 January 2021
Welcome to Boulder County's Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience (OSCAR) newsletter. This newsletter is emailed once a month and contains stories and information about our work and offers ways the public can get involved in sustainability and climate action initiatives.
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SUSIE STRIFE
Director of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience, Boulder County
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Looking back on January, I've felt a change in the air; my colleagues around the nation and here in Boulder have been feeling — dare I say — optimistic.
President Biden’s first actions on climate are bold and reinvigorating. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, along with first day executive orders on climate change and racial equity, provide buoyancy for those of us feeling deflated on national climate action. There's also so much hope for us locally, as we continue to move forward with high impact efforts to tackle the climate emergency. One new initiative I'm particularly excited about is our support for workforce development in clean energy.
In partnership with non-profit GRID Alternatives, unemployed and underemployed Boulder County residents are receiving free solar installation training. The trainees in the photo below built a 100kW community solar system from start to finish for the residents of Ponderosa Mobile Home Park. Not only did the trainees complete an in-class, hands-on installation on an actual job site, they also received career readiness competency, soft skills training, and professional networking opportunities over the course of this six week intensive training program. We are incredibly excited about this program's growth and continuation and we're already hearing success stories: 70% of trainees start careers in solar after this program.
With this program and others, I'm reminded of this climate change mantra:
Experts agree.
There’s hope!
Here's to hope in 2021. — Susie
Boulder County Awards Sustainability Grants to Local Communities
Boulder County announced the recipients of 2021's Environmental Sustainability Grants in nine Boulder County communities. The Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant Program provides an opportunity for governmental organizations in the county to address environmental sustainability priorities within their communities.
The 2021 Sustainability Grant recipients are pursuing diverse projects that include climate vulnerability and risk mapping, water conservation, business sustainability support, and carbon sequestration actions across ecosystems.
Read more about the selected projects here.
How to Safely Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste
Step 1: Learn about household hazardous waste. They include products that contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them. These are products that can catch fire, react, explode under certain circumstances, or are corrosive or toxic. They are cleaners, car products, batteries, and lawn products. See a full list here.
Step 3: Check the facility hours, your eligibility to drop products off, what items they accept, and if you need an appointment. Never dump these chemicals in outdoor storm drains, sinks, toilets, or trash cans.
By responsibly disposing of fertilizers, medications, paints, and other household hazardous waste, you are keeping them from accidentally ending up in our streams and negatively impacting aquatic life.
Restore Colorado Webinar: Registration Now Open
Jack's Solar Garden seeks applications for Artist on the Farm
Applications are now open for Jack's Solar Garden's Artist on the Farm. The selected artist will receive $1000 to create and display work that shares the story of the solar garden and engages the community. Applications are due March 3, 2021.
Read more in the Lefthand Valley Courier. Apply here.
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County joins amicus brief criticizing EPA vehicle emissions rule
The brief objects to the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule for failing to address climate change.
"With the climate crisis, the last thing we should do is allow cars to pollute more,” said Boulder County Board of Commissioners Chair, Matt Jones. Read more here.
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Colorado Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap Updates
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Transportation
- Electricity generation
- Oil and gas development
- Fuel use in homes, business and industrial applications
The Roadmap and an accompanying Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) resolution create reduction targets for each sector. The Roadmap identifies equity concerns and outlines how they will be factored into all plans. The Climate Equity Framework, which provides more detail on equitable community engagement, will be available for public comment by February 10.
Boulder County and other local governments have consistently commented that these GHG reduction targets need to either encompass enforceable limits for each major sector OR implement a Colorado-wide program across economic sectors that cap emissions and create reductions over time — these targets also prioritize action that benefits communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Get Involved: Register for February's AQCC Rulemaking Hearing
February 18 - 19, the AQCC will hold a rulemaking hearing to consider proposals to further reduce methane and volatile organic compound emissions from pneumatic controllers used at oil and gas operations. Proposals include a requirement for non-emitting pneumatics to be installed at all new sites and a requirement for many existing sites to be retrofitted with non-emitting pneumatics. The AQCC will also hear a briefing on the Roadmap and will consider a petition for rulemaking by Environmental Defense Fund asking the Commissioners to consider a mandatory economy-wide GHG reduction program for Colorado.
Download meeting materials, register to attend, or submit a public comment here.
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Toby Russell, Business Sustainability Advisor
What do you do at OSCAR? I'm on the PACE team which helps businesses become more sustainable. I primarily work directly with restaurants, but I also specialize in water conservation and zero waste — everyone on our team has broad sustainability expertise, but we all specialize in certain areas.
What do you like most about your job? Over the last two years, I helped develop and implement our Small Business Equity Program, which is designed to replace old kitchen equipment and lighting for some of our most underserved businesses.
Hometown? This is such a hard question for me. I was born and raised in the Highlands of Scotland. I went the University of Glasgow and the city of Glasgow stole a large chunk of my heart (). I have been in Boulder County since 2005 and have lived in Lyons since 2009. I love Lyons as it reminds me of my hometown in the Scottish Highlands. You walk down the street and know half the people by name and the other half you recognize. I lived through the flood here and was grateful to be . To me, home means community and love. I feel very blessed to be where I am.
Hobbies? I play guitar and I am currently honing DJ skills in order to host a radio show on KGNU — my long-term goal is to run a music incubator for up-and-coming bands that broadcasts live performances. I also do a lot of home improvement work to make our home a sanctuary for my family. However, the truth is that I am really a geek who likes to play overly complex board games with his friends till the wee hours of the morning.
Favorite book? I just said I was a geek, right? I am a bit of a sci-fi fantasy nut and love world building fantasies. My favorite book, hands down, would have to be the Lord of the Rings trilogy—I read it every few years and every time I gain new insights into Tolkien’s vast world.
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What are you reading right now? I am reading The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It’s a sci-fi book set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution. The author has said that the English translation catches the nuances better than the original Chinese version.
Favorite movie? Mmmmm. My favorite movie would have to be Lord of the Rings. No, I’ll pick something else. My favorite movie is Ghost Busters—I used to know every word when I was 12. Since I was born abroad, I was not exposed to SNL and this was my first taste of that colorful cast.
Favorite musician? My favorite solo artist is Nina Simone, she just gives me the feels when I listen to her vocals and piano playing. My favorite band is Radiohead who I admire for continuously reinventing themselves — they also put on the best live show I have ever seen.
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Restore Colorado Webinar
February 17, 2021
3 p.m.
Free informational webinar about Restore Colorado, a voluntary program that gives participating restaurants the opportunity to fight climate change and support local agriculture.
Register to attend here.
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Colorado Air Quality Control Commission Meeting
February 18 - 19, 2021
This rulemaking hearing will consider proposals to further reduce methane and volatile organic compound emissions from pneumatic controllers used at oil and gas operations.
Download meeting materials, register to attend, or submit public comments here.
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Jack's Solar Garden Artist on the Farm Application Deadline
March 3, 2021
Selected artist will receive $1000 stipend to highlight solar garden's connection to the community through visual art.
Submit an application here.
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Our mission is to advance policies and programs that conserve resources, protect the environment, and safeguard our climate in order to build a sustainable, just, and resilient community.
Questions? Comments? Email cherrmann@bouldercounty.org. If you like what we’re doing, please spread the word and send this to your friends.
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