BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder Valley Credit Union's eco-consciousbusiness philosophy is making a splash in the community.

The credit union recently received the CleanTech SustainableBusiness Silver Medal of Honor Award from the Colorado CleanTechInitiative at the 2008 Sustainable Opportunities Summit inDenver.

“What started out as “being the right thing to do” as anorganization, has now become a role model or benchmark for otherbanks or credit unions to follow. BVCU's eco-commitment is along-term one and is infused in every decision we make as anorganization on a day-to-day basis. Our green programs are who weare, how we choose to do business, and how we live and thrive as anorganization,” said Boulder Valley CU Vice President of MarketingJason Bauer.

Its green moves include installation of solar panels at its mainbranch, recycling and composting programs via a partnership withEco-Cycle of Boulder, installation of compact florescent lightingat all four of its branches, as well as the introduction of a suiteof eco-related financial products. In addition, 100% of allmarketing collateral is printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paperusing soy or corn-based inks, and responsible purchasing practicesare used for office equipment and supplies, cleaning supplies, andlawn care maintenance. A full list of the credit union'seco-efforts can be found at www.WeCareColorado.com.

The summit brought in companies and researchers from across thenation along with a significant local base of support. Summitattendees and speakers included Governor Bill Ritter andrepresentatives from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,National Center for Atmospheric Research, Coors, Corporate Express,Toyota, University of Colorado, Vail Resorts, Wal-Mart, SunMircosystems, Subaru, and several other local and nationalcompanies, laboratories, and research funding groups.

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