Superior Sustainability Newsletter - February 2023

Welcome to the Superior Sustainability newsletter!

As work for 2023 begins to ramp up, we are excited to welcome Gifford Hall, our new Sustainability Specialist to the Town of Superior! Gifford has been working in governmental land and resource management for over six years, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in environmental policy from CU Boulder. His primary interests are land and water management, techniques for collaborative governance, and using geospatial science and data to inform policy-making. When he is not looking at maps or working on policy, he spends his time running, biking, rock-climbing, photographing nature and baking.

This month, we have some positive news to share about rebuilds, opportunities to access affordable waterwise landscaping, and some great events. As always, thanks for being a part of making Superior a sustainable, resilient, and vibrant community.

- Town of Superior Sustainability Team

One year out from the Marshall Fire disaster, nearly half of Superior’s fire victims are anticipating receiving their residential building permits and, overwhelmingly, people are choosing to rebuild to higher energy codes despite the option to opt out. With almost 200 permits submitted to the Town, 70% of them are designed to meet the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standard or higher.

Incentives and economies of scale have made high performance homes even more accessible. High performance homes have many benefits including healthier indoor air quality, a more comfortable and quiet home, fewer maintenance concerns, and reductions in energy costs by 10% or more. Read more in the Town's press release.

Drop-in Office Hours Available at no Cost for Marshall Fire Rebuilds

Advisor Robby Schwarz is hosting open office hours where you can get your questions about incentives, codes, building science, construction strategies, specific material choices, and cost effectiveness answered. Advising is available at no cost to homeowners, builders, code officials, trade partners, and others. This service, offered through EnergySmart in partnership with the Town of Superior, City of Louisville, and Boulder County, is the same service that was previously offered through Zoom and is now more convenient for Superior residents.

Open office hours are the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Superior Community Center located at 1500 Coalton Rd.

The Town of Superior and Resource Central want to help you transform your thirsty lawn into a beautiful, low-water landscape! The new Lawn Replacement Program offers you discounts and incentives when you remove a section of lawn. Visit Resource Central or call 303-999- 3820 ext. 221 to enroll.

Tackle that problem area in your yard once and for all by planting a beautiful, waterwise Garden In A Box this spring. Professionally designed for Colorado yards, these kits are easy to install and can help you save around 7,300 gallons of water over the garden’s lifetime compared to a traditional grass lawn (not to mention helping you save on your water bill!). ​​With Garden In A Box’s collection of starter plants, plant-by-number maps and plant care guides, low-water landscaping doesn’t have to be intimidating

Garden sales open March 1 and are sure to sell out, so sign up for their interest list or set your calendar reminder to visit Resource Central to order your Garden In A Box, and claim your $25 discount for Superior residents while it lasts.

Free Garden In A Box Kits are Available for Marshall Fire Rebuilds

Resource Central is partnering with Community Foundation Boulder County to offer perennial, waterwise Garden In A Box kits to any fire-affected homes that were damaged or destroyed in the 2021 Marshall Fire in an effort to assist in the rebuild effort. Qualifying homes will be eligible to receive up to two 100 square foot gardens for free as well as access to volunteer planting help as needed. Even if you are not ready to plant this season, you can apply to receive these gardens through a spring 2025 timeframe. Submit your application now while funding lasts for future projects if you are interested in participating!

Plastic bags are one of the top contaminants in curbside recycling and compost bins. They bind up sorting equipment and cause problems at the Recycling Center and pollute our compost. If you collect your recyclables in a plastic bag, please dump them out rather than throw the bag in your blue bin.

Clean, dry and empty plastic bags are recyclable at the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials or at select grocery stores. We will also be collecting them at our Hard-to Recycle roundup event here in Superior on April 15 (more details coming next month).

Even better than recycling the plastic is to reuse a bag! Reuse your plastic or opt for a reusable bag; you can avoid the statewide .10 cent bag fee at large stores and avoid the extra waste if you don’t need the bags. Now through the end of the month you can pick up a free Town of Superior reusable bag at the Superior Community Center located at 1500 Coalton Rd.

Did you know heating and cooling systems are one of the biggest energy users in your home? Having old, inefficient gas technology can cost you more energy use and pose health and safety risks in your home.

Here is a testimonial from Jim Zarske, Vice Chair of the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability, who lives here in Superior:

“Since our furnace and air conditioner were nearing the end of their useful life, we decided to upgrade to an air-source heat pump (ASHP). ASHP’s look just like the original system but they use electricity to heat and cool the house; no natural gas is used. Since burning natural gas creates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are linked to climate change, the residential and commercial heating and cooling industry is moving towards electric heating. This is because electricity can be produced from carbon free sources.

When we selected our ASHP, we made sure that it was ‘cold climate’ rated. We also installed backup heat, which is highly recommended, for the occasional cold snaps we get (outside temperatures hovering just above and below 0°F). We chose electric resistance heat because we were trying to reduce the GHG emissions from our house. However, for typical winter days with lows in the teens and highs in the 40’s, our heat pump has no issues meeting our heating needs.”

Interested in learning more about heat pumps? Visit Boulder County’s renewable heating and cooling page, check out this video about how heat pumps work or contact an EnergySmart advisor today at info@energysmartyes.com to find the right solution for you.

Are you enjoying the Sustainability newsletter? Did you know that the Town also sends a Historical Commission, Parks & Recreation, and Superior Sentinel newsletter? You can also subscribe to receive Superior Community Center updates, Town Board information, Marshall Fire news, and more. For more information and to view your preferences, visit the Town's email subscription page.