What We Offer

• Zen Micro-Grants
• Carbon Offset Program
• Carbon Tracker

ZEN Micro Grants

The ZEN program is giving away micro-grants to interested and income-qualified people in Boulder to subsidize subscriptions to solar panels at Jack’s Solar Garden. These grants will be gifted in $1-2,000 sums for participants to own a share of the solar garden and receive solar credits on their Xcel Energy utility bill. To apply for a grant – please contact us at ZEN@ases.org. We want you to have it. Along with all of the benefits of saving the planet, you will also receive about $20 off your monthly energy bill. To learn more about Jack’s Solar Garden, see the brochure below.

Below is some insight from our knowledgeable intern Teli:

We should all look at our purchases as votes. In a democratic election, you cast your vote for a candidate. In a democratic capitalist market, you cast an economic vote in favor of products. We should not undermine the importance of our economic votes. When you purchase a product, you vote for it. Let us make sure that we vote for things that support our ideals.

We might be driven to make purchases that are not optimal for our society. If the true price were to be incorporated into these purchases, perhaps we would consume more optimally. Until such externalities are accounted for in dollar values, it is up to us to make responsible purchases.

Oftentimes, true costs and benefits get disguised in numbers. Numbers are great for simple comparisons, but no dollar amount can truly capture the value of life. No number can capture what it means to do a good thing. Investing in solar, or true solar gardens like Jack’s, have astounding benefits that cannot be accounted for in a financial analysis. Numbers don’t lie, but liars use numbers. We must always be cognizant if the true value is being excluded from an equation. Our health, happiness, and the life of the planet may come to depend on it.

Carbon Offset Program

The ZEN program is currently, and will always be a work in progress, constantly adapting to meet the needs and goals of the citizens of Boulder and beyond! Currently we have some projects in the works, a local carbon offset program (hopefully in conjunction with Dharma’s Garden) is our next big goal!

Carbon Tracker

The ZEN team is testing our own version of a carbon tracker, based on data from Boulder, CO! Download the beta version of our carbon tracker and track your carbon footprint.