Be an Eco-Leader! Volunteer with Eco-Cycle today!

Look for this cling at the homes, desks, and car windows of nearly 800 Eco-leader volunteers

Are you a committed recycler looking for a simple way to make a difference? Eco-Cycle has the volunteer program for you! Our Eco-Leader program is an easy way to spend time fostering community, encouraging recycling, and sharing the vision of a Zero Waste world. The 750 Eco-Leaders in Boulder and Broomfield counties are the heart of Eco-Cycle, and are crucial to our existence.

Chances are, you are already doing most everything Eco-Leaders do-spreading your commitment and enthusiasm for recycling by helping those around you know what is and isn't recyclable and what they can do to help the environment. Eco-Cycle is here to support you by giving you the training, tools and information you need to really make a difference and prevent natural resources from being wasted in the landfill. Studies show that the most effective way to get individuals to change their environmental behavior is through personal interactions with environmentally-aware friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. If there was a concerned person like you in every neighborhood, workplace, or community group, we'd have a far healthier environment.

There are many other opportunities to take action with Eco-Cycle. Click below to find out more about our programs or contact us to design a volunteer opportunity to fit your needs:

Some of our dedicated volunteers are featured on the Volunteer Connection website. Read about their fantastic efforts in the name of Eco-Cycle and Zero Waste.

The First Step

Once you become an Eco-Cycle volunteer, we will provide you with a fun training to make you a recycling expert and enable you to answer recycling questions wherever you go. We hold the trainings every other month, and they are a great way to meet like-minded Eco-Leaders. Find upcoming training dates.

Call or email us today to sign up!

Eco-Cycle Times Delivery

The fundamental way Eco-Leaders help those around them learn the "how's" and "why's" of recycling and waste reduction is by delivering educational literature, the Eco-Cycle Times, to their neighbors twice a year (in April and November). This newsletter contains the complete guidelines for recycling and waste reduction programs throughout the community and it is the #1 way Boulder and Broomfield County residents learn how they can participate. When the Eco-Cycle Times (ECT) comes out, Eco-Leaders:

• Walk their delivery routes, introducing themselves to neighbors and delivering the ECT.
• Let their neighbors know they are the volunteer Eco-Cycle representative in their neighborhoods, that neighbors can come to them with questions about recycling, and that they'll be bringing the ECT with updated recycling guidelines and articles to neighbors twice a year.

Eco-Leaders take their Eco-Leadership with them wherever they go in our community. Sometimes they distribute ECTs to their church or temple, their office, or other groups in addition to their neighbors.

Eco-Leader Tools Online

Eco-Cycle maintains a set of online tools designed just for our Eco-Leaders to help them promote recycling, composting, reuse, waste reduction and resource conservation. Using these tools, Eco-Leaders can encourage their offices to make double-sided copies; they can put up a poster at the coffee machine at their places of worship that promotes reusable mugs over Styrofoam; and submit recycling tidbits, articles and info to their neighborhood newsletters, and much more! Eco-Cycle is here to serve as a resource and support-base for Eco-Leaders to work on any project that interests them. Let us know if there's a particular resource or tool we can create for you.

Keeping You in the Loop

Eco-Cycle provides Eco-Leaders with monthly e-newsletters to help keep them in the loop, paperlessly. These newsletters include an action to take each month, ideas from other volunteers, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, and news of what's going on in the recycling world.

Region Leader

Being a Region Leader takes very little time but the assistance is invaluable to Eco-Cycle. Region Leaders help save enormous amounts of staff time and resources. Region Leaders:

• deliver bundles of ECT s to fellow Eco-Leaders in their region (typically within a mile radius);
• work toward the goal of 100% coverage in their regions by helping recruit new Eco-Leaders.

Special Events Volunteer

Our Special Events volunteers help out in many ways such as:

• unloading cars during special collections of hard-to-recycle materials;
• helping visitors sort recyclables, compostables, and trash at Zero Waste festivals;
• answering questions and handing out materials from our booth at local fairs and festivals;
• and much more.

They're all a great way to enjoy these events and get out in the community. Visit our Environmental Calendar of Events to find out more about upcoming volunteer opportunities at special events.

Recycling Ranger

Recycling Rangers help people recycle at drop-off centers. They:

• help less mobile visitors unload materials,
• direct recyclers to the appropriate recycling bins, and
• answer questions.

Recycling Rangers offer their services for two hours on one Saturday per month. Being a Recycling Ranger is a highly interactive and fun way to serve your community.

Changing the Rules

Eco-Cycle looks for opportunities to change the rules in our community to make recycling easier for everyone. When those opportunities arise we call on Eco-Leaders to help us win campaigns by writing letters to the editor, speaking at city council meetings, collecting signatures on petitions, spreading the word to friends and neighbors.whatever it takes. We have recently been successful in getting three cities (Boulder, Broomfield, and Superior) to pass ordinances requiring new commercial buildings to provide as much space for recycling bins as they do for trash bins so businesses and apartment residents can recycle at the curb.

If you have a friend who would make a great Eco-Leader, please let them know about this program!

We look forward to working with you to make Boulder and Broomfield counties models of Zero Waste!

Please contact Caroline at 303-444-6634 to sign up to be an Eco-Leader.