Lindsay Ex, Senior Manager, Environmental Sustainability
The Fort Collins community has reduced carbon emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2017, furthering progress from the 15 percent level in 2016 and putting the community well on its way to meeting 2020 climate action goals, Mayor Wade Troxell announced Friday afternoon at the ClimateWise Envirovation event.
The community’s goals aim to lower emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2030 with a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. While the goals are some of the most ambitious in the country, Fort Collins has gained national recognition for its practical and cost-effective solutions to achieving progress in energy, transportation and solid waste, among other areas.
“This is good news – we are consistently seeing a downward trend in our emissions while our economy and population continue to grow. ClimateWise partners have shown how we can change business-as-usual’ practices, demonstrating commitment to environmental, economic and social well-being,” Troxell told the crowd Friday. “We still need help with innovative solutions from businesses and residents to get to that next goal.”
The community reported a 12 percent reduction for 2016, which has now been revised to 15 percent for that year. This change resulted from updated data, the transition to a new global protocol, and other methodology improvements.
To encourage more community participation in the climate action goals, the City is now accepting letters of intent for the 2018 Innovate Fort Collins Challenge. Grants ranging from $3,000 to $75,000 are available for pilot projects capable of achieving greenhouse gas reductions while providing a better economic future for our community, through a variety of approaches. Those tactics can include, but are not limited to, innovative applications of new or existing technologies; behavior change; new business models; or new public-private partnerships.
Applicants must submit a letter of intent no later than May 18. Finalists must present their proposal at a public pitch night on August 30. Instructions and more information are available at www.fcgov.com/innovate.
Learn more about the community’s Climate Action Plan at www.fcgov.com/climateaction.
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