to humanity at large. Yet, they also recognize that Aspen’s cultural scene could be viewed as an embarrassment of riches.
Aspen’s World Cup ski racing future depends on clarity around Lift One corridor development
An FIS spokesperson relayed concerns from race officials that “some of the proposed developments in that zone could potentially restrict the space and infrastructure needed to deliver a top-tier event” and, in turn, negatively impact Aspen’s World Cup prospects.
Now ‘Chalet Alpina’ and an Aman hotel, two lodging projects in the Lift One corridor work through city permit review
Earlier projections from developers indicated construction would already be underway by now, but to date, no one has started major digging on their projects. Many of their plans are intertwined, requiring collaboration between stakeholders to ensure the order of operations flows smoothly.
‘Voice of wildlife’ takes early retirement from the Forest Service
Nyland was involved in a wide array of projects across the White River National Forest. But his legacy is clearest in his work to improve wildlife habitat through prescribed fire, and his departure raised alarm in at least one partner agency.
The Aspen 80
There have never been more billionaires in the world—3,028, by Forbes’ count, crossing the 3,000 threshold for the first time in 2025. It stands to reason that there also have never been more billionaires in Aspen, their collective influence shaping the community’s social fabric.
