Real Estate in Denver and the Suburbs » Denver Go Green

Highlands Ranch CO Christmas Tree Recycling

Steve Scheer — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 02:26:31 +0000

If you have recently moved to Highlands Ranch, you may not be aware that there is a program in place here in Highlands Ranch to recycle your Christmas trees.

Trees were available for drop off starting 12/24 at several area Highlands Ranch parks and will continue to be collected through January 16th.

Now, I know that many like to keep their trees in the house as long as possible – but remember that it has been so dry here and if your tree is no longer taking water and getting brittle, be safe and know when its time to get it out of the house. Tree drop off is available at the following parks:

Redstone
Toepfer
Dad Clark
Highlands Heritage (behind Highlands Ranch post office)

The trees will be turned into mulch and you are welcome to return for free mulch once it is available. It sounds like this is a joint venture between HRMD (Highlands Ranch Metro District) and Douglas County and also promoted by HRCA (Highlands Ranch Community Association). There is no fee for this service.

Living in Denver – Chopping Down Your Own Christmas Tree

Steve Scheer — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:58:15 +0000

Here is a blast from the past that I originally wrote back in 2007 – but I have updated it a bit. The new version here contains all current links for permits, as many of the old links from the original no longer work.

Cutting down a Colorado Christmas Tree? You’ll Need More Than A Good Saw!

One of the common things I hear from clients once they have relocated to Colorado -is they just can’t wait to cut down their first Colorado Christmas tree. While this sure tends to be a popular event, you need to be prepared in advance or you are going to be out of luck.

What most people don’t realize when they are new to the area, that to cut down a tree in the national forest, you need a permit from the forest service. And these do sell out, so it’s not something you can just decide the day before. Here is one of the popular areas for Denver residents – Buffalo Creek. If you are planning on this spot, purchase your pass quickly as it does tend to be one of the first permit areas to sell out & some dates already are. There are others nearby such as the Rampart Range area south of the Denver area toward Colorado Springs or you can venture further into the foothills and mountains and make a whole day of it. All of the areas through the Forest Service can be found here for Colorado and all of the Denver Front Range areas are summarized here.

Getting a permit to cut a tree in the national forest is not difficult, you just need to know how to go about it. Fortunately the Forest Service web site is extremely helpful and has several links to guide you to the information that you need. (very inexpensively I might add) once you have picked a date & location. There is all sorts of information to help keep you safe (hours you can go, remember to fill your tank, bring chains for your tires in case it snows) to tips on how to keep your tree alive in your home longer. Almost all of the locations do require four wheel drive vehicles and almost all the links on the Forest service sites give you an update on current weather conditions – there already has been a good deal of snow in many of the mountain areas and this is something to consider when heading out for the day to make sure you are prepared, warm, dry & safe.

Its important to know how to care for your tree once its indoors, and if you are new to Denver this will be a little different than in other locations. Due to the very low humidity and our altitude, cut trees require a lot of water – more than you may be used to. And of course if a tree dries out it is a tremendous fire hazard which is just plain ol’ scary. It is not uncommon to see trees being pulled out of homes before Christmas in the Denver area – because they just got too dry. If this happens to you, don’t risk it – take it down. But if you follow some of the guidelines on the forest service page (even if you didn’t cut it down with them) it can help you preserve your live tree longer.

Oh, and don’t bring a chain saw – they are not allowed. A good hand saw will do the trick.

Day 75 Computer and Electronics Recycle in Highlands Ranch

Steve Scheer — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:44:42 +0000

Day 75 | Computer and Electronics Recycle | Highlands Ranch CO

Today on Day 75 of 365 Things to Do in the South Denver Suburbs, its time to get rid of all o f those old electronics and computer parts that are taking up room in your crawl space and dispose of them properly in Highlands Ranch.

The HRCA is hosting an recycling event today only, 9/25/2010. There is a fee for tv’s and monitors – tv’s are $20 small and $40 large and monitors are $5. Other items do not have an associated fee but donations are accepted that will benefit the Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association and the Highlands Ranch Community Scholarship Fund.

This is a great way to dispose of computers, keyboards, printers, cell phones, radios, auto electronics, stereos and more. You can see a full list here. The HRCA is working with Techno Rescue Recycling for this annual computers and recycling event this year.

The event opens at 8am until 12:00 pm noon today, Saturday September 25, 2010 in the Highlands Ranch Town Center at Highlands Ranch Broadway just east of Lucent Blvd.

About 365 Things in South Denver Suburbs: Whether you have lived in the south Denver suburbs for a long time or are considering Denver relocation, this series will help you discover new events and new places to visit every day!

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Other Things to Do in the South Denver Suburbs you may like:

Day 60 – Chatfield Corn Maze – Littleton CO

Day 69 – The Melting Pot – Littleton CO

Day 70 – Fall Foliage Viewing – Colorado High Country

Day 71 – Jamba Juice

Day 73 – Wag N Trail walk with Denver Dumb Friends League

Day 74 – Take a Sunrise Walk

Steve Scheer – Denver Realtor®

Denver Real Estate

Lone Tree Real Estate

Highlands Ranch Real Estate

Day 72 Pharmaceutical Take Back Event

Steve Scheer — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:12:24 +0000

Day 72 | Pharmaceutical Take Back Event

On Day 72 of 365 Things To Do in South Denver Suburbs we are going to plan ahead for this weekend’s nationwide Prescription Drug Take Back Day with various Pharmaceutical take back sites throughout the south Denver suburbs. Some of the locations are located in Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch, Englewood, Denver, Golden, Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Parker. Many of the sites are located at the police department, however some communities have turned it into a larger event and have been trying to get the word out.

Many people do not realize that it is not necessarily safe to dispose of prescription, and sometimes even over the counter medications, in the trash, by flushing or down the drain. Disposing of medications in an unsafe manner can cause them to wind up in water sources, rivers, streams and even let animals get a hold of them. And of course you wouldn’t want medications to fall into the wrong hands, so an event like this can really help communities empty out the medicine cabinets of old un-needed medicines and have them disposed of properly and curb the potential for controlled substances to be used in an illegal maner. You can find out more about the nationwide event here.

Items that can not be accepted at the Pharmaceutical Take Back Events are: needles and sharps, mercury thermometers, Oxygen containers, chemotherapy/radioactive substances, pressurized canisters, and illicit drugs.

All locations in Colorado can be found here. In the case of the Highlands Ranch location, the Douglas County Sheriffs office has partnered with the Highlands Ranch Metro Districts and Centennial Water and will be at one of the Highlands Ranch Metro District offices on the corner of Broadway & Plaza at 62 W Plaza Dr from 10 am – 2 pm Saturday 9/25.

Take the next couple of days, clean out the medicine cabinet and head over to a nearby location Saturday for the nationwide Prescription Drug Take Back Event.

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Other Things to Do in the South Denver Suburbs you may like:

Day 66 – Taste of Philly – Highlands Ranch CO

Day 69 – The Melting Pot – Littleton CO

Day 70 – Fall Foliage Viewing – Colorado High Country

Day 71 – Jamba Juice

Steve Scheer – Denver Realtor®

Denver Real Estate

Lone Tree Real Estate

Highlands Ranch Real Estate

Day 58 Sprouts Farmers Market in Lone Tree CO

Steve Scheer — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:44:56 +0000

Day 58 Sprouts Farmers Market in Lone Tree | Grand Opening Event

On Day 58 of 365 Things To Do in South Denver Suburbs you need to grab your reusable grocery bags and head over to the Grand Opening Celebration at Sprouts Farmers Market in Lone Tree, CO.

Even though there are other Sprouts Farmers Markets in Denver and the Denver suburbs such as Aurora, Centennial, Castle Rock and Parker, I have to admit I have not yet been to one. I am very much looking forward to enjoying this Lone Tree location, I have heard a lot about it and people that live in Lone Tree and the surrounding area seem pretty happy about it. I do know that my wife is thrilled to have another option at her fingertips when it comes to shopping for our family.

Sprouts Farmers Markets has the departments of a local grocery store and offers as much local produce as possible as well as having great weekly specials on a variety of items. Some of the Grand Opening specials at the new Lone Tree CO store include great $1 deals:

Loaf of Sourdough bread, 2 lb bag of Bartlett pears, honeydew melons, pint of Grape tomatoes, 3lb bag of brown onions, and much more – all of these items are listed at $1 each (just the Lone Tree location for the Grand Opening.)

Also, something about Sprouts in general, according to the Sprouts site, Wednesday are double ad days – so whatever the advertised specials are, on Wednesdays the savings double.

If you have been reading my post here on my Living in Denver & the Denver Suburbs blog, you know that my family and I love farmers markets and are regular visitors of the local Denver area farmers markets. That certainly will not change, however it is nice to have another option for great deals and produce in the Denver suburbs that is not far at all from my own Douglas County home.

The brand new Sprouts Farmers Market in Lone Tree is located at 10018 Commons Street in Lone Tree CO – which is on the south side of Lincoln just a bit west of I25. It is located in the new Lincoln Commons Shopping that is a part of Ridgegate. Ridgegate is a mixed used community that include the Sky Ridge Medical Center, homes, shopping, dining, the Lone Tree Rec Center and easy access to I 25 and RTD Light Rail at Lincoln. If you are interested in the homes at Ridgegate or Lone Tree in general, let me know - I would be happy to tell you all about them.

Search for Lone Tree Homes Now

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Other Things to Do in the South Denver Suburbs you may like:

Day 52 Hudson Gardens – Littleton CO – Sept $1 Admission

Day 54 – Colorado Journey Mini Golf – Littleton CO

Day 56 – Outlets At Castle Rock

Day 57 – Highlands Ranch Days

Steve Scheer – Denver Realtor®

Denver Real Estate

Lone Tree Real Estate

Highlands Ranch Real Estate