Candidate Dan King (photo by Zane Selvans)
The “Ambassador of Cool,” otherwise known as Dan King, is running for City Council because he says he brings financial skills that will be useful in planning the city’s budget. Originally from upstate New York, he is now the co-owner of the Boulder Outlook Hotel where they have given him his nickname the “Ambassador of Cool.” King said his primary focus is to work on long-term budgeting for Boulder.
“We have an opportunity to show others how to do it and how to do it right,” said King. “Government has to measure from results and start reporting those out.”
Before running the Outlook hotel, King managed a diverse range of businesses including restaurants, consulting and appraisal firms, banks and numerous hotels until he landed in Boulder and decided to stay a while. His website www.dankingforcouncil.org describes how the Boulder Outlook was chosen for the 2006 small business of the year award by Eco-Cycle for “Going for Zero Waste.” The hotel’s environmentally friendly practices have recently been written about in a book on teaching businesses how to “go green.”
“Save our planet, drink free beer,” read the sign posted outside the Outlook Hotel. When the original sign, “Ask us how you can offset your carbon footprint?” failed to make people interested, they devised a new plan to get people to reduce waste. Guests would get one free drink if they agreed to conserve energy.
“Sales of carbon offsets increased 5,000% and guests became engaged,” said King in the blog Business Leaders in Action for Sustainability Today.
When asked about how he feels about the recent “Occupy Boulder” uprising, he says he can understand the level of frustration that has come out which is why he says it is important to look at the issues from a long term view. He said that he thinks the protests are interesting and hopes they inspire some kind of change.
“If I didn’t have a day job I’d be out there with them,” said King.
King speaks highly of the other candidates and he said he really admires how so many people are willing to step forward and put themselves out for such a huge job. Although he says that he stands out because he’s open minded about issues, he’d rather listen than talk, and he brings financial skills.
His work with the Boulder Outlook Hotel, especially their environmental practices, is what King says he wants to represent him and what he stands for. “It’s time for the community to step up, we need community action more than we need government regulations,” he said.
Boulder is an innovative and unique setting especially when it comes to the surrounding environment. It’s the natural beauty here in Boulder that initially brought King to Colorado.
“I mean you have to love the environmental setting. I love our values, we try to be different and be a leader.”
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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