Colorado Communities Leading the Way

Aspen

1. 1. Traditionally known for its glorious skiing, Maroon Bells, and high concentration of the ultra-rich, Aspen has also received accolades for its sustainability achievements. In 2015, Aspen became the third city in the U.S. to be completely powered by renewable energy. In addition to being fossil fuel free, Aspen has a recycling ordinance that requires recycling be part of basic trash service for all residential, multi-family and commercial customers. In fact, Aspen was the first city in Colorado to include the commercial sector in a recycling ordinance. To divert food waste, the city implemented its SCRAPS program, through which residents are offered a free compost bucket that is collected through a curbside composting service.
   2. Aspen Skiing Company, which owns four ski resorts in the region and is a major employer in Pitkin County, is third-party ISO certified as a “green” company, the first of only two ski resorts in the country to achieve this recognition. In 1999, Aspen Skiing Company built one of the first 11 LEED-certified buildings in the world – a restaurant at 8,000 feet, atop Aspen Mountain ski resort – and they now boast several LEED certified buildings: restaurants and employee housing projects. The company also recently invested $6 million in a project – in partnership with a local energy company – to capture waste methane produced from a local coal mine and use it to generate electricity.

Boulder

1. 1. Widely known for its liberal, earthy and “crunchy” culture, Boulder is one of the most environmentally progressive cities in Colorado in a number of ways. The city has been consistently ranked as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., and has an extensive, reliable bus system, which virtually eliminates the need for a car. In fact, Boulder came in first place on a 2019 ranking of most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., and came in fourth on a list of cities with the most bicycle commuters. The Boulder County Farmer’s Market has been named one of the best farmer’s markets in the U.S., and Boulder is also known for its ample community garden plots that offer residents the opportunity to grow their own food.
   2. In 2006, Boulder became the first city in the nation to implement a carbon tax on electricity generated by fossil fuels, which generates about $2 million per year in funds that go toward implementing Boulder’s Climate Action Plan. Through these funds and related efforts, Boulder has achieved one of the highest rates of installed solar capacity per capita in the country. Boulder also has ambitious sustainability goals, such as a goal of net zero carbon by 2035 and being carbon-negative by 2040. The city is home to CU Boulder, known for its robust environmental science program and environmental research, which was ranked number 10 on a list of the greenest public colleges in the U.S. Boulder also boasts many climate-forward organizations, such as CCLC affiliates Clean Energy Action, Empower Our Future, and 350 Colorado.

Breckenridge

1. 1. Breckenridge is renowned as one of the most sustainable mountain resort towns in the country and even in the world. In April, the town became the second in the world to achieve the Mountain IDEAL Sustainability certification, which recognizes mountain resort communities with cutting edge environmental stewardship and sustainability practices. The certification extends beyond basic sustainability practices like recycling, and includes criteria like cultural heritage protection, workforce housing, and greenhouse gas and waste reduction. This win can be largely attributed to the town’s SustainableBreck plan in 2011, which sought to address the impacts of growth, including how the town could “balance resource conservation, economic development and sociocultural issues in a tourism-based environment.”
   2. Furthermore, Breckenridge boasts ambitious climate action goals, such as to reach 100% renewable electricity for municipal facilities by 2025 and 100% renewable energy in the town by 2035. The town also recently implemented an Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, which would help electrify the town’s vehicle fleet, help the community transition to EVs, and offer more public transit opportunities.

Colorado Springs

1. 1. Denver’s Southern neighbor, Colorado Springs, has made strides in recent years in committing to sustainable development. Although the city government has been slow to adopt progressive, climate forward-policies, climate action from its utility and flagship college have drawn attention in recent years. The city-owned energy supplier, Colorado Springs Utilities, plans to retire all coal generation – and also reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent – by 2030. Its new 175-megawatt (MW) Pike Solar Project – with a 25 MW battery storage system – will be one of Colorado’s largest battery storage systems, and will replace the Martin Drake coal plant, which was retired in 2021.
   2. Colorado Springs is home to Colorado College, which, in 2020, became carbon neutral, making it only the eighth carbon neutral institute of higher education in the U.S. and the first in the Rocky Mountain West. The College has reduced its on-campus emissions by 75% since 2018, and buys 100% of its energy from solar arrays in and around Colorado Springs. Colorado College has received a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for several years, and in 2021, it tied for first place in water conservation, reuse, use reduction and rainwater management.

Denver

1. 1. The centennial state’s capital – the Mile High City – is renowned as one of the most sustainable cities in the U.S. It ranked 11 on one list of the 40 most sustainably powered cities in the U.S. for its walkability, minimal CO2 emissions per capita, high renewable energy, and high number of EV charging stations and bike lands. Another study ranked Denver as the eighth most sustainable city in the nation, due to renewable energy consumption, energy-efficient commuters, and its whopping 432.7 square feet of green space per person. In 2019, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded Denver a ‘LEED platinum certification’ in its LEED for Cities Program, due to factors like its ambitious climate goals, cutting edge water efficiency and quality planning, green infrastructure, and waste management. In fact, it ranked seventh on a list of metropolitan areas with high adoption of green standards, with around 42 percent of the city’s office spaces being certified sustainable under LEED or EPA Energy Star standards. In 2021, the City Council passed an ordinance requiring all commercial and multifamily buildings to reduce carbon emissions by improving energy efficiency, which is slated to help cut emissions by 80 percent by 2040.
   2. As part of its effort to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, the city is building solar gardens above municipal parking lots and rooftop buildings, and will use the energy to power municipal buildings and low-income housing. One example of this is the LEED Gold Certified Museum of Contemporary Art, which is home to a rooftop solar garden, and partners with local developers to help grow solar gardens. Through the Certifiably Green Denver program, the city provides assessments and resources to help local businesses adopt water conservation and energy efficiency practices.

Fort Collins

1. 1. In 2008, Fort Collins set the goal of reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020 compared to 2005 levels. In 2020, the City overachieved that goal by reducing its GHG emissions 24% compared to 2005 levels, despite population growth of 30% over that time period.
   2. Fort Collins is renowned as a sustainability and climate-forward mecca. Like Boulder, it is often listed as one of the most bikeable cities in the U.S., due its bike-friendly infrastructure and high percentage of bike commuters. On a recent list of the 200 greenest cities in the U.S, Fort Collins ranked in the top 20, based on a number of factors including a small percentage of residents who drive to work alone, a high bikeability rating, high renewable energy production, and low amounts of annual excess fuel consumed by commuters and energy consumed per capita. In 2017, the city’s Climate Action Plan won international recognition as the winner in the North American category of Cities4Action by C40Cities for its emissions reductions and waste diversion efforts. Later that year, the city partnered with the Larimer County Conservation Corps to provide free services to residents to assist them in reducing the water and energy consumption in their homes.
   3. In 2018, Fort Collins won $1.1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge, which provided loans for energy efficiency upgrades for low and middle-income rental housing. In 2019, the Fort Collins City Council passed a global climate emergency resolution, which called on state, national and global governments to Climate Emergency Mobilization and Just Transition effort to reverse global warming. The city’s ambitious Our Climate Future plan includes ambitious climate goals such as reaching 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and achieving zero waste, or 100% landfill diversion, by 2030. Fort Collins Sustainability Group (see focosustainability.org) is an organization that works on a vast array of issues in the sustainability and climate action space, and helped advocate for the city council’s climate emergency declaration in 2019. Fort Collins is home to the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, an influential player in the renewable energy and energy efficiency space. Community for Sustainable Energy, also based in Fort Collins, employs door-to-door canvassing as means to raise public awareness of local energy issues. Transition Fort Collins, another environmental group, works to foster local resiliency, sustainability and culture by “expanding the local economy, building community spirit and cooperation, and sharing best practices.”

Frisco

In 2019, Frisco joined other Colorado municipalities in committing to 100% renewable energy by 2025. In addition to carbon reductions, Frisco’s 2019-2020 Strategic Plan outlines goals to reduce building energy use 21% by 2030, transportation emissions by 25% by 2030, and waste emissions by 50% by 2030. Frisco recently received the “Silver” designation from the national SolSmart energy program for promoting solar energy growth in the community and removing barriers to solar development. Frisco was also recently awarded a grant from Charge Ahead Colorado to install two new dual-port electric vehicle charging stations, giving the small mountain town a total of three free public charging stations. Frisco has also recently adopted Zero Waste Event Requirements for city events, and a water efficiency and conservation plan, which offers financial rebates for residents to replace old fixtures with WaterSense approved fixtures. Energy Smart Colorado

Glenwood Springs

1. 1. In 2019, Glenwood Springs became the seventh city in the U.S. to be completely powered by renewable electricity – primarily wind power generated in Nebraska. Glenwood has also received the “Tree City USA” designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for the past 34 years, due to its commitment to nourishing a high density of trees in an urban landscape. The region has an impressive network of interconnected, two-lane paved bike trails, including a 42-mile trail running from Glenwood to Aspen, and the Glenwood Springs Recreation Trail, which offers 16 miles of riverside trail through scenic Glenwood Canyon. The Glenwood area also offers a reliable bus rapid transit (BRT) system, the first rural bus rapid system in the country. They intend to electrify at least one third of the bus fleet in the coming years. The town’s major tourist attractions – Glenwood Hot Springs Resort and Iron Mountain Hot Springs – both harness geothermal energy from the springs to reduce their energy consumption, and utilize excessBritish Thermal Units to preheat water for the family pool, showers, and laundry, and to melt snow from roofs and sidewalks in the winter. Another major tourist attraction – Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park – recently replaced all of the lights inside the cave with LED lights to reduce electricity consumption and the heat from incandescent lights, which can damage the cavern ecosystem. Glenwood Caverns also uses 100 percent renewable electricity, and is one of the first amusement parks in the nation to do so.
   2. Nestled in the central Rockies at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers, Glenwood Springs has always been committed to environmental preservation, as evidenced by a 2019, city-led “Don’t Strip Glenwood” campaign fighting a limestone mining expansion near city limits. Glenwood environmental advocates also successfully advocated for the cancellation of 18 oil and gas leases along Thompson Divide, an ecologically important nearby recreation area.

Golden

1. 1. In addition to its 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 target, Golden has a number of other ambitious sustainability goals: such as reducing total landfill contribution by 40 percent by 2030, recycling 80 percent of recyclables and composting 80 percent of compostables by 2030, and achieving at least a 20 percent fossil fuel-free transportation sector by 2030. Golden also has a drought resiliency plan and a resource recovery plan for surplus water to be used effectively to enhance the environment in Golden and elsewhere in our watershed, and to recover resources from the city’s wastewater by 2030. The city recently released a set of voluntary restrictions and best practices for residents to conserve water, including limiting lawn watering to before 10 am or after 6 pm, limiting watering to three days a week, waiting to start watering until May, and implementing a cycle-and-soak method to irrigate, adjusting watering time each month.
2. Additionally, Golden has an energy efficiency baseline required for municipal buildings, based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver designation standards.

Gunnison

1. 1. Gunnison, located in the Gunnison River Valley, is home to several community garden projects, including the Gunnison Youth Garden, which is devoted to educating children about sustainable food production. Western Colorado University (WCU) has a top-ranked environmental science program, and environmental researchers there were recently awarded a $2 million National Science Foundation grant for projects addressing the impacts of climate change on surrounding public lands and ecosystems. In 2020, WCU held a climate action conference that emphasized how the city could reduce its carbon emissions through expanded waste diversion efforts, improved public and electrified transportation, and utilities with more renewable energy in their portfolios.
   2. Later that year, the city developed a climate action plan that detailed efforts to support building electrification, incentivizing sustainable transit, and utility-scale renewables. Gunnison County has also implemented a number of sustainable building initiatives, including opting-in to the State’s Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) program – which enables building owners to finance up to 100% of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects – and adopting the International Energy Conservation Code, which incentivizes energy-efficient homes.

Lafayette

Lafayette, a town 11 miles East of Boulder, has received accolades for its commitment to sustainability in a number of arenas. In 2019, Lafayette received a “Gold” designation from the solar company SolSmart for improving the solar permitting process and proposing a solar ordinance to provide transparent guidance on solar development throughout the city. The city recently received a $43,000 grant from Boulder County to fund a number of projects, including open space restoration events, electric vehicle (EV) and eBike initiatives, and recycling campaigns. Lafayette’s Green Business Program offers financial incentives for companies to align their practices with the city’s climate goals, such as achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Additionally, the city recently partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy on a study that used energy data to inform EV infrastructure planning in the region.

Lakewood

On the outskirts of Denver to the West, the city of Lakewood has made great strides in the environmental arena. Lakewood’s S​​ustainable Neighborhoods Program is a certification program that helps neighborhoods organize workshops, events and initiatives to enhance livability and reduce residents’ ecological footprint. Many of Lakewood’s city-owned facilities are now fully powered renewable energy including Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, the Head Start and Early Childhood Education buildings and numerous park buildings. Additionally, Lakewood has a partnership with Xcel Energy, called the Energy Future Collaborative, that gives it a 1,015 kW subscription share from Xcel’s Titan solar facility. Lakewood also purchased 274 kW of solar energy from a community solar garden in 2014. In addition to expanding solar, by 2025, Lakewood is aiming to reduce its citywide building energy use intensity by 20 percent, its citywide water use by 20 percent, and its municipal building and facility energy use intensity by 30 percent.

Littleton

The city of Littleton is renowned for its commitment to sustainability and climate action. Every year, the city sponsors an annual Household Hazardous Waste Roundup, collecting thousands of pounds of solid waste and liquid waste from residents to properly dispose of. Littleton also sponsors an annual electronics recycling event for residents to dispose of computers, televisions, monitors, and radios. The city’s Parks and Recreation department also sponsors a Christmas tree recycling program where thousands of trees are ground into mulch that is then made available to the public for free. Similarly, Littleton has an annual leaf recycling program. Additionally, the city’s Spring Tree Program distributes thousands of shade trees to residents at reduced rates each spring, and residents can plant them anywhere within the city limits. The City of Littleton also owns and operates two year-round community gardens with individual plots assigned to gardeners on an annual basis. The city also offers community-building grants to neighborhoods that want to hold their own clean-up events.

Longmont

1. 1. In 2021, Insurify rated Longmont as Colorado’s greenest city, ​​based on a number of factors including air quality, driving rates, hybrid and electric vehicle prevalence, and whether the city has established a commitment to renewable energy. Longmont’s Sustainable Business Program, which supports and recognizes local businesses for making efforts to reduce their environmental impact, has been instrumental to helping the community scale down its carbon emissions. The city was recently awarded a ​​$138,000 grant to support the continuation of its climate vulnerability and risk mapping project, partner with Boulder County PACE to help small businesses transition from styrofoam to sustainable takeout containers, and support its community-wide sustainability goals.
   2. In addition to the city’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030, Longmont boasts a robust, detailed sustainability plan that includes improving air quality, supporting a sustainable and local food system, providing a high quality water supply, and investing in an efficient and equitable transportation system. To help achieve its goal of 50 percent waste diversion by 2025, the city was recently awarded a $70,000 grant from the state to provide curbside compost collection services to residential areas. The renowned nonprofit Sustainable Resilient Longmont has collaborated with the city to help it achieve several of its renewable energy and food waste diversion goals.

Nederland

1. 1. Nederland, a small town on the outskirts of the Indian Peaks Wilderness area, has been long-known as a hippie enclave with an extensive farmer’s market and organic food co-op in the heart of town. The town’s environmentally-conscious reputation is well-earned: Nederland has progressive sustainability goals, such as a target of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2025, and other green objectives such as only purchasing only Energy Star equipment and appliances for the town, increase the fuel efficiency of municipal vehicles, and adopting land-use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact, walkable urban spaces.
   2. In 2019, Nederland released its Energy Action Plan, which presents a robust strategy for how to rapidly decarbonize the community, including by encouraging energy efficiency in single-family homes, supporting low-income residents in energy transition efforts, and engaging small businesses, with a focus on improving refrigeration efficiencies.

Pueblo

Despite its reputation as a hub for Xcel’s dirty energy – housing coal-fired power plants Comanche 1, 2, and 3 – the city of Pueblo itself has taken admirable strides to be a leader in the field of sustainability. The city uses 98% Avaya hardware products, which are energy-efficient and have an embedded energy management solution that can reduce power consumption by an additional 25% during off-peak hours. In 2021, Pueblo released a nearly 100-page Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan, which provided strategic guidelines for development, siting, and implementation of EV infrastructure to foster EV adoption in the area. Pueblo’s ambitious approach to promoting EVs includes a vehicle fleet fuel-efficiency and zero emissions program for all Pueblo County-owned and operated vehicles. Pueblo also has robust sustainability benchmarks for buildings, for instance, all Pueblo County-owned buildings must meet LEED and Energy Star standards. Importantly, Pueblo’s sustainability initiatives seek to address environmental justice concerns – for instance, the city has made efforts to reduce radon exposure in residential buildings, expand water quality monitoring and water treatment, and improve air particulate matter monitoring and air quality in the city.

Telluride

Nestled in the dramatic snowy peaks of the San Juan Mountains, Telluride is famous for not only its rugged beauty, but also for its dedication to climate action to protect those majestic landscapes. The city has a robust water efficiency plan detailing its strategic approach to decrease use of potable water for outdoor irrigation; reduce wastewater discharges by reducing indoor residential water use; reduce peak day summer demand; and provide “insurance” that there will be more water and wastewater capacity available for the tourist economy, as drought protection and in-stream flows. The town has a bus fleet powered by biodiesel, a gondola powered by wind energy, and a hydroelectric power plant that provides more than 25 percent of the town’s electricity. In 2008, Telluride purchased an undeveloped, 570-acre parcel of meadows and woodland surrounding the town in order to provide an open-space barrier to preserve the natural environment that encompasses the town. One prominent environmental group in Telluride, EcoAction Partners, provides a Green Fund to support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; supports local growers and sustainable, local food production; and offers a Green Business certification to encourage local businesses to adopt sustainable practices.