For Denver residents, winning the Super Bowl was indeed one more reason we have to be proud of our City. We are proud of its history, its diversity, its climate, its institutions and its culture including its sports teams; K-12, collegiate and professional.

Another thing that has always stood out about which we could be proud was the perception that Denver was a clean city. This was noticeable especially in the spring and summer after a long a dreary winter. A lot of credit is due to the men and women of Denver Public Works who have done their jobs for years with little fanfare or recognition.

As our city experiences fast and furious growth, naturally keeping our streets and alleys clean is more and more difficult and in this regard, our municipal government continues to do an admirable job.

The cleanliness of Denver’s alleys varies greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood and block to block. However, when a few caring individuals take the initiative to clean and beautify the alleys in their blocks, other neighbors will join in. Our RNOs can be instrumental in raising awareness in how this can be done, and empowering their members to become part of an alley beautification movement.

There are problems of consistency around the city, depending on jurisdiction and especially when there are problems defining jurisdiction. For example, Denver Public Schools (including all the new charter schools) has a big influence on our neighborhood environments.

With regard to our public schools, there are some with little or no emphasis on a culture of environmental and neighborhood cleanliness. With so much focus on global warming, this is a golden opportunity for schools to introduce environmental education, teach about the cycle of pollution and the importance of individual responsibility to the planet. Our RNO’s are instrumental in bringing attention to such problems, and in working with school administrators, school board members and DPS officials.

Unfortunately, there are also areas which have become sort of “no man’s lands” where litter and trash abound. Some of these areas are along State of Colorado highways within the City of Denver. Absent intergovernmental agreements, it is likely that these areas are the responsibility of CDOT.

One such tragically trashed out area, one of Denver’s most prominent gateways into the City is along Colfax Avenue and the Auraria Parkway and adjacent to Sport Authority Field at Mile High. It has been this way for years.

This area can be seen as one exits I-25 onto the Auraria Parkway, from the Colfax Viaduct onto I-25 or the Auraria Parkway or if one walks around the Stadium or bikes under these viaducts. These collective areas are eyesores that people see when they visit for games or enter Downtown Denver.

The City, the State and perhaps even the Superbowl Champions, Denver Broncos, should be embarrassed by what has become a debris field covered with bottles, plastic and trash. This area does not befit being the entry to our City, home of the world champions of American football.

So, how to address this?  We could take lessons from RNO’s who are already leading the efforts to keep their respective alleys and streets clean, and from those public schools that partner for local-area cleanup within their neighborhoods—those actions by Denver residents then reflect on the communities in which they are located as well as our great City overall. It is through these RNO initiated actions that Denver can stake its claim as a world class City.