Eagle County Sustainable Business
Helping Eagle County businesses stand out as sustainability leaders through collaborative training, expert coaching, and the Actively Green certification driving measurable impact for people, planet, and profit.
Sustainable Business Leadership Program
The Sustainable Leadership Business Program supports Eagle County organizations at every stage of their sustainability journey by providing structured guidance, expert coaching, and peer collaboration. Local organizations meet twice monthly to develop and implement a customized sustainability plan and progress toward Actively Green certification.
Actively Green Certification
Actively Green is a certification that provides a framework of sustainable business criteria and performance indicators that support any business in elevating performance with the use of best management practices specific to sustainability principles. Actively Green Certified Businesses benefit from improved efficiency and optimized management processes and being part of a community of organizations who are making an impact in the Eagle Valley.
Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs
Schedule a walkthrough to decide how best to reduce your business energy footprint and reduce utility bills. Put our energy-efficient programs to work.
Add info about learning about rebates through the SBLP
Corporate Partners
Upcoming Sustainability Events
Core Transit Pop-Up
Community Water Panel: Water, Drought, and the Future of Agriculture in the West
Cuida El Planeta con Una Noche de Cine Familiar
Sustainable Business Frequently Asked Questions
Electrification is the transition from fossil-fuel-powered systems to electric alternatives, enabling cleaner, more efficient, and renewable-powered energy use.
Some examples of electrification in your home are:
- Electric vehicles (EVs) replacing gasoline/diesel cars
- Heat pumps replacing natural-gas or propane furnaces
- Induction stoves replacing gas stoves
- Electric water heaters replacing gas water heaters
- Electric landscaping equipment replacing gas-powered tools
The goal is to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and increase efficiency.
Electrification is a major strategy for addressing climate change because:
- Electric technologies are more efficient than combustion-based ones (heat pumps, for example, can be 3–4× more efficient than gas furnaces).
- Renewable energy is increasingly available and can power these technologies with near-zero emissions.
- It reduces reliance on fossil fuels, which are finite and polluting.
- Buildings and transportation—two of the largest emissions sources—become cleaner when they switch to electric systems.
The building envelope is the exterior shell of a building—walls, roof, foundation, windows, doors, and insulation—that controls heat, air, and moisture flow. A strong envelope improves energy efficiency, comfort, and sustainability.
A well-designed building envelope:
- Reduces heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer
- Lowers energy use by reducing the need for heating and cooling
- Improves occupant comfort by reducing drafts, moisture issues, and temperature swings
- Supports healthy indoor air quality by controlling airflow and moisture
- Enhances durability by preventing condensation and material degradation
In many buildings, most wasted energy comes from air leaks, poor insulation, or inefficient windows—problems with the envelope.
The Eagle County Materials Recovery Facility accepts glass beverage containers, aluminum and steel cans, corrugated cardboard boxes, office paper, magazines, and emptied plastic containers No. 1 through No. 7. If you are unsure of how to properly dispose of something, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app.
If you do not have curbside recycling through a local waste hauler, there are free recycling drop-site locations available throughout Eagle Valley, including Vail, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum, and Red Cliff. All recycling drop-sites are dual-stream, which means that paper, cardboard, and comingle materials (recyclable plastics, glass, aluminum, etc.) have to be separated into separate containers. All drop sites will have 3 or more containers labeled with the materials that can be disposed of in those containers. Vail Honeywagon offers a compost subscription program that provides access to a compost dumpster at the Avon, Eagle, Edwards, and Vail recycling drop sites for a small monthly fee.
Recyclables collected from the Eagle County drop sites are taken to the Eagle County Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Wolcott and are separated, baled, and readied for direct shipment to end users. Recyclables collected curbside from local haulers are taken to MRFs in Denver.
A zero-waste event is designed to divert as much waste as possible away from landfills through recycling, composting, and reuse. The goal is typically to divert at least 90% of waste at an event. This is achieved through planning and coordination with Walking Mountains event staff and vendors before the event. Trained staff and volunteers provide education and outreach at zero-waste events and sort all of the waste at the end to ensure successful diversion. Interested in making your event zero-waste?
The Walking Mountains Zero Waste Team helps plan and manage zero-waste events by coordinating with vendors beforehand, providing waste stations and bags, trained staff, educational signage and interactions, and post-event sorting and diversion data. In 2025, we worked 126 days, and diverted 72,888 pounds of waste from the landfill with a diversion rate of 87%.
Eagle County residents can dispose of household hazardous waste by bringing it to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Wolcott. Residents can bring up to 20 items a year at no charge. E-waste can also be recycled there for a fee of 20 cents per pound. Avon, Eagle, Gypsum, Minturn, and Vail host annual Hard to Recycle events in May where you can drop off hazardous items and e-waste for free. If you are unsure about what goes where, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app.
We always need paid contract staff or volunteers to work our zero-waste events. Please fill out the interest form here and someone will be in touch with you.
If you are unsure of how to properly dispose of something, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app! You can download the app, available for both Apple and Android.
Check out the schedule and register for a FREE community recycling tour. We also offer free private tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour.
Yes! Free recycling tours take place on a quarterly basis, but registration is required. You can check the schedule and register here. We also offer free private tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour.
Join us for a FREE, three-hour recycling tour that takes you behind the scenes of Eagle County’s waste and recycling system. Discover where your trash actually goes, what happens to your recyclables, and how local facilities manage materials from start to finish.
Offered in both English and Spanish, the tour begins at the Eagle County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. From there, you’ll visit the landfill, explore the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where recyclables are sorted, and wrap up at the Vail Honeywagon Compost Facility.
It’s your chance to get answers to all your waste-related questions and separate recycling facts from fiction.
No! Recycling tours are meant for people of all ages and are offered in English and Spanish. We welcome anyone who wants to join us to learn more about waste diversion!
The Eagle County Waste Wizard is a website and app that tells you how to properly dispose of your waste. Simply enter the item you are looking to dispose of and it will tell you if it can be recycled, composted, or where it can be disposed of. Check out the site here or download our mobile app to always have an answer at your fingertips!
We offer free private recycling tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour. If you do not have a group, sign up for one of our free community recycling tours that happen on a quarterly basis. View the schedule and register here.
Vail Honeywagon has a compost drop site program that Eagle County residents can pay a small monthly fee to participate in. Depending on your town, there might be a curbside composting program.
Fill out this interest form with the information about your event and our team will contact you in 2-3 business days.
La electrificación es la transición de sistemas alimentados por combustibles fósiles a alternativas eléctricas, lo que permite un uso de energía más limpio, eficiente y renovable.
Algunos ejemplos de electrificación en el hogar son:
- Vehículos eléctricos (VE) que reemplazan autos de gasolina/diésel
- Bombas de calor que reemplazan hornos de gas natural o propano
- Estufas de inducción que reemplazan a las estufas de gas
- Calentadores de agua eléctricos que reemplazan a los calentadores de agua a gas
- Equipos eléctricos de jardinería que reemplazan herramientas a gasolina
El objetivo es reducir las emisiones de carbono, mejorar la calidad del aire y aumentar la eficiencia.
Sustainable Business Testimonials
