Alpine Bank is celebrating the 20th year of “green team” efforts to save resources, promote the use of renewable energy and support other organizations involved with environmental sustainability.

The celebration of the 20th anniversary of the green team coincides with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the bank.

“We place a high value on our natural environment in Colorado and the responsible use of its resources as essential for our health and lifestyle,” said Glen Jammaron, president of Alpine Bank. “By placing our focus and attention on ways in which we can reduce, recycle and renew in our day-to-day business, we’ve created an organization with nearly 900 individuals who embody these principles. This grassroots effort has amounted to some substantive numbers with respect to energy, resource and water savings — both within the bank and in our communities.”

The green team initially was created to reduce electricity use as well as any harmful environmental affects. Alpine Bank subsequently received certification for meeting international standards for environmental management.

Since 2009, every kilowatt hour of electricity Alpine Bank uses has come from renewable sources. The bank even distributes energy back to the grid thanks to photovoltaic panels on its facilities in Boulder, Glenwood Springs, Rifle and Silt. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes Alpine Bank as a 100 percent green power user.

In 2016, Alpine Bank purchased panels in a community solar garden in Summit County, then donated ownership of the panels to help subsidize the energy bills of families in need. The partnership earned the bank the 24-Karat Gold Award from the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program, the Grand National Service Award from the Independent Community Bankers Association and Community and Economic Development Award from the American Bankers Association.

The bank’s partnership with PCs for People resulted in a donation that repurposed more than 400 computers, obsolete by bank standards, to students who needed them during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Since launching an environmental loyalty debit card in 2004, Alpine Bank has donated more than $3.3 million to Colorado nonprofits that work toward environmental sustainability.