A Week Surrounded by Heroes: Recycling, Leadership & 50 Years of Colorado Change-Making

Some weeks are busy. Some weeks are meaningful. And then there are weeks that feel like the universe opened a giant glittering scrapbook and said, “Here, Bridget, remember why you started.”

This past week was one of the biggest celebration weeks I have ever had, and my heart is still buzzing from it.

In one incredible stretch, I had the honor of attending the Recycle Colorado conference and awards celebration, the TITAN 100 celebration event, and Eco*Cycle’s 50th Anniversary Party. Three very different rooms. Three powerful communities. One giant connecting thread: people who care deeply, work hard, build things that matter, and continue to show up for Colorado.

And honestly? I spent the whole week feeling like I was surrounded by heroes.

Celebrating Colorado’s Recycling Leaders

The week began with the Recycle Colorado celebration and awards ceremony at the Butterfly Pavilion on Tuesday night, which felt like the perfect place to honor transformation. Butterflies, recycling, change-makers, new ideas taking flight… the symbolism was not subtle, and I loved every second of it.

Recycle Colorado has been such an important part of my journey. Since the very beginning of Green Girl Recycling, I have looked up to the people in this industry who have pushed recycling, composting, reuse, policy, education, infrastructure, and waste diversion forward in Colorado.

These are the people who understood the mission before it was trendy. The people who kept going when recycling was messy, underfunded, misunderstood, and still had to be explained one cardboard box at a time.

Honoring Business Leaders Who Lift Each Other Up / The Titans!

Then on Thursday night, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the TITAN 100 event, where I got to celebrate the new 2026 TITAN 100 winners and spend time with other TITAN 100 Hall of Fame leaders.

The TITAN community has become such a meaningful part of my business life. Through my peer group, I have been surrounded by leaders who challenge each other, support each other, and understand what it really takes to build and sustain a business.

Owning a business can be lonely, hilarious, terrifying, inspiring, exhausting, and thrilling, sometimes all before lunch. Being in a room full of people who understand that rhythm is powerful.

What I love most about TITAN is that it recognizes leadership not just as success on paper, but as impact. It celebrates people who build companies, create jobs, take risks, mentor others, give back, and keep growing.

For me, being part of TITAN has helped me look at Green Girl from a true CEO perspective. It has helped me think bigger, lead better, and stay connected to other business owners who are working through the same puzzles: people, growth, systems, finances, culture, community, and purpose.

To celebrate the 2026 winners while standing alongside Hall of Fame Titans felt incredibly special. It reminded me that leadership is not a finish line. It is a living, breathing practice. You keep learning. You keep building. You keep showing up.

And then the night ended in the most perfect way at the after party at Garlic Media Studio. It was such a beautiful setting to celebrate with some of my most favorite people. We took a group photo against a clean white backdrop, which honestly felt like the perfect little snapshot of the night: bright, joyful, and full of people cheering each other on. We got to celebrate each other’s wins from the last year, catch up, laugh, and soak in the kind of business community that makes you feel stronger just by being in the room.

When leaders use their platforms to make their communities stronger, that is where the real magic happens.

Celebrating 50 Years of Eco*Cycle

Then Friday night brought the grand finale: Eco*Cycle’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.

More than 450 people came together to celebrate this milestone, and the room was filled with past, present, and future. There were people who helped run the original recycling buses in Boulder, longtime environmental champions, community leaders, new staff, volunteers, supporters, and everyone in between.

It was impossible not to feel the history.

Eco*Cycle helped create the foundation for so much of what recycling has become in Boulder County and beyond. Their early work helped prove that community recycling was possible. That people would participate. That materials had value. That systems could be built. That education matters. That local action can ripple outward for decades.

For Green Girl Recycling, Eco*Cycle has always been part of the larger story. They helped build the culture of recycling in this region, and companies like ours are able to grow because that culture exists.

And because Eco*Cycle knows how to throw a celebration with personality, they asked people to dress up for the party. That meant the room was full of hippie-dippy outfits, throwback style, bright colors, peace-sign energy, and so much extra fun. It made the night feel even more connected to the roots of the movement: creative, scrappy, joyful, determined, and never afraid to stand out.

Standing in that room, seeing the first generation of recycling pioneers alongside the current team carrying the mission forward, was deeply moving. It felt like a living timeline of environmental courage.

One of the most meaningful parts of the evening was getting to sit next to Jack DeBell, who used to run CU Recycling and has been such an important part of Colorado’s recycling history as well as sitting right behind Eric Lombardi, the former Director of Eco-Cycle and thanking him again for always being a supporter of everything GGR from the beginning. I was also lucky enough to be part of one of the first tables that hosted some of the original drivers of the recycling buses. Sitting with people who helped drive the early movement forward, quite literally, was such a powerful reminder of how this work began: with vision, grit, community, and people willing to climb into the driver’s seat before there was a map.

Being in that room reminded me how lucky I am to be part of this work. Green Girl Recycling may be one company, one team, one warehouse, one truck at a time, but we are also part of a much larger Colorado recycling ecosystem. Every hauler MRF operator, nonprofit, municipality, policymaker, educator, volunteer, business owner, and customer plays a role.

When we gather together, we are reminded that this work is bigger than bins.

It is community infrastructure.It is environmental responsibility.It is local jobs.It is education.It is doing the next right thing, even when it is hard.

Fifty years is not just an anniversary. It is proof of endurance.

It is proof that a handful of committed people can start something that grows into a movement. It is proof that buses, bins, volunteers, route drivers, educators, policy work, sorting lines, late nights, early mornings, and stubborn hope can change a community.

The Thread That Tied It All Together

What made this week so powerful was not just the events themselves. It was the connection between them.

Recycle Colorado reminded me of the strength of our industry.TITAN 100 reminded me of the power of business leadership.Eco*Cycle reminded me of the roots and heart of the recycling movement.

Together, they told one beautiful story: change happens when passionate people connect across industries, across generations, and across communities.

The green space needs business leaders.Business leaders need purpose.Communities need people willing to build systems that last.And all of us need each other.

I left this week feeling grateful beyond words. Grateful for the recycling pioneers who started this work long before many people understood it. Grateful for the industry leaders continuing to push the mission forward. Grateful for my TITAN peer group and Hall of Fame friends who inspire me to grow as a leader. Grateful for Eco*Cycle, Recycle Colorado, and all the people who have spent decades proving that local action matters.

And of course, I am grateful for the Green Girl team, our customers, our partners, and this Colorado community that continues to believe in the work.

After 28 years of owning Green Girl Recycling, I still feel motivated by the same simple idea: we can help people divert more from the landfill, make recycling easier, and be part of something good.

This week reminded me that we are not doing that work alone.

We are part of a much bigger, brighter, beautifully connected movement.

And I am so honored to still be here, still learning, still celebrating, still hauling, still connecting, and still believing that change happens one relationship, one business, one event, one truckload, one idea, and one community at a time.

With a very full heart,

Bridget Johnson/GGR/Greenest Girl