The Aspen Community Stands at the Forefront of Environmental Stewardship When it Comes to Climate Change and Renewable Energy
ASPEN, Colo. (Spring/Summer 2010) - With the effects of a changing climate literally seen in Aspen's backyard, protecting and preserving natural assets is a major campaign that involves the local government, private investors, environmental nonprofits and the Aspen Skiing Co. From advocacy for renewable energy and corporate conservation measures to pushing for energy-efficiency standards and continually improving the recycling program, Aspen is a leader in environmental stewardship continuing to affect change rather than adapt to it.
ASPEN'S "GREEN" WALK INFLUENCING THE WORLD'S "GREEN" TALK
With only 7,000 year-round residents, Aspen's environmental influence in impressive, affecting change on state, national and international levels.
- On the state level, an Aspen-bred electric car bill was signed into law in June 2009, encouraging more use of electric cars in urban neighborhoods and small towns by relaxing state regulations on how and where electric-powered vehicles are permitted to travel.
- On the national level, Aspen Skiing Company CEO Mike Kaplan traveled to Washington DC in September 2009 to lobby for the Clean Jobs and American Power Act, legislation limiting greenhouse gas emissions. This was Kaplan's second trip to Washington, having lobbied Congressman John Salazar in June 2009 prior to passage of Americans for Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). ACES passage was historic as it represented the first time the US House of Representatives passed legislation addressing climate change. The bill was passed by the US House of Representatives on June 26, 2009 now the Senate will consider similar legislation.
- On the international level, Aspen representatives, including Chip Comins, founder of Aspen's annual American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY); and Nathan Ratledge, director of Aspen's Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), traveled to Copenhagen's United Climate Change Conference in December 2009, where leaders from 192 countries and more than 7,000 non-governmental organizations gathered to attempt to produce a binding international treaty that would at least cap carbon emission levels around the world.
THE CITY OF ASPEN
The Canary Initiative
In 2005, the city of Aspen took an active stance to address climate change by creating the Canary Initiative. Results to date include a community and city greenhouse gas inventory, a climate action plan and numerous policies aimed at addressing climate change. With a spotlight on its internal greenhouse gas emissions, the city of Aspen has reduced its emissions by more than 21 percent from 2004 to 2009. Citywide, there's a goal of reduction by 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
Here are a few examples of the City of Aspen's recent successes in reducing greenhouse gas emissions:
- The city-managed Aspen Recreation Center, which houses swimming pools, an ice rink and other athletic facilities, launced a $1.1 million retrofit to reduce power usage and new designs will eliminate nearly 825 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
- The Aspen Police Department implemented "Green Days" when police patrol Aspen on foot or by bicycle, rather than in their vehicles.
- The city of Aspen has installed solar trail lights and parking meters, and city streets are now decorated with LED lights during the winter, which use 90 percent less energy than traditional holiday lights.
Part of the Canary Initiative was the creation of Canary Tags, the first municipal carbon offset program in the U.S. Each Canary Tag costs $20 and represents an offset of one ton of carbon monoxide through renewable energy and mitigation programs. The city of Aspen's online Carbon Calculator allows residents, businesses and visitors to tally their energy use, whether at home, on the road or in the air, and purchase Canary Tags to offset their carbon footprint.
Aspen ZGreen
Most recently, the city of Aspen has established the ZGreen program, a multi-pronged effort to reduce the environmental impact of Aspen's residents, businesses, events and visitors by providing tangible steps to shrink their environmental footprint. Successful individuals and businesses are recognized with ZGreen certification.
The Citizen Program engages Aspen residents by asking them to take five steps toward living greener with the option to offset the rest of their carbon use with Canary Tags. The Business Program acknowledges companies that track their energy use and make positive changes to reduce their consumption, emissions and waste production. The Events Program requires all city-permitted events to adhere to a "green" checklist which includes an enforced environmental policy, staff training, the inclusion of sponsors who practice or promote environmental stewardship, the use of recycled or recyclable materials and more.
An exemplary event, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, has been actively recycling for more than 12 years, and event planners cooperate with ZGreen to implement new strategies to become even greener, including using energy from renewable sources, composting event waste, operating hybrid vehicles and recycling bottles and corks from the tens of thousands of wine bottles opened during the four-day festival.
As of January 2009, the ZGreen progam had awarded certificates to 12 businesses, 7 events and 160 residents.
Municipal Renewable Energy
In 1885, Aspen was the first municipality west of the Mississippi to use hyrdoelectic power. By continuing to lead the effort toward clean energy, the city's goal is that all city-owned facilities are run 100 percent on renewable energy by 2020. (Today, it's 70 percent). Eventually officials hope this is expanded to all Aspen residents.
In an effort to see this through, Aspen's renewable energy programs are gaining steam with well-established systems already in place and plans for large-scale projects in the near future. Despite fear about shrinking tax revenue with a soft economy, the city of Aspen is not cutting funding to renewable projects, with $1.3 million budgeted in 2010 for geothermal, geo exchange and hydrogen energy projects. The following is a summary of the city of Aspen's renewable energy programs currently in operation and future programs in development.
Hydroelectric Generation Facilities
The city of Aspen currently operates two hydroelectric plants at Ruedi Reservoir and Maroon Creek, and has plans for a third facility at Castle Creek. In 2007, Aspen voters approved $5.5 million in bonds to build the Castle Creek plant, and plans for the 3,000-square-foot building are complete and awaiting permitting. The city aims to fire up the turbines by late 2010. The Castle Creek plant will produce 5.5 million kilowatt hours, enough to power about 650 Aspen homes, bringing the city's total hydroelectric power output to 24.7 million kilowatt hours.
Wind Power
Twenty-six percent of the city's renewable energy production comes from wind power. The city of Aspen buys a total of 25.4 million kilowatt hours of wind energy through a partnership with the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska and other clean energy partners that provide Aspen's electric utility customers with 73 percent renewable energy.
Geothermal
The city is investigating the potential for a new geothermal heat district and has identified five potential locations, all in city parks, where a test well could be drilled. Aspen's geology may be ideal for geothermal, and stories of sweltering conditions in 19th century subterrainean silver mines in Aspen only solidfy suspicions. The test wells will likely be drilled by fall 2010.
Geo Exchange
In the next two years, the city plans to implement two heat-exchange systems using the stable water temperatures in local reservoirs. The larger project will harness water from Thomas Reservoir's filtering pools and send the relative warmth down the hill to Aspen Valley Hospital, drastically reducing the buildings' heating and energy costs. Geo-exchange systems capture the water temperatures and manipulate them up or down for heating and cooling purposes. The cost of heating and cooling 50-degree water is much less than heating cold air in the winter and cooling hot air in the summer.
Micro Turbines
With water pipes coursing through Aspen's underground, the city hopes to install micro turbines in these pipes which would generate small amounts of power, all contributing to the goal of 100 percent renewable energy.
Other Municipal Environmental Initiatives
Electric Car Stations
As electric and hybrid cars become standard vehicles across the United States, Aspen is stepping up to make it easier to own or drive one in town. This includes the installation of electric-car plug-ins inside the Rio Grande Parking garage, as well as the addition of Smart Car charging stations throughout the downtown core.
Smart Use of Water
The city of Aspen has made improvements to the municipal water distribution system, that have resulted in water-use levels similar to those existing in Aspen in the 1950s, all despite a dramatic increase in population. Efficiency is a priority as seen in the Aspen public golf course where 30 million gallons of water are saved each year thanks to a state-of-the-art irrigation system. In addition, water-saving technology is used in all 35 city parks.
Green Parks & Open Space
Aspen Parks Department manages approximately 1,300 acres of open space and 25 parks within and around the city in addition to supporting an active land acquisition program. Many open space parcels were purchased with a voter-approved sales tax and include wetlands, shrub lands, forested areas and stormwater programs. The recently-completed Jennie Adair Stormwater Wetland project filters approximately one-third of the city's downtown core stormwater runoff before it reaches the Roaring Fork River.
Recycling
The city of Aspen's Recycling Ordinance requires recycling be part of basic trash service for all residential, multi-family and commercial customers, and was the first in Colorado to include the commercial sector. To encourage residents to recycle, the city has a "pay as you throw" policy, making the cost of a 64-gallon trash bin at least twice the cost of a 32-gallon trash bin.
Cleaner Air and Better Transportation
The city of Aspen operates eight shuttle routes providing free transit service to more than 1 million residents and visitors each year. The City also boasts a unique car-share program, offering residents a fleet of vehicles to rent for a small cost instead of owning a car. Most of the City's shuttle, transit and car-share vehicles use hybrid and biodiesel technology. There is also a 22-mile bike and pedestrian trail system to encourage alternate modes of transportation.
The city of Aspen helps commuters find carpool partners and provides free parking to qualifying carpools. Local employers are provided grants and other incentives when they establish alternative commuting programs.
Building Greener
In 2000, Aspen adopted the world's first mandatory program to levy a charge on excessive energy use. The Renewable Energy Mitigation Program (REMP) has the goal of keeping three tons of carbon out of the air for every ton of excess carbon emitted from homes in Aspen. In 2009, a similar program was adopted for commercial buildings.
The city strives to achieve the highest level of green building when it constructs affordable housing. By using innovative efficient building techniques, systems and materials, new affordable housing units consume 50 percent less energy than average buildings of similar size and function.
ASPEN SKIING COMPANY
Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) made the first wind power purchase in the U.S. ski industry from Holy Cross Energy, (and still spends $25,000 annually on this direct wind power). After this landmark purchase, Aspen/Snowmass became the first large ski resort to buy renewable wind power credits from 2006 to 2008, and is now actively developing new renewable energy projects, like a 150 kilowatt solar array at Colorado Rocky Mountain School located one hour from Aspen.
Aspen Skiing Company has one of the only green building policies in the snowsports industry. Most recently, it has resulted in projects like The Little Nell's $18 million renovation, completed December 2009, incorporating "green" construction site managment and new engery efficiencies. Not quite as recent but still innovative, the Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, which is LEED-Silver certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, and is heated and cooled using the pond on the 18th hole, making it one of the most energy efficient commercial buildings in the state. In December, 2009, ASC certified Sam's Restaurant in Snowmass to LEED Gold, and our Aspen Holiday House Employee Housing to LEED Platinum. Other green, highly energy efficient buildings include the Highlands Patrol Headquarters, the Sanctuary Condos and the Sundeck.
Aspen Skiing Company is third-party ISO certified as a "green" company. ISO 14001 certification is the most widely known and respected environmental stamp of approval, which demonstrates responsible management of the company's environmental impacts.
Almost half of Aspen/Snowmass employees contribute a dollar a week to the Environment Foundation. Their contributions are matched by the Aspen Community Foundation and again by the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund, and donations--$1.3 million to date--go to local environmental causes like clean air and water, trail maintenance and energy efficiency programs. (www.aspensnowmass.com/environment; 970.925.1220)
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
This enclave in Old Snowmass is an entrepreneurial non-profit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of natural, human and other capital to make the world more secure, just, prosperous and life-sustaining. They do this by inspiring business, civil society, and government to design integrative solutions that create true wealth. Concentrating on areas such as energy, transportation, water issues and climate change, the Institute has been internationally recognized for the global promise and impact of its strategic plans, educational programs and the dynamic ideas it offers to corporations, governments, communities and citizens. The Institute also influences national and international policy, with its representatives regularly addressing Congress and international governing bodies. (www.rmi.org; 970.927.3851)
ASPEN INSTITUTE
A world-renowned nonprofit organization, the Aspen Institute nurtures nonpartisan leadership and a neutral, balanced forum for discussing and acting on critical issues including energy and environmental policy. Through its policy work, public programs, and environmental leadership initiative, the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program creates impartial venues for global leaders to engage in informed discussion around some of the most important and complex issues facing the world today.
The Aspen Environment Forum returns to the Institute grounds July 25-28, 2010. Presented by the Institute's Energy and Environment Program and National Geographic, the three-day seminar aims to gather experts, government and business leaders, writers and photographers, and other knowledgeable voices to discuss climate change, renewable energy policy, innovation and technology, efficiency and raise awareness. (www.aspeninstitute.org; 970.925.7010)
ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ACES)
Founded by Elizabeth Paepke in 1969 and celebrating its 41st anniversary this year, ACES provides a bridge back to nature for an increasingly urbanized society and a sanctuary for wildlife in the heart of Aspen. It offers year-round classes and outreach programs for children and adults including slide shows, wildlife demonstrations and hands-on camps and classes. Programs include guided nature walks atop Aspen Mountain and at the Maroon Bells in addition to summer and fall nature tours of the historic mining town of Ashcroft. ACES also conducts land stewardship projects at several locations around Aspen, working to minimize the effects of human use and preserve the wildlife habitats' fragile, natural ecosystems surrounding town. ACES has three educational centers: Hallam Lake in Aspen, Rock Bottom Ranch in Basalt and Toklat near the old mining town of Ashcroft. (www.aspennature.org; 970.925.5756)
ASPEN VALLEY LAND TRUST
The Aspen Valley Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that works to buy and preserve parcels of land in the Roaring Fork Valley and has permanently protected 30,000 acres of working family ranches, scenic viewsheds, riparian and wildlife habitat, and recreational areas in the Roaring Fork Valley from development. Colorado's oldest and largest land trust, it conserves land at 3.7 times the national average. (www.avlt.org; 970.963.8440)
WILDERNESS WORKSHOP
The conservation watchdog of the White River National Forest and other nearby public lands, the Wilderness Workshop aims to preserve the backcountry in its natural state and, where possible, improve its ecological health by reconnecting fragmented wildlife habitat. As the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting these particular public lands year-round, and the only place-based organization in the region, the Wilderness Workshop provides the expertise and commitment to participate effectively in bureaucratic processes that decide the fate of these lands. Although focused on the White River National Forest, its work is part of a larger movement to reconnect wildlife habitats and "rewild" landscapes on a continental scale through partnerships with other local, state, regional and national groups. (www.aspenwildernessworkshop.org; 970.963.3977)
FOR THE FOREST
Colorado's pine trees have come under attack recently, as bark pine beetles have killed 2.5 million acres of trees throughout Colorado and Southern Wyoming. As most effected areas stood by and watched as trees fell, Aspen's local community began fighting back with the nonprofit For the Forest partnering with the City of Aspen and Pitkin County to remove more than 200 beetle-infested trees and treating at-risk lodgepole pines with a pheromone believed to repel further infestations.
In 2010, For the Forest will be doing more work to treat trees hit by beetles and threatened local areas through partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service in the Hunter Creek Valley, with the 10th Mountain Hut Association in the backcountry and with the Independence Pass Foundation around the pass. (www.FortheForest.com; 970927.4247)
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Media Contact:
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