| Local Policy Description: | Built Green Communities
This program, led by the Metro Home Builders Association, was under development for 18 months. It was modeled after the successful Built Green program (11% of Denver metro area builders participation after only four years in the market) and launched in early 2002. The Built Green CommunitiesTM program, through a partnership of planners, developers, builders, lenders and government agencies, promotes voluntary land-use and community design guidelines that minimize environmental impact, promoting the understanding and acceptance of responsible community design to benefit all citizens. Specific objectives of the program include preserving natural resources; balancing open space and density; reducing infrastructure cost through efficient design; encouraging cost-effective, innovative ideas and technologies; and creating diverse housing options. A major component is the promotion of energy-efficient buildings, and reducing transportation-related fuel costs through smart design.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The City and County of Denver will promote the Built Green Communities program in several of its large, undeveloped properties including Stapleton (4500 acres), and Gateway (4,000 acres). This will be accomplished through several policy mechanisms including a Mayoral Proclamation, and resolutions from the City Council, Planning Board, and Board of Health.
ENERGY STAR and Green Purchasing
Denver’s Purchasing Division in the Department of General Services handles much of the city’s purchasing needs but each city department has authority to make purchases as well, subject only to limited purchasing authority guidelines established by the Purchasing Division. Purchasing has previously asked/encouraged all city departments to purchase ENERGY STAR-rated equipment when available and to give a preference to recycled-content and recyclable “green” products in all purchases, even when slightly more expensive. In addition, Purchasing has recommended the Office Depot’s green products catalog for office supply. Agencies also have access to green products through the General Services Administration and the Colorado State Purchasing Division. The city has obtained the ENERGY STAR Building Label for its Yasui and Fire Administration buildings. These were two of the first such labels ever given for excellence in facility energy management and conservation.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The Purchasing Division will establish a Purchasing Process Enhancement Task Force to review the procurement process. This task force will complete its recommendations within six months. Environmental/energy conservation issues will be specifically addressed in this process. Approved procurement recommendations will be formalized through amendment to the city’s executive order #33, Requisitioning and Purchasing under Centralized Purchasing Services. In this manner, we expect future city purchasing to take full advantage of energy conservation/reduce, reuse & recycle opportunities. Over time, we also expect commercial catalogs and the federal/state procurement systems to increase their offerings of green products. The city will continue to benchmark new and remodeled facilities for the EPA ENERGY STAR label as the tool is expanded to include additional building types.
Pollution Prevention
The Denver Department of Environmental Health's Environmental Protection Division has regulatory responsibility to enforce local, state and federal regulations. In order to assist the regulated community in achieving compliance, the division offers pollution prevention (P2) tips-- such as energy efficiency--that may improve operations. A typical Resource Sheet on energy efficiency that is provided is included with this packet. Case studies provide testimony as to the effectiveness of such pollution prevention measures.
Recommended Policy for 2010: Denver will continue to provide energy efficiency P2 information to the regulated community citing local success stories and how P2 may reduce pollution levels and decrease the burden of regulations.
Blueprint Denver
This is an integrated land use and transportation plan that seeks to establish policies and a more complete up-to-date set of tools to direct growth and influence its appearance and impact. Denver gained 87,000 people in the 1990s and is forecasted to add 132,000 during the next 20 years. This plan will assist in managing this growth in a responsible, sustainable manner. Specifically, it will result in more mixed uses to: reduce the number and length of trips by car; move people through its streets by balancing autos with pedestrians, cycling, and transit and; improve the connections with amenities. These plans will help to reduce harmful air pollutants including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons.
Recommended Policy for 2010: Denver will use “Blueprint Denver: An integrated Land Use and Transportation Plan” as a tool to implement its 2000 Comprehensive Plan. Denver will include a tree canopy benchmark (about 20%) as a goal to assist in reducing the urban heat island effect, to filter air pollutants, to sequester carbon dioxide and to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. Accomplishment of this goal will reduce vehicle miles traveled, which further reduces demand for fossil fuels and the production of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and dioxide. Denver will also include tree canopy as a layer in its geographical information system in order to track and monitor progress toward the goal.
CO2 Reduction
In 1991, Denver was chosen as one of 12 cities worldwide to participate with the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives on a new effort called the Urban CO2 Reduction Project. By June 1993, the first local action plan was prepared by the Department of Environmental Health. Political support for pursuing this plan was bolstered by City Council resolution No. 28, which supported Denver’s involvement in the Urban CO2 Reduction Project. The initial report identified three programs to implement. These were Green Fleets, Green Lights (for city buildings) and, tree planting in parks and rights-of-way. These three measures have resulted in significant CO2 reductions in Denver. By 1997 the savings had reached 1,655 tons per year.
Based on these early successes, numerous additional actions have been taken by Denver to help reduce CO2 emissions. Mayor Webb issued a written proclamation on September 20, 1995 declaring Denver a participant in the International Cities for Climate Protection Campaign. Additional actions included: the installation of LED traffic lights at 1200 intersections; lighting retrofits on 14 million square feet of city buildings; planting 1,000 trees every year on city parks and parkways; bus pass subsidies to reduce vehicle miles traveled by city employees; additional bike trails and valet parking for bikes; the Energy Rated Homes program and; the purchase of wind energy.
In 1998 the city began to update its 1993 local action plan. A detailed emissions inventory was conducted to establish a 1995 baseline for comparing past, present and future CO2 emissions in Denver. Several action plan measures were identified and placed under five major headings. These headings are: energy efficiency and conservation in buildings, expanding the use of renewables (e.g., solar, wind and biomass), transportation and land use measures, conservation and education, and capture and storage of CO2. By the year 2000 the annual CO2 reductions from all measures had reached 25,500 tons per year, which is equivalent to taking 8,500 cars off the road.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The goal of Denver’s CO2 reduction (action) plan is to reduce per capita emissions 10% by 2010 from 1995 baseline levels. The new plan is scheduled for adoption in 2002 to enable this goal to be achieved. The Kyoto Protocol and the Marrakech Ministerial Declaration will be used as guideposts for additional CO2 reduction targets. This goal will be based on what we know about energy use and flows. The following graphics (#1-6) on Denver's Energy Consumption, CO2 Emissions and Colorado Energy Flow. These graphics can be accessed by clicking on the graphic titles:
Mayor’s Earthkeepers Club
The Mayor’s Earth keepers Club is funded by the Mayor’s Office of Education and Children and coordinated by the Environmental Protection Division. Earthkeepers has an environmental education focus and seeks to strengthen student awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the natural world; promote environmental stewardship; introduce students to environmental careers; and promote positive youth development in Denver Public Schools middle schools.
Recommended Policy for 2010: Denver will enhance the Earthkeeper’s curriculum to include segments on energy conservation, and alternative energy sources. Targets of opportunity include researching and exploring clean energy options through hands-on activities such as experimenting with a Solar Oven, The Network of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (NEED) Project “Learning & Conserving Kit”, making Solar Toys and Solar Cars, visiting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Denver’s own environmental monitoring and renewable energy site, and investigating the Wind Source program.
Eco-Industrial Park
Denver has been investigating the prospect of a 20 acre eco-industrial park at a cleaned up Brownfield site. The park would seek tenants that would be daisy-chained together such that the outputs/effluents from one facility would be inputs to another either totally on site or using offsite facilities. This includes waste heat, waste products, and so on.
Recommended Policy for 2010: Denver has located and will advance the development of an eco-industrial park, which includes a bright-fields (renewable energy) component. The parcel is properly zoned and located for easy access to I-70 and I-25.
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