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New Sustainability Coordinator in Ned

Emma Quarterman
Posted 3/28/23

“Hello Beautiful Soul, please do not flush unless it is absolutely necessary”

This message that appears often in the bathrooms of water conscious households speaks to the mission of the

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New Sustainability Coordinator in Ned

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“Hello Beautiful Soul, please do not flush unless it is absolutely necessary”

This message that appears often in the bathrooms of water conscious households speaks to the mission of the Town of Nederland’s New Sustainability Coordinator, Leah Haney.

Haney found her way to Colorado in search of environmentally conscious communities where she could start her career in sustainability. After growing up in Arizona in the Phoenix area, Haney felt disheartened from a young age knowing that water was a limited resource yet witnessing the many golf courses actively ignoring this information. Luckily, in 2013 she was able to leave her marketing job in Tucson to begin a career that aligned with her heart.

Haney landed a job in Golden, Colorado, at The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) working in the recruiting and HR department. Over the course of four years she took every tour available getting to learn about renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, biofuels, hydrogen, energy-efficient building, and policy. From there she became a recruiter working for private companies primarily in clean energy, natural and plant-based food companies, and tech.

After moving to Nederland to live closer to family, Haney found herself with the opportunity to volunteer locally on a project she feels passionate about – community solar gardens. Haney worked closely with former Sustainability Coordinator, Eryka Thorley, on the solar garden project and reflects fondly on the experience learning from Thorley. When Eryka accepted a new position as the Sustainability Manager for the Town of Erie, it was only natural that she recommended Leah apply for the Nederland Sustainability Coordinator position.

In 2018 Haney and her partner took living sustainability to the next level and moved into an off grid EarthShip near Nederland. Living part way under the earth with limited electricity and water presented many challenges and perhaps an awakening to the practicality of living sustainability vs radically in today’s world. Leah now lives in a more “typical” house just outside of town but in terms of electricity use, water use, and household waste she has adopted some of the critical behaviors required of her off-grid EarthShip experience. Namely, conserving water and energy, composting, line drying linens and clothes whenever possible, supporting the farmers market and attempting to grow food, and making conscious waste-minimizing purchases. Even with the EarthShip’s challenges, Leah says she’d love to live off-grid in a natural home again.

From daily habits to larger systems, Leah is thinking about it all, recognizing that personal actions are very small compared to the large structural changes needed to live sustainably. Luckily, Nederland folk are serious about change especially when it comes to protecting the very thing that brings us here – nature. The Town of Nederland’s Sustainability Advisory Board’s current mission is to achieve Boulder County’s goal to become 100% powered by renewable energy and net zero waste by 2030, only Nederland wants to do it by 2025. Nederland could set an example for towns across the nation. This change has been in process for some time, and the folks behind it are not giving up anytime soon!

Leah Haney is a wealth of experience and information in sustainability. Our town is lucky to have her supporting the Sustainability Advisory Board and the Town of Nederland.