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Green Guru is Partnering with KENDA to Recycle Bike Tubes at Interbike Outdoor Demo 2012

Green Guru has partnered with KENDA Tires and Tubes to offer tube recycling at the Interbike Outdoor Demo. After the bike tubes are collected, they will be “upcycled” into eco-friendly backpacks, bike bags and accessories all made in the USA. If you get a flat tire or have old bike tube lying around, bring it to the KENDA booth for recycling. Demo Bike companies who are changing flats are welcome to recycle their tubes too.

The Interbike Outdoor Demo will be held Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 17 and 18 at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, Nevada. Attendees can enjoy great riding through Bootleg Canyon and attend a number of events, from Tour de Lake Mead to the Bootleg Canyon Challenge.

To read more about the Interbike Outdoor Demo, visit http://www.interbike.com/events/outdoor-demo.htm

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Mission: Accomplished! We’re pleased to announce that we received more than 250 votes for the CHASE/Living Social Small Business competition in just two weeks. We’re humbled and grateful for your overwhelming support in the first round of this contest.

Green Guru is among thousands of other small business being judged by a panel, and we’ll know by Sept. 15 if we’re one of the finalists chosen to receive $250,000  so please keep those fingers crossed! 

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Active Junky

GET YOUR GEAR, FEED YOUR ADDICTION


Check out this review on Active Junky, an awesome website that lets you know the latest about the gear that supports the active sports we love! They reviewed the Freewheeler Messenger Bag and…  loved it as much as we do! We love how they pointed out just how much space our bags can give you, it is hard to tell on-line just how much gear this gear can lug around. Thanks again for the amazing review!

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Upcycle Project | Do it yourself recycling                                                      Homemade stationary

We love our trailblazing adventures and like most we need a map to help make the most of our trip.  From mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and even just visiting a new town we usually grab a map.  But what to do with the map once you leave that new fun place? Saving them is nice but they can get out of date and take up space.  So I decided they needed a new purpose, a homemade stationary! Great for if you want to send letters home from where you are, to show people where you were, or to just give some flare.

To get started all you will need is an old envelope the size you want to make yours, scissors, a pen, and a glue stick.  Take the recycled envelope you want to use and gently pull it apart at the seams, they are usually just glued, be gentle.  Simply lay out the map you want to use on the floor and look around for the best section you want to include as part of your envelope (Creative Bonus: you can pick spots that you were and when you are done make “I was here” notes) and lay down the old envelope template on top of the map and push it down flat against the map while you trace the outline onto the map.  Make sure to do dark lines; I suggest a fine tip marker because it can be hard to see on the map later.  Lift the template and just snip away, try to cut just a little inside the lines so they do not show on the final envelope.  Using the old envelope as a guide check out where the three folds were glued together to make the pocket.  Using your magic wand (AKA glue stick) place the glue where it will over lap, make sure not to use too much, and press down.  There you have it! Your very own homemade envelope, you know the mailman will be jealous.

BONUS CRAFT: Letter Insert

If you want to take it a step further you can make the letter insert for inside your envelope.  I used an old paper bag, but any blank scrap paper or piece of packaging will do.  Just trace out the closed envelope size and cut it to be a little smaller to fit inside. Now you are really getting green!

Supplies:                                                                                                                   -Old Map                                                                                                            -Scissors                                                                                                            -Glue Stick                                                                                                          -Pen

Gear Level: 3                                                                                                        Time: 20 minutes 

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Boulder County Business Report

The Boulder County Business Report did an article about our expanding recycle program for collecting old bike inner tube. We are so happy about the response people have been having towards recycling their bike inner tubes with us and helping our mission to protect the environment we love to play in. If you want to read more about the program please do read this article, the give some great facts and figures, or go to our website. And thanks again for helping this program to grow and keeping those tubes out of our landfills!

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Our Cruiser Boutique inside the Green Guru Warehouse

Yuba Bikes

If you have been to the shop then you know that we have tons of neat merchandise to style you out for your favorite sport from our amazing bags to a custom bike.  At the Green Guru Shop we feature Yuba bikes to meet your biking needs, we have our partner Ryan Balciar to thank for bringing these bikes into our world so we can bring them into yours.  Ryan has this own Yuba and loves it,

By far my favorite use is hauling around the love of my life, although I know that she would rather be on her own bike and is just sitting back there looking pretty to make me happy.  We also have a custom stereo system that we attach for some of the cruiser rides and this combines two of my favorite things.  We have a lot of snow mixed with sunny days and cold nights, so there tends to be a lot of ice in the winter.  This is one of the times that having a Yuba is advantageous, as it seems far more stable on slippery terrain.

To say the least we love bike season so we can gather our favorite friends and make some new ones on the weekly bike ride!

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greenUPGRADER

Upgrade to a Greener Lifestyle

Check out our review/interview featured in greenUPGRADER! It gives some information on why we do what we do and a little on how we do it. Browse the site a little too because this is a great place to find out about all kinds of neat green products and tips on how to live a green life.

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Biking in Boulder

Boulder has a biking community that helps to fuel the community around them.  Based on a survey done by the group Community Cycles taken in 2011 the Boulder bicycle industry generated an estimated 330 jobs in the years of 2010.  These companies that include retail, rentals, and repair shops are essential to continue the growth of the local economy and generated $24.4 million in revenue in 2010, based on this survey.  Not only does this outdoor activity create jobs and revenue for the community it gives back.  Community Cycles is an organization in Boulder County that focuses on bike saftey and has 800 memebers.  This group sponsors Rolling Bike Clinics that goes to lower-income neighborhoods and educateds them on bike safety and organizes the kids’ Holiday Giveaway, that gives away 300 bikes in December to kids who need them.

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Upcycle Project  |  Do it yourself recycling                                                   Homemade Coffee Cozy

Love getting cozy with your coffee? Well here is a project for a homemade coffee cozy.

I had coffee today and even though I love it hot in my mouth I do not love it hot on my hands so I had to grab a cardboard coffee cozy for my to go cup.  Now these days many of these are at least partly recycled material but it still feels like such a waste so I decided to make one at home.

To start off all you need is an old bike inner tube (for this project I used a mountain bike one), an old cardboard cozy that you used for your last coffee, and needle and thread.  I used an old cardboard coffee cozy as the pattern for mine, they are usually just lightly glued at one end, just gently pull it open.  I laid the inner tube along this, measured the length, and cut it.  The tube is not as thick as the pattern so I just cut along the length and opened it up to make it the same length.  Then just simply lay the inner tube down and trace the pattern on the tube and cut it out. Then where the template over laps and they used glue I just sewed it by hand.  (the inner tube is a bit tough but just push it through, bigger needles work a bit better) I used black thread for the main stitch and then a colored thread for another line or two to add some spice.  And there you have it, a homemade cozy that is sure to keep your hands nice and cool!

Supplies:                                                                                                                   -old inner tube (bike)                                                                                            -scissors                                                                                                             -needle and thread                                                                                              -old cardboard coffee cozy

Gear Level: 4                                                                                                      Time: 35 minutes

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MEC

A Canadian Mountain Equipment CO-OP

Our products are being sold at all MEC locations and on their on-line store!  We were able to visit the MEC in Vancouver, BC while we were on the road and it was great to get to chat with the staff that was very excited about our products and thankful that someone was upcycling their old gear waste! 

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REI

Now in stores…

We are proud to announce that we are now in some REI stores and hopefully growing. If you are in the area check out our products in:

Seattle (WA), Berkeley (CA), Anchorage (AK), Tustin (CA), Redmond (WA), Sacramento (CA), San Jose (CA), Atlanta (GA), San Carlos (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Denver (CO), Salt Lake City (UT), Bloomington (IN).

Check here to find a location near you.

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EARTH DAY

April 22, 2012 is earth day this year.

Earth day is all about taking a day out of our busy lives and celebrating our earth by being earth friendly! Let’s stand together to stand up for the earth.

Earth Day Events Near Us:

Cruiser Ride with eco-cycleApril 22nd, 5pm-8pm, Meet at Green Guru 2500 47th Street #12  Boulder, CO 80301 at 5pm, Start cruising at 5:30 and end at the St. Julien (900 Walnut Street  Boulder, CO 80302) for a 6pm showing of the documentary: Tapped. (call Green Guru or St. Julien for more info)

Whole Foods Electronic Recycle: April 21, From noon-4pm, at 7400 East Hampden Avenue Denver  ( Click here for info )

10th Anual Earth Day 5K: April 22, at 10:00am at University of Colorado Research Park 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder    ( Click Here for info )

Nature Inspired Storytelling and Dwelling Construction: April 22, at 1:00pm, at Red Canyon Open Space (story telling, a short hike, children are able to make their own homes out of found materials in nature for the animals, gnomes and fairies.) ( Click here for info )

Pikes Peak Library Earth Film Series: April 9, 16, 23, at 6:30pm, at the East Library Community Meeting Room, 5550 N. Union Blvd, Colorado Springs ( Click here for info )

For an Event Near You Click Here to use the event tool.

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Bend Velo Bike Generator Sewing Party

While in beautiful and adventurous Bend, OR we hosted a bike generator sewing party at a first class bike shop called Bend Velo. We also had a tube drive at the event gathering a couple hundred tubes during the evening transforming them into card wallets and change purses. We had the best crowd participation on the bike generator with some amazing riders hoping on to generate power to run the Sailrite Sewing Machine. The shop also sellsJ. Livingston bikes that are recycled frames given a new shiny coat of some tasty colors along with new parts perfect for commuting or cruising. If you are in Bend looking for Green Guru, check out this great shop! You can also see our gear at the Gear Peddler.

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Portland Bike Expo

Yet another great show in the North West! This time it was in Portland and much like Seattle it was rainy and cool. Not to worry as people are well prepared to ride in these conditions, now even better prepared after getting the latest weatherproof Green Guru Gear packs and bike bags! Again we ran the Sailrite Sewing Machine on the Big Shot Bike Powered Generator which was a huge draw to the booth. We want to thank all those that came out. If you are in the Portland area, you can check out our products at West End Bikes, Clever Cycles and US Outdoors, with more retailers to come soon.

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Roller Rumble!

Ready, Set, Rummmble…

 We will be racing away at the Roller Rumber in Bent, OR. We are partnering with Cascade Couries, local bike delivery service, and Bend Velo, a local bike shop, to but on this ultra extreme indoor bike race.  Meet us there to check out our products and to do some loud obnoxious cheering!

We will be at at the Roller Rumble on March 29th with tons of prizes, click here to see some! Check out their facebook page for more details. 

Click Here to Keep up on who is Winning!