Environmental Policies

What I said I would do as commissioner:

Boulder County can play a national leadership role in environmental protection. I will convene a countywide dialogue on how we can push the envelope in two crucial areas—recycling, and renewable energy. While Boulder County has made real progress on recycling, we have a long way to go. I will support innovative recycling initiatives that set us on a course to achieve ambitious waste reduction goals. I will work to make Boulder County a national leader in developing and promoting the use of solar and wind power.

What I did as commissioner:

Soon after getting elected, I began advocating that Boulder County adopt a formal commitment to environmental sustainability. The result was adoption of resolutions committing Boulder County to work towards a zero waste and sustainable energy future. This commitment has spawned a number of important environmental initiatives that are having significant impacts on energy efficiency and waste reduction across the county.

Two years ago we began working with all of the municipalities in Boulder County on a sustainable energy plan. The plan we developed sets a course to reduce countywide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2020 while saving $500 million a year in energy costs. Consistent with this plan, in April 2008, we adopted the Boulder County Buildsmart residential green building code. This code, which may be the strongest residential energy code in the country, begins to move us towards net zero energy homes.

We also adopted a green building policy for county buildings. We are expecting the first building we constructed under this policy, the new addiction recovery center, to achieve LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. And we have signed contracts to install large solar electric arrays on many county buildings – at a net financial benefit to county taxpayers.

At the grassroots level, we worked with Boulder, Longmont, and other cities to create a residential home energy audit program. We created a similar energy audit program that helps small businesses improve their energy performance. We also worked with the state legislature on the authorization to create local clean energy financing districts. By allowing counties to finance new solar construction through voluntary property tax assessments, this legislation will make solar systems more affordable for individual homeowners.

In the waste reduction arena, we converted the county recycling center to single stream. This move makes it possible to mix all recyclables in a single collection container and to begin curbside composting collections. Complimenting this investment in recycling technology, we adopted an ordinance that requires trash companies in the unincorporated areas of Boulder County to provide curbside recycling and composting. We also instituted zero waste practices at our county buildings, doubling the percentage of material we are diverting from landfills.

What I have left to do as commissioner:

As commissioner, I will work to move Boulder County towards a zero waste, sustainable energy future. In the near term, I will focus on bringing large-scale solar photovoltaic and solar thermal arrays to more county buildings. I will partner with all of the municipalities in the county to develop a commercial green building and energy code that is a model for the nation.

Perhaps most exciting, I will work to create the state’s first clean energy financing district. This district will authorize the county to issue long term, low interest loans to individual property owners for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. Property owners who choose to participate will pay the loans back through a small increase in their property tax assessment. This is all a part of my broader effort to continue implementation the sustainable energy plan.

I will also work on preserving a sustainable future for agriculture in Boulder County. This effort commenced with a new program that helps install small-scale organic farms on county open space. We also appointed a new food and agriculture policy council. I will work with this council to implement strategies that promote sustainable local food production.