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Touring Solera, LEED-Gold Apartments in Denver

This past week, The Stasko Agency had the opportunity to tour Zocalo Community Development’s newest LEED-Gold certified apartments, Solera. Some of you may remember these sustainable apartments from when we hosted the groundbreaking launch party last summer at 1956 Lawrence Street. (Read about it here…)

The building has made unbelievable progress in the past year and is now nearing a fall completion. Check out the transformation since May 2009:


Solera will be the first LEED-Gold rentals in the entire Rocky Mountain region and one of only a few dozen in the country. By living in a sustainable apartment, residents will likely experience noticeable savings on their energy bill compared to similar apartment buildings. Zocalo’s first LEED multi-family project – award-winning RiverClay – outperformed projected energy savings, reducing energy consumption by nearly 60 percent compared to EPA standards.


Seeing the completed model only strengthened our excitement over this cutting-edge building. Every detail seems to be perfectly executed–from the beautiful finishes and energy-efficient appliances to the spacious layouts and loft-style celings. We found ourselves envious of the future Solera residents, who will literally be a short walk from Invesco Field, 16th Street and downtown Denver hotspots.

In fact, Solera has been dubbed a “Walker’s Paradise” by the popular Walkscore.com, with a walkability rating of 95 out of 100.

Check out the view from Solera’s rooftop terrace:


Zocalo Community Development has definitely struck the perfect balance of form and function with these units. We can’t wait for the first residents to move into their homes in the next few weeks so we can hear firsthand what the experience is like.

If you’re looking for a downtown Denver rental, or know someone who is, we strongly recommend taking a tour of these sustainable apartments. More information can be found on their newly launched website (www.soleraliving.com) and blog (www.blog.soleraliving.com)

Also, check out the article about Solera in the Denver Daily News this past Wednesday: Solera: Green living downtown by Ben LeDoux. (One slight correction: there are actually 120-units in the building, not 110!)

Lastly, make sure to stop by Solera’s Facebook Page & “like” them to stay updated on the latest and greatest.

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Dawson Center Students Participate in TEDxDenverED


This past Monday, The Stasko Agency was gearing up for the hightly anticipated TEDxDenverED event, knowing that we’d likely never make it in to see all the speakers.

That’s because our true clients for the night were five talented middle-schoolers who were invited to participate as Graphic Recorders for the event. These students are part of the Dawson Center Summer 2010, a tuition-free academic program for high-achieving public school students. For five weeks, sixth and seventh graders from Boulder-area public schools delve into a challenging curriculum built around a specific theme.

As part of this year’s curriculum, students are learning the art of graphic facilitation, which helps create a tangible, visual representation of concepts and discussions to build understanding and participation.

Through the leadership of Janine Underhill of Idea-360, the students are learning to draw their own visual maps as they develop solutions to problems presented in their research, which this year focuses on how epidemics shape society.

Five of the students were given the opportunity to practice these new skills by joining Janine at the TEDxDenverED event. They supported presenter Dafna Michaelson by coming up with graphic headers for several large towers surrounding the RAISE YOUR HAND campaign.

TedxDenverED is an independently organized event under the guidance of TED, an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design — three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. This particular event aimed to foster and spread ideas that will impact K12 education in America.

The Stasko Agency was delighted to participate in this momentous event, particularly as advocates of these brilliant students. Our goal was to spread the word about the unique program offered through the Dawson Center, as an example of a new, ground-breaking education opportunity.

We will continue to share about the students’ successes as they finish out the program and hope to show you more of their visual maps surrounding epidemics. From what we’ve seen so far, these students will be TED speakers themselves before we know it.

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WebbChange enters “I am Free Enterprise” video contest!

After two hard years of work, our dear friends and fellow entrepreneurs at WebbChange are making their dream a reality with the launch of their revolutionary social search application, WebbChange.com!

WebbChange.com combines functions of Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Digg, StumbleUpon and Google, to create a “social stock market” for websites and articles. Users are able to organize, search, share and assign value to interesting and relevant content on the web using a new virtual currency called, you guessed it, WebbChange.

We’re blown away by what we’ve seen so far, and predict big things for this site in the coming weeks and months as users continue to populate the site.

Now here’s where you come in:

To kick start the launch and spread the word to the masses, WebbChange has entered the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “I am Free Enterprise” video contest. The top 25 viewed videos by April 16th (this Friday!) will be selected to to advance to the next round with an opportunity to win up to $50,000 that can be used toward their venture.

Travis Russell (founder) and Bill Clanton (CEO) are looking for support in the form of video views. Help out The Stasko Agency and WebbChange by checking out the 3 min WebbChange video entry:

(Can’t see the video? Click here to visit their YouTube page.)

Every view is a vote, so don’t hesitate to share it with friends/family/co-workers and everyone else you know. For more information about the “I am Free Enterprise” competition, check out www.freeenterprise.com

Congrats to WebbChange on this exciting and literally “web-changing” launch!

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Green Route Restaurant Tour Begins Today

Today marks the start of the Green Route Restaurant Tour, a month-long showcase of Denver’s sustainable restaurant scene. (Check out “Dine Green this Month” in this morning’s Denver Daily News.)

The tour, which is part of Green Space Colorado, will showcase eight of Denver’s greenest restaurants throughout the month of April. (And Root Down is one of the participants!) Learn about each restaurant’s green efforts while enjoying drink & appetizer specials.

Here’s a look at the tour schedule:

1515 Restaurant
Monday, April 5, 6-8 pm
1515 Market Street

WaterCourse Foods
Wednesday, April 7, 6-8 pm
837 East 17th Ave. #103

SAME Cafe
Monday, April 12, 11 am-1 pm
2023 East Colfax Ave.

City O’ City
Monday, April 19, 6-8 pm
206 East 13th Ave.

Snooze Eatery
Tuesday, April 20, 10 am-12 pm
2262 Larimer Street

ZCuisine
Wednesday, April 21, 5-7 pm
2239 West 30th Ave.

duo Restaurant
Monday, April 26, 5:30-7:30 pm
2413 West 32nd Ave.

Root Down
Wednesday April 28, 6-8 pm
1600 West 33rd Ave.

Tour passes are complimentary and can be downloaded here. Simply RSVP for the places you want to check out, present your pass to the host, and enjoy!

All of the participating restaurants are part of Denver’s Green Route, which, according to greenroutedenver.com, is “a green map for the City of Denver that showcases the cutting edge sustainable businesses and organizations making our city a global leader in sustainability.”

Download the Green Route Map for a list of incredible earth-friendly businesses across the city.

For those of you who didn’t already know, here are some sustainable facts about Root Down:

  • 100% wind powered
  • Seasonal organic on-site garden
  • Local farms, sustainable and organic products are used whenever possible
  • Reverse osmosis water for all cooking, drinking, ice and sodas
  • Cardboard, glass, plastic and cooking oil are all recycled
  • Approximately 70% of Root down was built and finished with reclaimed, reused and recycled materials (including a basketball court as the dining room floor and a bowling alley as the bar top)

Hope you can make it to one or many of these incredible restaurants this month. Be sure to mark your calendars!

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Place your Vote: 5280’s Top of the Town!

5280’s Top of the Town voting is underway! There are so many local businesses that need your support, so take the time to check out the ballot and fill in your favorite spots for food, diversions, services, shopping and people.

Here’s what to do:

Go to http://www.5280.com/tot

Enter an email address (to keep things fair/secure)

Activate your ballot

Write in your vote for your Top of the Town choices (you don’t have to fill every category in!)

Submit!

Some of the local spots we included in our ballot:

Root Down, CY Steak, H BurgerCO, Little Man Ice Cream, Rosa Linda’s, Gallop Cafe, The Squeaky Bean, Gaetano’s, Patsy’s, Pasquinis, Anna Be, Samantha Louise, The Bookery Nook, Highlands Wellness Center, Shapes Salon, & Symmetry Massage

And SO many more.

Where are your favorite places to go? We’d love to hear. But more importantly, 5280 would love to have your input. Please take the time to take a gander and let your voice be heard.

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H BurgerCO Opens in Denver

Wherever new restaurants, delicious food and media come together, that’s where The Stasko Agency wants to be. So when we heard that H BurgerCO, the newest gourmet burger joint in Denver, was opening up on Blake Street, we were delighted to help our buddies make their grand debut an event to remember.

With several successful soft openings under their belt, H Burger will host their Grand Opening to the public on Wednesday, February 10th at 11:00 am. With close to 5,000 fans and friends on facebook, you can only imagine the kind of turn out they will see! They’ve really hit the mark with their cool new concept which puts a twist on a classic American meal.

We won’t hesitate to admit that we’ve been devouring the food left and right, and cannot get enough. Aside from the traditional burger, H BurgerCO also serves turkey, lamb, fish and veggie options, not to mention a host of distinct sandwiches, salads, and sides. Of course our favorite is the liquid nitrogen-cooled milkshake inspired by Chef Ian Kleinman (pictured here with owner Pete Pflum at one of the soft openings). We highly recommend the Raspberry Crème Brulee shake to accompany any dish. (yum.)

And apparently we’re not alone in our excitement. The media has shown great support already as well–check out the front page of the Denver Daily News or read The Business Journal and Westword articles online.

H Burger will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Make sure you drop by the corner of 16th and Blake on Wednesday to see what all the buzz is about, and find your way to their facebook page to stay updated on the latest news and happenings.

In the meanwhile, check out what the H BurgerCO website says about the name:

What the H?

You want to know what the H stands for? You’re not alone. But we’re not telling. Like the recipes for our Handformed, fresh ground 100% Angus beef, our Hand-cut fries, our House salads and sides, and our Homemade desserts, that H is our little secret. Sure we want you to feel at Home Here when you’re Hungry, and yes, we want you to Have a Heckuva time, and absolutely, we Hope you are filled with Hamburgery Happiness. So we Harnessed the Hairless Head of the wildly innovative Chef Ian Kleinman, who conceived a Haute, Heavenly spin on classic American fare, with a Heap of Healthy options. We Hope for your Habitual return, but we’re not spilling the beans on the meaning of that H, so don’t even ask.

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Cliff Young Returns to Denver, Opens CY Steak

After spending 12 years in France, living in one of the great wine and cuisine regions of the world, nationally-recognized Denver restaurateur Cliff Young has returned to Denver to open a French-influenced steakhouse called CY Steak. The Stasko Agency has the honor of working with Mr. Young to spread the word about his new vision for fine dining, and we’re thrilled to see that Denver restaurant critics share our enthusiasm.

CY Steak opened its doors in mid-October 2009, unveiling a French-influenced menu that includes an exquisite house-made Charcuterie, plateau of fresh chilled shellfish, three onion soup gratinee a la Bourgogne, Prime Delmonico rib eye, and many more well thought-out selections. Cliff’s signature presentation includes roasted herbed veal marrow and a selection of seven sauces. Each dish is truly something to savor. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

The one-and-only Gabby Gourmet recently showcased CY Steak on her Channel 7 show, which highlights local restaurants that are flourising in Denver. Check out the video here.

Here’s Gabby with the boys from CY Steak in front of a beautiful display of dishes. From left to right: Christopher Jensen (Charcutier), Clement McHale (Executive Chef), Tomasz Tomczyk (Sommelier/Mixologist), Gabby Gourmet, Cliff Young.


We had a great time meeting the other chefs and are so grateful to Gabby for this unique opportunity. All of the food looked and smelled delicious!

If you’re looking for something extravagant and fun to do for New Year’s Eve, we highly recommend spending the evening at CY Steak. The Pussycat Dolls Burlesque show will be performing in Denver on NYE at the Diamond After Dark and CY Steak has put together an exclusive package.

New Year’s Eve Dinner/Concert Package ($500):
Dinner for two at CY Steak
Bottle of Perrier-Jouet “Fleur” Champagne
2 Tickets to the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Show — Preferred Seating

New Year’s Eve Dinner package–($125/person)

For more information, call 720-596-4513 and Mr. Young himself will help you make arrangements.

To find out more about Cliff and CY Steak, visit the website at www.cysteakdenver.com

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LEEDers of the Day


Our clients, Zocalo Community Development’s RiverClay Condominiums have recently been honored as the FIRST LEED Certified Multi-family Condominium Development in the entire Rocky Mountain Region! With the sustainable trend flourishing in the architecture and design industries, many developers have stated their intention of creating a LEED-certified project, but have had difficulty seeing it come to fruition. Because of the costs and considerations that go into the rigorous LEED requirements, many developments aim high but fall short. RiverClay is certainly in the forefront of green design here in Denver, and even has the LEED plaque to prove it.

Way to go, guys!

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