The United States holds enough oil and gas to power the country for hundreds of years, and Colorado is at the center of the search for energy resources. Using a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing—better known as fracking—and new drilling techniques, oil and gas companies are able to extract these previously inaccessible fossil fuels. These technologies may be the biggest step yet toward securing our energy independence. But at what cost? 

In high school and college, Jake Brodsky spent his summers working at his brother’s coffee cart in their hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Little did Brodsky know that he and his family would eventually launch a full-scale roasting operation in Denver, distributing beans to local shops and cities such as New York and Salt Lake City, Utah. This year, Novo Coffee—run by Brodsky and his father, and widely regarded as one of the top coffee roasters in Denver—celebrates a decade in business.