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Sustainability can look different for every business. For some, it means reducing waste or improving energy efficiency. For others, it means finding cleaner, more efficient ways to move people and products. Often, meaningful progress comes from making a series of practical changes and continuing to build on them.
On September 18, Drive Clean Colorado joined businesses and sustainability partners from across the state at the 2026 Colorado Green Business Network Recognition Event at the Denver Zoo. This year’s theme, “Sustainability in Every Step: Celebrating the Journey,” recognized organizations making sustainability part of their everyday operations—and the people helping move that work forward.
Practical Changes Add Up
One of the day’s standout examples was Sweet Escape Pastries, recipient of the 2026 24-Karat Gold Award.
Through expanded recycling and composting, thoughtful purchasing changes and employee education, the bakery has reduced its total waste by 86% and diverted 91 tons of material from landfills.
Its success demonstrates that sustainability does not always begin with one large project. It can start with practical operational changes, committed employees and a willingness to keep improving. Over time, those individual steps can produce significant results.
Congratulations to Sweet Escape Pastries and all of this year’s award recipients. Their work shows what is possible when sustainability becomes part of how an organization operates every day.
Connecting Sustainability and Transportation
There is a natural connection between the work of the Colorado Green Business Network and Drive Clean Colorado. CGBN helps businesses make their operations more sustainable, while DCC helps them address the transportation side of that work.
Depending on the business, that could mean:
- Transitioning company vehicles to cleaner options
- Reducing fleet fuel use and operating costs
- Installing workplace or fleet charging
- Exploring alternative fuels and transportation technologies
- Finding funding to make a project financially possible
Programs such as Fleet-ZERO, Clean Fleet Vehicle and Technology grants, and Charge Ahead Colorado can help businesses move these projects forward. But identifying the right opportunity, understanding the requirements and navigating the process can be challenging—especially for a small business without dedicated fleet, energy or sustainability staff.
That is where the DCC team can help. We work directly with businesses to understand their transportation needs, explore appropriate technologies and funding opportunities, identify practical next steps and navigate the process from early planning toward implementation.
Sometimes the first step is not choosing a vehicle or completing a grant application. It is simply having a conversation about what the business needs, what barriers it faces and which solutions are genuinely realistic.
Relationships Help Turn Ideas Into Projects
A key takeaway from the recognition event was the importance of building relationships with businesses that are actively working toward greater sustainability.
Hearing directly from business owners and organizational leaders gives us a better understanding of the projects they are considering, the obstacles they encounter and the kinds of information, funding, and partnerships that could help. Those conversations allow organizations like CGBN and DCC to connect businesses with resources that match their actual needs.
Events like this give us an opportunity to celebrate what organizations have already accomplished, learn from their experiences, and begin conversations that can lead to the next successful project.
Sustainability is a journey, and the right path will look different for every organization. What matters is finding practical steps that fit the business and continuing to move forward.
Congratulations again to all of the 2026 CGBN award recipients.
Considering a cleaner transportation project for your business? Connect with the Drive Clean Colorado team to talk through your options and possible next steps.