Boulder Celebrates Boulder, and All Things Green

Good things come in threes. First there was the Bolder Boulder, then the Pro Cycle Challenge and now, on Sunday, September 16^th 2012, Boulder Green Streets “Ciclovia.” From ten a.m. to four p.m., the City of Boulder and an estimated 15,000 area residents will celebrate all things Boulder at this three-mile-long car-free event.

Boulder Green Streets, founded by social entrepreneur Hillary Griffith, draws its inspiration from the “Ciclovia” held in cities around the world, including New York City, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Bogotá, Colombia. In Bogotá, more than 70 miles of roads are turned into a promenade every Sunday for strollers, runners, bicyclists, and food vendors. According to Griffith, the Ciclovia has now become part of an international movement that is having dramatic impact on communities where it takes place.

At Boulder Green Streets, September 16th Ciclovia, a three mile car-free route that winds through neighborhoods and links two activity centers, Pearl Street between 15th and 20th and the North Boulder Recreation Center at 3170 Broadway. At these activity centers you’ll find 10 different thematic zones: The Let’s Move Fitness Zone, Live Well featuring Health, Wellness and Gardening, Yoga & Martial Arts,  Zona Latina, Eco-Chic Fashion, Sustainable Living, Ride & Roll, Outdoor Adventure, the Organic Alley Food Pavilion, and Connected Mobility.

In these zones over 50 free activities are offered creating a  gigantic play space for the community.  The event features a free community breakfast, free yoga, martial arts, music and dance classes all day. You’ll find live music and spontaneous performances along the route by Quemando, The Boulder Samba School, Lesile K. and the Prem Sangha Band, among others.  You’ll find free all day access to the North Boulder Recreation Center, and the 50-vendor full, Organic Alley Pavillion featuring free samples from some of the best organic foods and healthy lifestyle products made in Boulder,  a climbing wall, skate park and kayak tank.

There will also be free B-Cycle bicycle rentals, free pedicab rides, a kid’s bike rodeo, BMX demos, a four hour flash mob, art, music and gardening workshops, Boulder’s first bike ballet performance and a wheelchair obstacle course.

Boulder, known as number one in the USA for being the smartest town in the country, and the healthiest, has just raised the bar on lifestyle.

Do people living in Boulder have more fun than any other city in the USA? Not just dining out fun, or happy hour fun, but the kind of fun that celebrates community, who we are and how we live. As one visitor from last year put it: “It’s an in-the-street celebration of all that is good about living the Boulder lifestyle.”

The City of Boulder, as presenting sponsor, is leading the way in showing other communities that green and lean is also good for the local economy.

The third annual Boulder Green Streets Ciclovia is a “Street Liberation” project that re-purposes the streets into a play space for the community to engage in healthy, active, sustainable and educational activities. The event offers the community the opportunity to explore the myriad of local resources, services and products Boulder has to offer in a fun and engaging way.

According to Griffith: “Seventy-six percent of the visitors surveyed last year discovered local businesses and services they didn’t know existed. The event offers a kind of community cross-pollination.”

The Ciclovia concept however is a part of a global movement that inspires cities to become safer, healthier and more livable. In many cities, Ciclovia’s have brought dramatic changes, including improved health and a sense of community and sustainability. What is unique to Boulder  however is that it is the smallest sized city to host such an event. According to Griffith, she gets regular calls from other small to medium size cities that are interested in learning how Boulder is doing it.

The Organic Alley Pavilion, now in its second year at Boulder Green Streets, features artisan producers and leading local and national brands. Sponsored by Rudi’s Organic Bakery, visitors will have the opportunity to sample products from close to 50 diverse companies on-site, including WhiteWave Foods, Madhava Natural Sweeteners, GoodBelly, Organic Valley Cooperative, Earth Balance, Cheribundi, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Boulder Ice Cream, Boulder Granola, Lovely Lady Products, and others.