Green Options

A new report ranks ten leading world cities on their greenhouse gas emissions. It also examines how and why the emissions differ.

As the report says, over 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Leading cities of the world, global cities, are the places where greenhouse gas emissions really need to be cut. The greenest city from the study is Barcelona and the worst is Denver.

Coyote attacks are on the rise in the Denver area this winter.  Unfortunately, the simple solution that people have come up with is to shoot coyotes.

The largest stimulus package in US history was signed today, and it’s putting a smile on the face of the solar industry. President Obama returned to Denver, where he accepted the Democratic nomination, to sign this landmark legislation–this time in front of solar panels, not neoclassical pillars.

“I don’t want to pretend that today marks the end of our economic problems,” Obama said before signing the bill. “We are laying the groundwork for a green energy economy that can create countless green jobs. We will transform the way we use energy.”

Seeing the sheer volume of people attending these two events in Colorado on Sunday, was to see the tangible evidence of the punctuation on a political shift in Colorado that might just help put Barack Obama in the White House.

Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave an impassioned a solar energy event held at Coors Field in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

Organizers of the Democratic National Convention now in full swing in Denver have taken a lot of steps to reduce both the event’s carbon footprint and its overall impact on the environment. In fact, they say their mission is to produce "the most environmentally sustainable political convention in modern American history."

Among the green innovations presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, Democratic leaders and and delegates are encountering:

Thousands of Democratic delegates and members of the press may have had one of those “ah-ha” moments at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Tuesday night when former mayor, Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy during the Clinton administration, Federico Peña took to the podium at the Democratic National Convention.

Just in time for thousands of delegates, press, politicians, staffers, and protesters descending on the city, Denver’s Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) last week launched an online carbon calculator to help those coming to the Mile-High City figure out just what the environmental impact of their visit might be. The Carbon Calculator and Offset Program allows travelers, tourists, and event planners an easy way to calculate the tons of CO² emissions their trip will produce, determines the amount of carbon credits necessary to offset their trip, and directs users to a website where they can purchase the recommended amount of offsets.

With just about every report linking the increase in extreme weather to global warming, it was quite a coincidence that four tornadoes touched down near Denver on Sunday. With the Democratic National Convention beginning there on Monday, it seemed like an attempt by Mother Nature to remind the Democrats to treat climate change with the attention it deserves.

State regulators in Colorado have given the green light to plans by Xcel Energy to shut down two coal-powered energy plants in the state, and build one of the world’s largest utility-scale solar-power facilities.

Joke all you want about politicians’ hot air contributing to global warming, but at least the folks attending the Democratic and Republican National Conventions this summer will have a chance to limit their greenhouse gas emissions off the convention floors.

That’s because both Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul plan to use their respective conventions to kick off a new bike-sharing program called “Freewheelin.” Created by the health benefits company Humana Inc. and the not-for-profit Bikes Belong, Freewheelin will bring 1,000 bikes to each city during the convention. Convention-goers will be able to use the bicycles free of charge to get around town without the need for cars.