Cities lead in crafting carbon-neutral environs

Fort Collins: Town and gown cities are leading the charge to create “Net Zero” communities, forming innovative partnerships between local governments, universities and technology companies to reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming.

“Our citizens aren’t quite sure what ‘Net Zero’ is,´ said Henrietta Davis, mayor of Cambridge, Mass. “But they know they want it.” Davis spoke at the second-annual Net Zero Cities conference Thursday morning, an international gathering designed to share best practices and new ideas for creating sustainable communities.

Representatives from Cambridge, Copenhagen, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins and Boulder led a panel discussion detailing how college towns have been able to move quickly and effectively to reduce carbon emissions and combat the effects of global warming. Boulder Mayor Matt Applebaum said cities often can be more effective than federal and state governments because they control building codes and land use rules, which are key to implementing energy efficient construction practices and planning guidelines that encourage mass transit and compact development.

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“Cities are the leaders right now,´ said Vicki Bennet, sustainability director for Salt Lake City. “Local governments are closest to the citizens and we’re the ones citizens trust.”

Partnerships with the universities and the technology sector give local governments access to high-level thinkers and entrepreneurs who are accustomed to thinking creatively and moving quickly.
Copenhagen, for instance, has roughly 10,000 Ph.D.s in residence. Soren Norgaard Madsen, a sustainability expert from Copenhagen, said the city hopes to be carbon neutral by 2025. To get there it will need to build 100 more wind turbines and convert a centralized city-wide heating system that now relies on oil and coal, to one fueled by biomass.

Much like Cambridge, home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Copenhagen has plenty of great minds working on reducing CO2 emissions and dealing with the impacts of climate change. But it is still a challenge, in part because the sophisticated technologies capable of achieving these goals are also the most expensive.

Having great universities in your midst can also be a blessing and a curse, according to Cambridge Mayor Davis. When her city began looking to create a new climate initiative recently and sought funding from an influential foundation, the city came away empty handed. The philanthropic group took one look at the membership list, and said “You have Harvard and MIT working with you. They have plenty of money. Go ask them.”

The conference is sponsored by the city of Fort Collins and BizWest Media, publisher of the Northern Colorado Business Report.