A handful of grocery stores that support Denver Colorado jobs (Click here) are being recognized for their seafood sustainability efforts.

Greenpeace International recently released the Supermarket Seafood Sustainability Scorecard as part of the organization’s “Casting Away the Oceans” report. The scorecard is aimed at identifying supermarkets that are doing their part to sustain the world fish population.

The Kroger Company – which operates many stores throughout Colorado, supporting City Market and King Soopers jobs – was named 15th on the list. Safeway, which is one of the largest grocery stores in the state, was ranked first, while Costco was ranked 11th and Walmart was ranked 13th.

The top 20 supermarkets for seafood sustainability, along with their sustainability score, include:

1. Safeway – 64.61
2. Target – 63.74
3. Wegmans – 63.74
4. Whole Foods – 61.77
5. Ahold – 59.22
6. Harris Teeter – 58.35
7. Aldi – 54.62
8. A&P – 51.63
9. Price Chopper – 47.90
10. Delhaize – 47.66
11. Costco – 44.89
12. Trader Joe’s – 44.57
13. Walmart – 44.50
14. H.E. Butt – 43.81
15. Kroger – 42.03
16. Giant Eagle – 32.38
17. Publix – 21.50
18. Supervalu – 15.0
19. Winn-Dixie – 11.5
20. Meijer – 10.0

The report notes that more supermarkets are beginning to take action when it comes to seafood sustainability, doing everything from ending objectionable projects to participating in conservation initiatives to creating sustainable seafood policies.

“Consumers deserve to be able to purchase seafood from retailers that care about the condition of our oceans and that properly steward our marine resources,” the report notes. “The days of selling fish with no regard for the environment are over.

“Companies have two choices – they can implement strong seafood policies and become leaders, or they can ignore reality and continue their unsustainable seafood practices until many popular seafood items are no longer available,” the report continues. “And increasingly, if they choose the latter course, they will reap the wrath of a consumer public that has simply had enough.”

Many Colorado medical jobs in schools will be supported through a new round of funding.

Gov. Bill Ritter recently announced that Colorado will be included among 10 states to receive $100 million in federal funding for improvements in healthcare quality and delivery systems for children receiving care in school-based health centers.

The funding in Colorado will be received through a joint project with New Mexico. All of the grants are being funded by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.


“Colorado has had tremendous success with collaborative community projects like school-based health centers,” Ritter said. “These centers are a resource and a healthy solution for our most vulnerable of families to receive primary care.

“During this financial downturn, we need to get the most out of every dollar spent in healthcare,” he continued. “School-based health centers are an affordable way to provide quality, accessible care.”

Colorado and New Mexico are set to receive $7,784,030 million over five years for school-based health centers. There are several school-based health centers throughout Colorado that work to provide care to rural, under-served and low-income areas.

The project will showcase the ability of school-based health centers to address the healthcare needs of children and adolescents, as well as expand on the understanding of how school-based health centers contribute to the healthcare system in Colorado and New Mexico.

Colorado’s education and health services industry employed 261,000 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the same as during November and a 2.5 percent increase from December 2008.

A new program is providing loans to help companies save and create Colorado state jobs (Click here).

Gov. Bill Ritter recently announced that 42 additional small businesses have obtained loans through the Colorado Credit Reserve Program since an initial round of loans were handed out during the fall of 2009.

“Colorado is the poster child for how important small businesses are,” Ritter said. “They are the backbone of our economy and the engine that drives job-creation across the state. With the economy still struggling, one of the biggest challenges for small businesses remains access to credit. This program is providing vital loans to help small businesses survive, thrive and save and create jobs.”

So far, the program has helped small businesses retain 371 jobs, and another 176 jobs are expected to be created this year. The program, which is administered by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, has provided loans to 65 businesses in 17 counties. Loan amounts have ranged from $1,400 to $200,000, with the average amount at about $28,200.

CHFA has partnered with the Colorado Bankers Association, Independent Bankers of Colorado and National Federation of Independent Business for the program.

The program was revived through a Senate bill last year after it became dormant in 2006. The bill authorized $2.5 million for the program, which will leverage $50 million in loan funds. About $119,000 of the public funds have been spent so far, leveraging $1.8 million in private sector loans.

Colorado’s economy has been improving as of late, with the state’s unemployment rate declining and more jobs being added on a monthly basis.

During November 2009, the state’s unemployment rate decreased from 7 percent to 6.9 percent, after holding steady at 7 percent for two months. Colorado’s current rate is lower than the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 2,242,900 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,241,100 workers during October, but a 3.9 percent decrease from November 2008.