April 2024 - Volume 12, Issue 48 |
|
|
|
I was excited when I was asked to write the lead article for FGMC’s first newsletter of the year and carefully considered how best to use this platform to highlight an issue important to me (That apples are hands-down the best fruit? How cruise ships are really just enormous disease vectors on sea? When will I see a purple finch?).
But the truth is, in light of all the bad climate-related news in the last few months, in the end, the choice of topic for this article was simple. I want to convince you to start composting, if you aren’t already.
2024 has not been a good year on the global warming/climate change front, including but not limited to consecutive “hottest month on record” markers and news that January 2024 was the first time on record that for the past twelve months, global temperatures averaged 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Even more, it seems like every action we little people can take to reduce our carbon footprint has drawbacks. For example, while electric cars cut down on emissions, what about the emissions from the coal-powered power station that is providing the electricity to charge your EV? And, even though many recycling programs purport to accept plastic waste, it’s actually virtually impossible to recycle plastic. Basically, the plastic waste we are putting into our purple recycling bins is not going to the recycling facility to be recycled; it’s going to the recycling facility to be landfilled somewhere else.
Composting is different. It actually works – really well -- and there is no insidious downside. If you are going to make one change this year, let it be the decision to start composting. Allow me to break it down (bah?) for you:
One – composting reduces waste by taking organic matter out of landfills. In landfills, organic matter breaks down and releases the powerful greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. The City of Denver estimates that nearly half of what Denver residents throw away is organic matter that could be composted. This is a staggering number.
Two – not only does composting reduce landfill waste and carbon emissions, compost actually adds vital nutrients back into our soil, increasing its capacity to support plant growth and also reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. This also helps fortify Colorado’s clay-like soil against erosion which in turn reduces demands on Colorado’s water supply.
Three -- compost improves soil’s capacity to store carbon, thereby actually offsetting CO2 emissions.
Four – the compost processing cycle itself has a small carbon footprint. Win-win-win-win. As the kids say, composting is fire.
Most importantly, if you live in Denver, composting is almost embarrassingly easy. Thanks to the January 2023 rollout of Denver’s Expanded Waste Services program, Denver now provides free weekly compost services to its residents. All Denverites have to do is put their food waste in their handy kitchen pail provided by the city, and then take their compost waste out to the green compost bin hopefully now sitting next to your trash bin and recycling bin.
There are other, more personal benefits to composting as well. Since my house started composting and putting all food waste into our kitchen compost pail and not the trash, our trash never smells. We also generate significantly less trash, probably taking out the trash half as often as we did before we started composting (although we do take out the compost fairly frequently, but it’s small and easy to handle). It’s not a messy process, either, as there are CMA (compost manufacturing alliance) approved compostable bags such as these nifty BioBags with handles you can use in your kitchen pail. It’s just like taking out the trash, but with a smaller, cuter bag. We also fill up our bin with yard waste multiple times a year, and take it from me, it’s fifty times easier to just chuck bush and tree trimmings into a wide-mouth bin than trying to stuff them into a trash bag.
The climate news is scary, but we are all in this together. I love Denver and I love Colorado, and composting is an incredibly easy way to benefit our great city and state, not to mention world. I’m grateful Denver has decided to incentivize composting because it actually works and does make a difference. So do it. No excuses.
|
|
|
|
FOSTERGRAHAM.COM received a makeover!
Follow this link to visit our new website. |
|
|
|
 |
MEET FGMC'S NEWEST ATTORNEY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP is excited to announce FGMC's newest attorney, Julie Behrman.
Julie is a skilled business litigation attorney with extensive experience in complex disputes. Prior to joining the firm, Julie was a commercial litigation attorney for one of the 100 largest law firms in the U.S., handling a wide range of matters including breach of contract, business torts, business ownership disputes, consumer protection, intellectual property, employment, real estate, construction defect, professional negligence, and attorney ethics. She achieved successful settlements and trial outcomes for her clients. Julie also previously owned her own law firm, where she provided outside general counsel and litigation advisory services. She began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, where she gained experience in attorney ethics and discipline matters.
For more information about Julie Behrman please follow the link.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FGMC would like to congratulate our 2024 Super Lawyers* and Rising Stars**. Seventeen FGMC lawyers were counted among the best in Colorado in the latest edition of Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers magazine.
|
|
|
|
|
FGMC QUARTERLY SUCCESS STORIES |
|
|
|
|
|
FGMC represented sellers D&A, Inc. and brothers Scott and Todd Patrick on the sale of seven Grease Monkey locations across Colorado and Arizona. The Buyer, a private-equity backed national firm, sought the deal to expand its national oil change shop footprint. Evan Husney and Bryson Sebold assisted on the transaction. |
|
|
|
FGMC counseled repeat client Carvonix on its acquisition of Speed Society. Speed Society is one of the foremost media brands in the racing and motor vehicle industry and adds millions of loyal fans to the Carvonix ecosystem. Evan Husney and Bryson Sebold assisted on the deal. |
|
|
|
FGMC counseled client Jeff Martinez on his acquisition of Pro Cabinet Solutions. Pro Cabinet Solutions is a family-owned and operated commercial distributor, specializing in multifamily projects, with full procurement and installation services throughout the US. Evan Husney and Bryson Sebold assisted on the transaction. |
|
|
|
Did you get a chance to view the eclipse? We did! |
|
|
|
Since the beginning of state-legalization of marijuana in the United States, non-marijuana businesses have struggled to exist in the gray area created between the implications of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and state medical and adult-use programs. The Controlled Substances Act classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance, meaning all production, manufacturing, distribution, possession, or use of marijuana remains federally illegal and subject to federal prosecution. [1] Additionally, the CSA provides that anyone who conspires to commit any offense in violation of the CSA is subject to the same penalties and punishments as those committing the violations. [2] With 38 states having legalized marijuana medically and 24 states have further legalized it for adult use, the continuing federal illegality creates many questions for non-marijuana businesses that may interact with marijuana businesses. A non-marijuana business that interacts with a marijuana business, also known as a “marijuana-adjacent business,” may include a landlord who wishes to lease to a marijuana business, a lending institution who may want to issue a loan to a starting grow operation, or a packaging manufacturer who is interested in producing the packaging for the marijuana business. The federal government had indicated that it does not prioritize prosecuting those involved with state-compliant marijuana business and marijuana-adjacent businesses. However, the threat of federal prosecution is not the only risk factor a business must take into consideration when contemplating doing a deal with a marijuana business.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Few Of Our Favorite Organizations |
|
|
|
|
|
In March of this year, FGMC had the opportunity to participate as a Green Circle Sponsor of a fantastic ski and snowboarding fundraising event for Invest in Kids. The event is called the Jane-a-Thon, and it has been running for the past 25 years at Mary Jane Mountain to raise money for early childhood education in Colorado. Beyond just sponsoring the event, several FGMC attorneys also participated in the event, which includes a raffle and ski competitions for every level, including the Jane-A-Thon’s most classic competition: a race to ski all of Mary Jane’s original 16 black mogul runs in the shortest amount of time. We hope to make an even larger contribution next year by growing FGMC’s ski and snowboarding team through increased participation of attorneys, staff and clients. |
|
|
|
Contact Us
360 S Garfield St Suite, Suite 600
Denver, CO 80209
Phone: (303) 333-9810 Fax: (303) 333-9786
FGMC are Colorado Lawyers serving most personal and business legal needs.
We offer clients the power of a large law firm with the personal service of a boutique law firm.
Practice areas include:
Auto Accident / Personal Injury Law, Appellate Practice, Business / Corporate / Finance / Mergers & Acquisitions,
Criminal Defense, Employment Law, Estate Planning / Tax Planning, Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense, Land Use And Real Estate, Law Enforcement Representation, Litigation
|
|
|
|
|
|
