Cloud City Conservation Center (C4)

In 2023 C4 celebrated our 10th anniversary. A decade of supporting Healthy Planet, Healthy People for and with our Lake County community. 

Our 2023 Impact:

Energy Efficiency: The C4 Energy Resource Center works to make Lake County homes safer and warmer, improves our housing stock and supports more resilient community members as they reduce their energy costs. 100% of households that seek assistance through C4’s Energy Resource Center are able to take steps towards reducing their energy usage. In 2023 the Energy Resource Center helped over 170 Lake County households address their energy needs by:

1. Distributing over $120,000 to 109 Lake County households to assist with past due utility bills and address health, safety and energy issues.  
2. Helping over 58 households address delayed maintenance issues in their homes and reduce their energy usage.
3. Distributing rebates for home energy audits and improvements to Lake County households.

Environmental Education: We work to engage local youth in environmental education, growing future stewards of our planet, through both in-school and out-of-school programming. In 2023 we:

1. Provided FREE hands-on nutrition and environmental education to over 75% of Lake County youth in partnership with the Lake County School District, Project Dream, Full Circle of Lake County and Get Outdoors Leadville!. 

Sustainable Food: We work to build a more resilient Lake County food system that prioritizes providing access to affordable, fresh produce to our community through Cloud City Farm and Community Garden. In 2023:

1. Over 20% of Lake County residents engaged in the local food system through Cloud City Farm & Community Garden.
2. Grew over 2,000 pounds of produce for our community and distributed an additional 1,000 pounds of Colorado grown produce thanks to our partnerships with regional farms. 
3. Doubled our capacity to provide locally grown, fresh produce for our community by adding a second high tunnel.
   

Waste Diversion: We work to divert waste from the Lake County Landfill through free community programs and by supporting local partners through consulting and zero waste event services. In 2023 we:

1. Over 200 households participated in our FREE community compost program, diverting their food scraps from our landfill. 
2. Partnered with the Leadville Race Series and Boom Days to bring recycling and composting to their events, diverting as much waste as possible from our local landfill. The Leadville Race series diverted 78% of their waste from the landfill!
3. Partnered with the Lake County Landfill to launch a mattress recycling program. 

In 2024 C4 plans to:

1.  Support a Lake County Climate Action Plan in partnership with Lake County Government 
2. Triple our financial assistance for Lake County residents who want to reduce their energy usage 
3. Pilot a commercial compost program 
4. Expand youth environmental education programming with GOL! to reach EVERY Lake County student 
5. Continue to expand access to affordable, fresh produce through Cloud City Farm.