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greenprint in the news
Hickenlooper sees green city in future
By: Alan Gathright
The Rocky Mountain News
July 13, 2006
Mayor outlines plan to conserve water, use alternative fuel
Post-Printing Correction: This story about Mayor John Hickenlooper's plans to build methane and solar power plants should have said the city hopes to sell the electricity to Xcel Energy under Amendment 37, approved by Colorado voters in 2004. It requires utilities to buy a portion of their electricity from renewable energy sources.
Denver must go green to thrive for generations to come, Mayor John Hickenlooper said Thursday, in issuing a sweeping "Greenprint Denver" plan for a self-sustaining city whose buildings save water, energy and money.
His vision ranged from making the city a mecca for eco-friendly business to planting a million trees across the region over 20 years to provide cooler homes, healthy air and a beautiful environment.
"We should give future generations a city that is sustainable in all senses of the word," Hickenlooper said during his third State of the City address before more than 400 people in the atrium of the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building.
The mayor delivered the ambitious speech as he enters the homestretch of his first four-year term. The audience of city employees and community, regional and state leaders applauded frequently as he laid out his vision of the future.
"Sustainability is not only about creating a strong economy that also protects the environment," he said. "True sustainability should ensure that economic opportunity flows out into all neighborhoods. It requires that all neighborhoods be safe, have good schools and offer access to a high quality of life - because democracy teaches us that for successes to be sustained, they must be shared."
While there may be debate over the reality of global warming, the mayor said, a smart city hedges its bets by fostering energy- and water-efficient technologies that spawn economy-driving, job-producing start-up firms.
"Even if there's a 2 percent chance that 95 percent of the world's top climate scientists are right about the dire consequences of global warming - we run the risk of being the first generation in history to leave the next generation a problem for which there is no solution," Hickenlooper said. "We must have a sense of urgency to seize the low-hanging fruit that saves taxpayer money, preserves the environment and creates economic opportunity."
Throughout the 40-minute speech, the mayor, who was trained as a geologist, built on his 2005 Sustainable Development Initiative and futuristic conferences that have sought to make this longtime oil- and-gas capital a hot spot for alternative energy and conservation breakthroughs.
He said the city would construct solar and methane power plants capable of powering and heating the equivalent of more than 2,500 homes by the end of 2007, under Denver's new franchise agreement with Xcel Energy that goes before Denver voters in the Aug. 8 primary.
The city also will expand its "Green Fleet" by replacing light-duty vehicles wherever possible with hybrids or other high-efficiency vehicles, and complete the transition of the entire diesel fleet to biodiesel.
Hickenlooper said he will require new city buildings and major municipal renovations to meet top national standards for energy-saving and environmental-friendly design.
"With rising energy costs, these are fiscally responsible efforts - regardless of one's stance on climate change," he said. "These initiatives pay for themselves."
To grow and thrive in the Front Range's arid climate, the city will team with Denver Water "to embark on the most aggressive water conservation program in the history of Colorado," Hickenlooper said.
For example, he said, Denver can save 1 million gallons of water a year by replacing its aging street sweepers with more efficient models.
Hickenlooper said he would invite metro home builders to promote greater water efficiency in their homes and landscaping, and encourage regional neighbors to pass water-conserving ordinances.
He also announced a task force to help the city prioritize how to tackle a multimillion-dollar backlog in deferred park maintenance and other aging infrastructure. But while the city is seeing growing tax revenues after years of strapped budgets, he said Denver must remain "fiscally responsible."
Hickenlooper's sustainability plan won high marks. "I think that the most dangerous animal in government is the sacred cow," said City Councilman Charlie Brown. "We have to think differently."
Hickenlooper stretched the sustainability concept beyond alternative power. He said it's also about investing in preschools so kids end up in skilled jobs instead of jail, and using high-tech policing to create safer neighborhoods.
"The successes that we achieve today cannot be sustained tomorrow unless our children receive the best education possible," he said in promoting a sales-tax measure for the November ballot to improve preschool access for lower-income kids.
He invoked studies showing that investing in early education for children boosts their educational achievement and economic opportunities, while reducing violent crime and court and incarceration costs.
"When we can ensure that all of Denver's children have an equal chance at the starting line, many more will successfully cross the finish line," he said.
Spotlight on achievements
Highlights of accomplishments listed by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in Wednesday's State of the City address:
Economy
- "The Denver Business Assistance Center has helped more than 4,200 entrepreneurs with local, state and federal business resources since it opened in January 2005.
- The city has increased by 21% the number of same-day commercial project permits issued.
Public safety
- Since 2003, the city has invested $17 million to put 465 police recruits on the streets and $22 million in new safety-related technology. It also has retained the services of the highly regarded Hanover Justice Group to implement new crime-reduction strategies.
- Crime in Denver is down 8.4 percent during the first six months of 2006.
- The city is committed to bringing all Denver fire apparatus into a 20-year replacement cycle by the end of 2007.
Homelessness
- The "Road Home" program added 423 housing assistance units, helped 701 homeless people find work, treated 537 individuals, assisted 286 families with evictions and teamed 108 families with faith-based mentors in its first year.
- Project Homeless Connect events coordinated support from 40 businesses to connect more than 1,200 homeless individuals with services.
- Homelessness declined by 11.4 percent in the first six months of the program, according to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative's annual point-in-time survey.
Greening of Denver
Mayor John Hickenlooper's environmental agenda includes:
- Constructing solar and methane power plants capable of powering and heating the equivalent of more than 2,500 homes by 2007.
- Expanding the city's "Green Fleet" by replacing light-duty vehicles with hybrids or the highest-efficiency vehicles available and converting its entire diesel fleet to biodiesel.
- Tripling Denver's tree canopy from 6 percent to 18 percent tree cover by planting a million new trees over the next 20 years.
- Decreasing residents' reliance on automobiles by increasing public transit use and access, implementing bike and pedestrian enhancements, and promoting transit-oriented development.
Article URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4840925,00.html
