Earth Day: Promoting the Importance of Sustainability

To commemorate Earth Day, Northern Colorado Clean Cities invited electric vehicle (EV) drivers, EV enthusiasts, and intrigued local and regional residents to attend an EV Ride and Drive Event on Saturday, April 23.

Sustainable Driving

EVs dating back from 2012 to 2022 were represented at the event, with over 14 EVs to review, ride and drive. “Driving electric, using public transit, and biking to work is something that individuals can do every day to live more sustainably as transportation makes up 30% of emissions in Colorado,” said Executive Director of NCCC Diego Lopez. At the event, NCCC helped consumers, local government officials, and business owners learn about EVs, charging, maintenance, and performance, as well as grants such as Charge Ahead Colorado and rebates from local utilities.

“I just love driving an electric car. I like the whole experience from regenerative braking, to the handling, it’s great in the snow. I’ve only spent $5 on electricity so far this month to charge it. How can you not like that?” said community attendee and EV owner, Craig Hibbard.

The ride and drive had several brand new EV models from local dealerships, some of the crowd favorites were:

BMW The Electric Driving Experience of the 2022 BMW iX | BMW USA KIA EV 6 Park | AR Head-Up Display | The 2022 All-Electric Kia EV6 VW ID 4 Better For Your Family | ID.4 Electric SUV

Sustainable Learning

NCCC witnessed enthusiasm and aspiration for more unbiased educational resources and events to help adopt sustainable transportation. The importance of educational campaigns is key to solving the ongoing climate crisis and the information gap surrounding sustainable transportation. Matt and Amelia pictured with their chevy bolt stated “The cost was the equivalent or cheaper than other ICE options, and then the biggest reason was a really nice turn radius that would also fit my dog in the back – we bought this car for our dog we’re not kidding. Also, there are free chargers everywhere and most people don’t even know about that. So, we went with an electric car instead of a hybrid just because it fits well. “

Implementing climate educational opportunities prepares the community to feel; confident in the future, resilient from the unknown, connected to their communities, and capable of making sustainable choices. Educational campaigns and events in the future should have deeper themes surrounding EVs such as:

Community EV Station Development – Equipping our community with knowledge of where infrastructure is being implemented is needed. Showing a larger picture of how mobility solutions solve the climate crisis and protect our natural environment. Workforce Development – Education institutions should provide support to help teachers and students adapt to a sustainable energy and transportation industry. Equity Development – New information, resources, technology, transportation, and energy systems must be available for everyone at every level of income, regardless of their ethnicity, age, sex, or social status. Understanding the connection between sustainability, mobility, and development is the first step toward increasing public health and ensuring environmental justice.

NCCC is committed to helping Coloradoans transition to more sustainable transportation solutions. As part of the Recharge Colorado program, NCCC provides coaching services for EVs and infrastructure development in Grand, Jackson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma counties.

About NCCC

As a coalition of the US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, Northern Colorado Clean Cities (NCCC) works to develop local partnerships to advance the sustainable transportation sector. NCCC provides tools and resources for the voluntary, community-centered programs to increase the use of domestic alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. Consumers and workplaces that have an interest in adopting EVs and charging stations should contact NCCC for advice and potential rebates and incentives.