RSVP here

Evening Social

Be Local members: RSVP here for FREE attendance

No charge if RSVP by noon, Tues. May 29th (also applies for a guest)
Without RSVP (or community localist): $10 at the door 

Network, socialize and nosh with fellow Be Local members and other localists. Free beverages and tasty treats will be served: Beer from Odell Brewing, Coyote Gold margaritas, and local deliciousness from the Jax Fish House.

About the host: Jax Fish House
Voted ‘Best Restaurant’ at the 2011 Taste of Fort Collins, Jax Fish House is one of Old Town’s most popular destinations for unforgettable food and drink. At Jax, Exec Chef Sheila Lucero and Chef de Cuisine Kevin Grossi have created an innovative menu filled with the best, locally sourced, sustainably harvested ingredients we can find. The menu is matched by a colorful, vibrant space. Exposed brick and modern flow lighting create a comfortable yet upscale mood. The famous Raw Bar at Jax greets you as you enter and features a variety of fresh oysters, chilled crabs and lobsters, all flown in daily. A lively crowd chatters away at the bar while slurping oysters over sips of fruit-infused martinis. Jax is the perfect place to grab happy hour after work or before a show. Buzzing atmosphere, eclectic local art, knowledgeable-friendly staff and the Best Seafood in Fort Collins make Jax worthy of its rave reviews. We are thrilled to now be a part of the thread that makes this town so amazing. 

Click here to learn more about Executive Chef Sheila Lucero and Chef de Cuisine Kevin Grossi.

Thanks to our sponsors: Odell Brewing, & Coyote Gold Margaritas.

Hope to see you there!

Questions? Contact Emma Smaldino, Business Network Coordinator
Email or call 516.353.2092 

Date: Tuesday May 15th
Time: 5:30pm 
Location: Fort Collins Nursery – 2121 E. Mulberry

Check out (and share…and RSVP to) our event on Facebook.

For this Plaid Mob, we will meet AT Fort Collins Nursery (NOT at the fountain in Old Town Square).  Come with (at least) $10 CASH to spend at FC Nursery, because they are awesome and a major part of our local community.  Wearing PLAID is highly encouraged (but not mandatory…).

Fort Collins Nursery has great Be Local Coupons too!! Click here to check them out.

Then join us afterwards for celebratory drinks.  The Plaid Mob stamp will get you a FREE beer at Funkwerks (1900 E. Lincoln Ave, Unit B).

About Fort Collins Nursery: 
Fort Collins Nursery has been locally owned and operated since 1932. Being a part of Fort Collins for the past 80 years, we make it a point to support our community by partnering with other Be Local businesses and local non-profit organizations. We are major supporters of The Gardens at Poudre Valley Hospital, Pathways Hospice – Honoring Veterans Garden, Sustainable Living Fair, Junior League Garden Tour, local school programs, and countless other worthy causes. Fort Collins Nursery is dedicated to more than providing our customers with superior plants and products. We are dedicated to creating an experience for our customers and fostering a sense of pride in our neighborhoods and community.

Check out our blog for more info, updates, and photos.

We each do a little. We all do a lot. 

NOTE: Bring a friend/coworker/family member who has NEVER BEEN to a Plaid Mob, and you’ll be entered to win an I Love It Local bag!!

Known in cities around the country as a Cash Mob, we’ve fine tuned the idea to fit Northern Colorado.  It’s a simple idea.  On the third Tuesday of each month people show up at a pre-identified local business with at least $10 cash and mob the business with purchases.

Why “plaid mob” and not “cash mob?” Because Be Local is all about plaid, jump-started by Plaid Friday.  Plaid represents the unique, quirky flair of our local community that we love so much.

We will be targeting small independent businesses that give back to the community.  It’s really all about community – supporting local businesses owned by people who live in the community, who employ our neighbors, and are active participants in creating a sustainable economy.

Plaid Mob is designed to be fun and light-hearted, and there are a few simple rules:

1. Participating business must be a Be Local member. (see criteria)

2.  Participating business must give back to the community. *See below for how the Food Coop gives back.

3.  Mob date will be the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30pm. Location will be announced via Facebook, twitter, and this post, one week prior to the event.

4. Bring at least $10 cash to support the business (no one is limited to $10). Wearing plaid is encouraged.

5.  Join for a celebratory drink.

Put it in perspective:
If 50 people show up at a local business with $10 each to spend we will give that business a nice boost.  If those 50 people shift $10 of their spending per week to a local business we will start to see a significant impact.  If those 50 people get 5 friends each on board with shopping locally we will have the beginnings of a movement.  The cascade of cumulative effects is incredible!

We each do a little, we all do a lot!
Questions?  Email or Call 970.219.3382 

Lunch & Learn - in partnership with 

Free & Open to the Public, with a chance to win great prizes (see below).
Space is limited…RSVP to reserve your spot.

11:15-11:30am – Networking & Light Snacks provided by the Food Coop

Enjoy Your Bike, Wheel to Wheel

Local expert Sylvia Cranmer shares how to make your workplace more bike friendly and how it can boost morale. Learn basic bike safety practices, like hand signals and helmet fitting, and how to prepare yourself to be a bike commuter. All as part of your mission to go green, stay healthy, enjoy the outdoors, and have fun!

About the presenter: Sylvia Cranmer
Sylvia started her career in transportation working for the City of Fort Collins SmartTrips, for 13 years promoting sustainable transportation with local businesses and schools, and overseeing the bike and youth outreach programs. In 2006 Sylvia moved to Aspen for four years to work as communications and marketing manager for the regional transit agency. Back in Fort Collins, she currently works in Residence Life at CSU as Communications Coordinator, and is the co-ride director for the 2012 Ram Bicycle Classic (a fundraiser century ride on September 23).

Sylvia is a board member with Bike Fort Collins, the City of Fort Collins Bike Advisory Committee, the CSU Campus Bike Advisory Committee, Safe Routes to School sub-committee, and also serves as president of the City Park Neighborhood Association.
“I am an avid recreational cyclist (road and mountain), a long-time bike commuter (until I started commuting to Aspen). Living in Old Town – I can get to nearly anywhere by bike, without a lot of effort. And, most of our friends also get around by bike – I love being part of a community of cyclists who ring bike bells to greet each other in passing. How cool is that? I am married to an avid bike rider/commuter, and have two teenage kids.”

Trivia (related to cycling): While commuting by bike to a well-baby check (5 1/2 months pregnant with my now 15 year-old daughter), I was hit by a car – broke my collar bone, developed a blood clot, and thus had to have 3-times per day blood thinner injections for the duration of my pregnancy. And the baby? Listening to the stethoscope right after the crash, the doc said , “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking!”

All attendees are entered to win a variety of great prizes: 
- T-shirt from Akinz
- Local handmade bike leg straps from Heather Matthews (Parsley Art)
- Local handmade earrings made from bike tubes from Blue Sky Above
- Discs from The Wright Life
- Tune-up from Brave New Wheel
- and more!

*FREE attendance is open to the public – community and business members alike – with RSVP.

Be Local Northern Colorado is co-sponsoring a film series with Transition Fort Collins beginning January 25.

If you are concerned about the future, oil and gas supplies or prices, our future economy, standard of living, green/sustainable housing, energy conservation, alternative energy resources, population growth, environmental conservation, good quality locally grown food, caring communities, or future planning for resilience and sustainability, then this film series is for you!

These issues, although sometimes politicized, are not “left” or “right” nor Democrat or Republican party issues.  Rather, they are issues that concern all of us and addressing them successfully will take the best ideas of our entire community.  The purpose of Transition Fort Collins is to encourage and stimulate community ideas for community challenges now and in the future in order to build a local future that is more sustainable and resilient.

We will see even more economic, environmental, and social changes in the next 25 years than we have in the last 50! Major changes are already in progress in terms of climate change, economic and employment uncertainties, energy costs and availability, food quantity and quality, and social unrest and revolution.  All of these changes have associated challenges as well as opportunities.

By understanding some of the challenges as well as the opportunities, we can work together to be “thrivalists” rather than just survivalists or even victims of such changes.

This film series is free and everyone is welcome.  The first series of three films helps us envision a sustainable and resilient future and some transitions to that future.  The second series of three films helps us understand some of the factors that will change our present way of life.  And the third series helps us to identify ways that local communities can transition to sustainable and resilient futures.

Sponsor:  Transition Fort Collins
Host:  College America
Co-Sponsors:  Be Local, Everence Financial
Location: Auditorium, College America Campus at 4601 S. Mason Street, Ft. Collins just off Harmony Road near the South China Restaurant
Time:  Each film will begin at 6:30 pm

Film Series I:  Envisioning Transition to a Sustainable and Resilient Future

The Next Industrial Revolution, January 25, 2012
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, February 1, 2012
A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions in Curitiba, Brazil, February 8, 2012

Film Series II:  Understanding Change Agents to Our Present Way of Life

An Inconvenient Truth: Global Climate Change, February 25, 2012
World in Balance: The Population Paradox,  March 7, 2012

Film Series III:  Transitioning to a Sustainable and Resilient Future
Film titles, dates, and times to be announced

Moderator and Discussion Leader:  Dr. John H. Fitch will introduce the films and
lead a discussion after each film.  He is co-convener of Transition Fort Collins and a scientist and environmental leader with experience in government, universities, and non-profit organizations. He was a former professor of environmental studies at Michigan State University, Tufts, and Florida Gulf Coast University, and a former White House fellow during the Carter Administration.

on Leap Day!!
Wednesday February 29th, 6-8pm

Be Local members: RSVP here for FREE attendance

No charge if RSVP by noon, Tues. Feb. 28th (also applies for a guest)
Without RSVP (or community localist): $10 at the door 

Join us on Leap Year Day…comes but once every four years so don’t miss out!  Network, socialize and nosh with fellow Be Local members and other localists. Free beverages and tasty treats will be served: Beer from Odell Brewing, Coyote Gold margaritas, and snacks from the Fort Collins Food Coop.

Thanks to our sponsors: Odell Brewing & Coyote Gold Margaritas.

Hope to see you there!

Questions? Contact Emma Smaldino, Business Network Coordinator
Email or call 516.353.2092 

But I made an exception this year for Plaid Friday, BeLocalNC’s celebration of the “diversity and creativity of local independent businesses…”

For the rest of this post, including pictures and links, please visit http://choicecitynative.blogspot.com/

Happy Plaid Week!