Margaret Rogers

Margaret Rogers describes herself as a green beekeeper. No, the bees aren’t green — but her methods of looking out for the health of her backyard hives at her home in Boulder give a definite nod to environmental consciousness.

She won’t use miticide to control the mites that plague honeybees. “I pour powdered sugar on the bees,” she said. “They don’t like it much — but they can eat it off, and in grooming themselves they knock the mites off.”

She won’t use tetracycline to control the disease called “foulbrood” either. “A big part is just keeping them fed and watered,” she said, “and letting them do their own thing.”

Looking out for the planet extends to every part of Rogers’ life. She’s an organic gardener who holds a Green Building certificate from Colorado State University, and her own recently renovated home was the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certified “gut rehab” in Colorado. That’s a very specific standard,” she said. “At least one wall has to be taken all the way down to the studs. So we showed them a video of a back-loader knocking the brick wall down.”

At work, she’s an “energy action lead” and SmartRegs specialist at Boulder-based Populus LLC, which guides architects and builders through green-building code requirements. She spreads awareness of EnergySmart services and rebate programs throughout Boulder County and the cities of Boulder and Longmont. She helps homeowners schedule visits from energy advisers and auditors, and finds joy in educating about the little often-overlooked details.

“You can insulate your whole attic,” she said, “but there’s that little square hatch that gives you access to your attic. If you don’t insulate that too, you’ve wasted your money.”

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