Did You Know?

Below are some interesting facts about energy conservation and the city’s efforts:

• The way that we design and construct buildings has a profound impact on the environment. In the U.S., buildings account for 36% of total energy use, 65% of electricity consumption, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and 12% of potable water consumption.
• The Webb Municipal Building is both Energy Star® and LEED-EB® Gold certified. It was designed to be 25 percent more energy efficient than a conventionally-built building. In 2003, this enabled the city to save $218,000 in energy costs.
• In 2008, the Denver Housing Authority will perform energy retrofits on over 3,700 public housing units, benefiting 7,700 families and saving $1.8 million annually in energy costs.
• A recent energy efficiency retrofit of the Denver Place Towers Complex at 18th and Curtis Streets paid for itself in just three years with help from Xcel Energy rebates. The LEED-EB, Gold-Level building now saves the owners over $300,000 per year in energy costs.
• The city’s use of 420,000 gallons of B20 biodiesel fuel in a pilot study in 2005 supported local economies and reduced air pollution and dependence on foreign oil. In 2007, all diesel-powered fleet vehicles began running on the cleaner-burning fuel.
• A recent study by American Forests found that trees in Denver and seven other cities contribute $3.2 million per year in stormwater management value; $5.3 million a year in the removal of the air pollutants sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide; and $4.5 million in air cooling and avoided air conditioning costs.
• Denver utilizes goat herds to help eliminate invasive weeds and manage brush in natural areas in a cost-effective, non-polluting manner. By grazing on vegetation and trampling plants with their hooves, the goats create natural mulch, add organic matter to the soil, and distribute seeds. The innovative program has received worldwide attention as an environmentally-friendly alternative to mowing and pesticides.
• Denver Water’s new recycling plant on the South Platte River in Commerce City is the largest in the state. Now 90% completed, once finished, the plant will deliver over 450 million gallons of recycled water every year via 50 miles of purple pipe marked specifically for non-potable uses, such as irrigation and lakes in our parks, golf courses and wildlife preserves.
• Denver Parks and Recreation uses 28% less water today in its parks than it did in 2001 since replacing outdated irrigation systems and transforming bluegrass areas into native grasses where appropriate. Three turf conversions at Ruby Hill Park, Milstein Grove and the Montbello islands have reduced water costs in those areas by 50%.
• The former Mile High Stadium, demolished in 2002 to make way for the construction of Invesco Field, still lives on in the form of steel reused in tracks for the metro area’s T-REX light rail expansion.
• In 2003, U.S. residents, businesses and institutions produced more than 236 million tons of municipal solid waste, approximately 4.5 pounds of waste per person every day, and up from 2.7 pounds per person in 1960. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Coloradans dispose of 6.1 pounds of waste per person per day: 26% more than the average American.
• The city’s expanded recycling program added seven new recyclable materials and sorting is no longer required. Since the launch of the program in 2005, recycling tonnage has increased by 18%.
• In keeping with the city’s 2002 Bicycle Master Plan, to date, downtown bicycle lanes have been installed along 18th, 19th, Wynkoop, Lawrence, Arapahoe, and Glenarm Streets. The pedestrian-bicycle bridge over the Platte River at 3rd Avenue was completed in 2005, significantly improving safety along the Platte River Trail. A similar bridge over I-25 completed in 2006 provides a new connection between North Denver’s Highlands neighborhood and downtown Denver.
• The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation estimates that many energy efficiency investments by private businesses pay for themselves in 2-5 years and generate permanent savings thereafter. As such, green-built Denver businesses are often more competitive due to lowered overhead costs for heating, cooling, electricity and lighting.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding the city a $200,000 brownfields assessment grant to assess contamination at brownfields sites, with a priority on transportation-oriented development areas.
• Denver has one of the largest light-emitting diode (LED) traffic light inventories in the country. The technology uses a fraction of the power to produce brighter, longer-lasting lights that are less expensive to operate. This saves the city nearly $800,000 per year.
• In the early 90s, Denver created the first “Green Fleet” program in the nation by purchasing alternative fuel vehicles. Denver’s Green Fleet is currently one of the largest in the country. More than 43% of the fleet is powered by alternatives, including 138 hybrid electric vehicles, as well as vehicles fueled by propane, compressed natural gas and biodiesel.
• Denver and the metro region are continuing to grow. Projections indicate over 1.3 million additional people will move to the metro area by 2030. The fastest growing parts of Denver are expected to be the northeast quadrant, with 70% growth in trip generation, and the Downtown area, with more than 50% growth.
• Denver growth projections forecast a 37% increase in employment by 2030, from 522,200 jobs in 2005 to 713,100 jobs in 2030.
• DIA has been replacing its computer and flight monitors with LCD screens. LCD devices are more energy efficient because they generate less heat and require less energy for cooling. The estimated energy cost savings per monitor is $30 to $50 per year.
• In 2004, DIA became the first commercial airport in the country to attain ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System, which encompasses all activities within the 34,000-acre site.
• DIA recycles more than 19 materials on a regular basis as part of standard airport operations.
• Denver Parks and Recreation and Denver Recycles have teamed up to institute recycling programs throughout Denver parks and recreation centers. More than 10 facilities have been added to the city’s office recycling program to date, with future additions planned.
• An alley-paving program is underway to pave all remaining 1,042 dirt alleys in Denver over the next decade. A long-time source of citizen complaints, these unpaved alleys have had a detrimental effect on water and air quality because of soil erosion.
• Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.
• Six million tons of concrete from the former Stapleton airport were recycled and reused in construction projects at DIA, Buckley Air National Guard Base, E-470, The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and Bluff Lake Nature Center.
• Mayor John W. Hickenlooper’s official city vehicle is a Ford Escape hybrid-electric SUV.
• Denver International Airport’s fleet is 100% alternative and includes vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, hybrid technology and biodiesel.
• At Denver International Airport, used deicing fluid is pumped into storage tanks for recycling.
• In 2005, a multiple-partner Community Conservation Gardens Project converted four prominent public landscapes to “waterwise” gardens at the City and County Building, Harvey Park, and the Highland and Montbello/Parkfield recreation centers.
• If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with one compact fluorescent bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.
• In 2007, DIA became the first airport in the nation to be accepted into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Performance Track program.
• More than 160 inefficient toilets and hardware in the City and County Building are being replaced with low-flow models, which is expected to save the city over 900,000 gallons of water annually.