Boulder County Awards Sustainability Grants to Local Communities 

Communities must be able to match funds; awarded up to $15,000

Boulder County, Colo. - On Feb. 23 the Boulder County Commissioners announced the recipients of 2016 Sustainability Grants in the following Boulder County communities: Boulder, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, Superior, and Ward.

Boulder County’s Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant Program provides an opportunity for governments within the county to undertake environmental sustainability projects within their communities. In addition to supporting local efforts, the grants will help support a coordinated, countywide approach to environmental sustainability.

The county’s Sustainability Grant recipients are pursuing diverse projects including innovative technology to conserve water, green business recognition, development of comprehensive solar strategies, and partnerships with the EnergySmart energy efficiency service.

“These awards are an excellent way for us to recognize and encourage the great work done in each of our communities around sustainability,” said Susie Strife, Boulder County Sustainability Coordinator. “It is a way to celebrate the remarkable leadership within each individual community, and move forward on elements of community sustainability plans.”

Any municipality located within Boulder County that can provide a cash match for their request was eligible to apply for up to $15,000.

List of recipients and their proposed projects:

• City of Boulder will be awarded funding to develop a comprehensive solar strategy to inform city decisions and resource allocation for increased uptake of solar energy. This project will result in a strategy with clear goals, targets, and metrics of success that will guide the city’s future work in this area.
• Town of Jamestown will be awarded funding to develop designs and/or incentives for solar power systems for the mountain town community. Solar power supports fiscal and energy sustainability, through the use of renewable energy and reductions in electric utility costs.
• City of Lafayette will be awarded funding to work with the city planning department on developing sustainable practices to be incorporated into planning processes. Some of the funds will go towards Lafayette’s continuation of their successful Green Business Recognition Program and incentivizing residential participation in the EnergySmart home efficiency service.
• City of Longmont will be awarded funding to develop an outreach plan that will outline a variety of methods for gathering community input on the development of Longmont’s sustainability plan, helping to identify key priority areas and inform strategy recommendations.
• City of Louisville will be awarded funding to pilot a water conservation program to install smart irrigation water controllers in partnership with the Center for ReSource Conservation. Some of the funds will go towards the launch of a business sustainability recognition program in partnership with Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE).
• Town of Lyons will be awarded funding to support a part-time sustainability coordinator hired in 2015.  The sustainability coordinator will implement recommendations identified in the Lyons Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (LESAP), set goals, help administer existing programs, and measure impacts.
• Town of Nederland will be awarded funding to encourage residents to avoid single use water bottles and switch to more sustainable reusable water bottles. The town will replace old water fountains throughout town with energy efficient fountains designed to fill water bottles and institute a town policy to discourage single use water bottles by staff and town leaders.
• Town of Superior will be awarded funding to encourage residents to transition organic yard waste material into reusable compost. The town will add staff for onsite monitoring at the existing yard waste drop-off to increase the site’s availability for residents and reduce the amount of trash that gets mixed in with the organic material.
• Town of Ward will be awarded funding to establish a food storage resource building to store food for both short- and long-term community resource availability and resiliency. Some of the funds will be used to support a consultant to research septic systems solutions, as well as a sustainability coordinator and an intern for community coordination.

Boulder County is proud to have so many communities with progressive ideas for sustainability, and the county looks forward to seeing these grant-winning projects come to fruition. For more information about Boulder County’s sustainability mission, visit www.BoulderCountySustainability.org.