Technology  May 5, 2022

Net Zero Cities: Are communities ready to green up?

LOVELAND — While it can be easy to point to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a singular goal, many Front Range communities are finding that the process is a lot more complicated than it initially appears. Panelists at BizWest’s Net Zero Cities Ready or Not discussion offered tips to help communities map out their sustainability routes.

Equity is top of mind for leaders in sustainability. Many climate solutions are only affordable for those with high amounts of disposable income, and can leave behind more typical residents of Front Range communities. Jonathan Koehn, chief sustainability officer and director of climate initiatives with the city of Boulder, wants to make sure everyone gets to participate in a greener future.

“We can’t leave people behind, we need to be very clear about what we’re trying to accomplish,” Koehn said.

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Mike Salisbury, the transportation and energy lead for Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience, has concerns that people with higher needs might not know about rebate programs in the first place.

“I’m sorry to say, but my website does not get a lot of traffic, from anybody, but especially income-qualified residents,” Salisbury said.

Koehn took the time to point out that many green rebate programs are directed at property owners, rather than renters.

“A good number of those are tied to property ownership. In Boulder, that leaves out about half of the population,” Koehn said.

Affordable housing units don’t necessarily need to be inefficient. David Hornbacher, deputy city manager for Longmont with years of sustainability experience, spoke about new houses from Habitat for Humanity that could make environmental friendliness more accessible.

“Several houses that are coming in, they’re gonna be all electric,” Hornbacher said.

Panel moderator Diego Lopez, who serves as executive director of Northern Colorado Clean Cities, reminded attendees that their priority should be community members.

“It’s always the people first, and the project second,” Lopez said.

While equity is still a priority, as a whole gains are being made in the realm of sustainability. Demand for less-intensive transportation sources, like electric bikes, has spiked, according to Salisbury. The city of Denver launched a rebate program April 22 that offered rebates to incentivize purchasing electric bicycles.

“In the course of the first weekend that the project was open, we had about 2,000 people apply for e-bike rebates from the city of Denver,” Salisbury said.

Camille Pollan, Broomfield’s community sustainability manager, remarked that Colorado is fortunate to have power providers focused on increased sustainability.

“If you have a utility that is already working on decarbonisation, you are quite lucky,” Pollan said.

David Hornbacher, who worked with Xcel Energy and helped lead Aspen to 100% renewable energy,  also finds that frequently, the interests of producers and consumers are in alignment when it comes to improving sustainability and resiliency.

“There’s a really direct link between goals of the community, goals of the city council, with actions we take as a utility,” Hornbacher said.

While sustainability is becoming increasingly popular, environmental leaders must still put in the work to accomplish their goals. Camille Pollan reminded guests that opportunities are everywhere.

“Energy efficiency is not sexy, but there are so many opportunities that you have to work with your community partners, to work with your utilities,” Pollan said.​​This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2022 BizWest Media LLC.

LOVELAND — While it can be easy to point to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a singular goal, many Front Range communities are finding that the process is a lot more complicated than it initially appears. Panelists at BizWest’s Net Zero Cities Ready or Not discussion offered tips to help communities map out their sustainability routes.

Equity is top of mind for leaders in sustainability. Many climate solutions are only affordable for those with high amounts of disposable income, and can leave behind more typical residents of Front Range communities. Jonathan Koehn, chief sustainability officer and director of climate initiatives with…

Katherine Stahla
Katherine Stahla is a reporter covering business, real estate, agriculture and energy in Northern Colorado. Katherine loves covering stories that matter to communities all across the state. Katherine also likes making videos supplementing the news, and fun short films on the side.
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