What we do

The mission of the Colorado Climate Network is to support efforts by local governments and allied organizations in Colorado to reduce heat-trapping gases and to adapt to climate change – whether those efforts are styled as climate, sustainability, energy, or adaptation programs. The Network helps its members develop and implement those programs, learn of funding and other resources, and interact more productively with other local and state programs in Colorado. For more information about the Colorado Climate Network, which is administered by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, click on our about us page.

What's new

The Network's Second Annual Conference a Big Success!

 Communicating the case for local climate action - A how-to conference for local officials, staff, and others

On December 8, 2011, 70 leaders from local climate and clean energy programs,non-profits, businesses, universities, and government agencies joined for a full day of in-depth discussions about climate communications. Local climate, sustainability, energy, and preparedness program leaders all encounter challenges in communicating the need for local climate action in ways that lead to support for programs to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases and to prepare for an altered climate. The overall purpose of the conference was to equip attendees with information and techniques to help them more effectively communicate with local officials, business people, and residents.

Joining keynote speaker Mike Nelson, chief meteorologist of KMGH Channel 7, in delivering a rich array of perspectives and techniques were authoritative speakers from local programs, university programs, non-profits, businesses, and government agencies. Presentations are posted here.

The Network extends sincere thanks to our conference sponsors, the Governor's Energy Office and the Colorado Municipal League, and the conference host, the City of Aurora.

First Network Workshop - Demand Side v. Supply Side

On October 14, 2011, the First Members-Only Workshop of the Colorado Climate Network: "Demand side versus supply side: Which basket to put your eggs in?" attracted member representatives from the City and County of Denver, City of Aurora, Boulder County, City of Fort Collins, City of Boulder, Town of Vail, and Town of Frisco. In the open format discussion, attendees shared ideas and learned from their counterparts about a key question facing local programs: how much to focus on demand-side resources and how much on supply-side programs (clean energy sources). Program leaders from Fort Collins, Boulder, and Vail led the informative discussions. For downloadable presentations and additional information click here.

Network Associate Members

The Network welcomes as Associate Members organizations that wish to be affiliated with the Network, that wish to get such benefits as receiving the same communications that go to Network members and frre or reduced admissions to Network conferences and other events, and that are approved by the Steering Committee. Western Resource Advocates is the Network's first Associate Member. For more information about associate memberships see our about us page.

New resources:

  • Check out the latest grants listed on our grants page.
  • New webinars and other events are also listed on our calendar.
  • Boulder County Releases Draft Climate Change Preparedness Plan, January 10, 2012. Prepared by Stratus Consulting for Boulder County and the City of Boulder, the draft plan is Colorado's first local climate preparedness plan. It examines vulnerabilities, policy recommendations, and future study items for water supply, emergency preparedness, emergency preparedness, agriculture and natural resources, and a cross-cutting resiliency strategy. Comments on the draft are sought by February 24, 2012. See the county's website for more information.
  • The City of Boulder's climate action efforts are in the news:

Boulder Voters Approve Energy Municipalization, Nov. 2, 2011. Narrowly approved were two ballot measures to authorize the city to set up its own municipal utility to supply electricity, which would replace Xcel Energy. The central motivation for the change is to let the city have cleaner sources for its electricity so that it can meet its local climate-protection goals -- even though Xcel is on track to meet the state's relatively strict standard of supplying at least 30 percent of its power from clean sources by 2020. See Boulder Issues 2B, 2C: Municipalization, related tax narrowly approved, Boulder Daily Camera, Nov. 3, 2011, and In Colorado, a power struggle with the power company , New York Times, Oct. 29, 2011.

Also, in September the city released a new report documenting its level of heat-trapping gas emissions. Emissions in 2010 were 2.5 percent higher than the year before. But without the programs associated with the city's Climate Action Plan -- which are funded by revenue from Boulder's carbon tax -- emissions would likely have been 4.5 percent higher in 2010 compared with 2009, city officials said.

  • Fort Collins Reports Declines in Emissions Reductions. In a 2010 status report, the City of Fort Collins reported impressive and encouraging declines in community-wide heat-trapping gas emissions, including a notable 11 percent drop overall from 2005 levels. Making the reductions even more noteworthy, the city achieved them while its population grew 13 percent and its gross domestic product increased.
  • EPA Releases New Online Clean Energy Financing Decision Tool and Guide, January 17, 2012. To help overcome the barrier of the up-front costs of improving energy efficiency and increasing renewable energy generation for homeowners and businesses, EPA's State and Local Climate and Clean Energy Program is launching a new online Financing Program Decision Tool and a Financing Program Decision Guide.
  • DOE Announces New Online Tools to Help Deploy Distributed Wind Energy Systems, January 12, 2012. DOE's announcement describes two new online tools to assist state and local policymakers, consumers, and stakeholders in evaluating siting and policy issues to help accelerate the use of distributed wind energy systems – such as wind turbines installed at homes and businesses. The Distributed Wind Site Analysis Tool allows users to input location and terrain information about a potential wind system site and to predict the energy output and environmental benefits of that site. The Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool provides information for policymakers about potential state and local government policy options – including rebates, tax incentives, and ways of overcoming zoning and interconnection hurdles – to encourage rapid deployment of distributed wind energy systems.
     
  • American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Releases Four Reports

Market Transformation Efforts for Water Heating Efficiency, January 18, 2012. This report assesses current utility-sponsored programs targeting high efficiency water heating equipment and finds that many programs are not reaching the full cost-effective energy efficiency potential of modern technologies.

 

Analysis of Energy Behavior Programs in the Workplace, January 10, 2012. This report is about energy behavior programs aimed at building an energy-efficient office culture and reducing building energy use, such as those instituted at The House of Representatives and the Empire State Building.

Repayment for Energy Efficiency Improvements through Utility Bills a Growing Trend, December 8, 2011. The new study, "On-Bill Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements: A Review of Current Program Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices," profiles 19 existing on-bill financing programs in 15 states. The study finds that these programs are poised to address financing gaps that have not been historically addressed by other energy efficiency financing mechanisms.

"The State of the Utility Bill" Report, November 9, 2011. The report, based on an analysis of one hundred current utility bills and a review of the literature on bill information design, explores how the utility bill can be improved to give customers better control over their energy use and to support utility efficiency programs.

  • California Institute for Local Government Makes Valuable Resources Availabile to Any Local Government:

Perspectives on Public Engagement and Local Government, December, 2011 - an occasional e-newsletter and other resources addressing the capacity of city, county and other local governments to pursue the effective and inclusive engagement of their residents in local decision-making.

Livable Streets Model Design Manual November, 2011. The manual is for local agencies seeking to achieve balanced street design that accommodates cars while ensuring that pedestrians, cyclists and transit users can travel safely and comfortably.

  • Energy Department Launches Vehicle Cost Calculator, October 26, 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) launches a new Vehicle Cost Calculator and accompanying widget. These online tools help consumers, fleet managers, and local governments find and compare energy-saving vehicles that can reduce their petroleum consumption

  • Climate Preparedness Resources:

National Academies Press Offers Free Disaster Preparedness Publications. Two downloadable publications are available: Get Building Community Disaster Resilience through Private-Public Collaboration here and Public Response to Alerts and Warnings on Mobile Devices: Summary of a Workshop on Current Knowledge and Research Gaps here.

  • The U.S. Department of Energy Announces New Tools to Prepare for Plug-in Electric Vehicles, August 22, 2011. DOE has developed a template to help local governments design permits for residential EV charger installations and accelerate the approval process. DOE has also released a training video to provide inspectors and electricians with a guide to facilitate inspections and installations of home EV chargers. Full story.

  • U.S. DOT Releases Framework for Considering Climate Change in Transportation and Land Use Planning, August 29, 2011. Based on lessons learned from an interagency pilot project on Cape Cod, a guidebook for integrating climate change into transportation and land-use scenario planning is released. See full story and link to guidebook here.