Boulder County Sustainability Initiative
Overview
Boulder County's leaders and employees have
long held a commitment to being a stewards of our land,
environment and community. This commitment is reflected in
the County's smart-growth policies, Comprehensive Plan, open
space program and numerous programs that aim to protect and
preserve our air, water and natural and manmade resources.
The Boulder County Commissioners formalized the County's commitment to sustainability in
2005, when they launched a Sustainability Initiative and
approved the
adoption of two resolutions addressing energy and
zero-waste.. The initiative involves the teamwork and
expertise of employees from all County departments, working
cooperatively within the County and with community and
intergovernmental partners.
Financial commitment to
sustainability
Boulder County continuously invests in programs that support the mission of the sustainability
initiative.
In 2005, voters approved a ballot issue that
removes certain TABOR requirements, allowing Boulder County
to retain and spend property tax revenues that otherwise
would have been refunded. Boulder County earmarked 6.67
percent of those additional funds on environmental
sustainability efforts.
In 2006 and 2007, these earmarked funds provided
approximately $773,000 to support Boulder County's
Sustainability-related efforts, which is in addition to the
funding that the County allocates from the general fund to support various
internal operations, County programs, non-profits and other
partnerships that support sustainability. These programs include:
Partnerships
The Boulder County Commissioners and County
staff are working closely with other local governments and
participating in local and regional collaborations to
achieve sustainability within our communities.
These partnerships include:
Initiative
Mission and Action Plan
Initiative Mission Statement
To ensure that Boulder County's operations and
decision-making processes reflect our deep commitment to
environmental sustainability and to build partnerships to help
make the broader community more sustainable.
Taking Action: Specific steps
Environmental sustainability is a long-term
goal that seeks to balance environmental, economic and
societal needs. This involves the wise use of natural and
economic resources and includes energy, fuel and resource
efficiency; waste reduction; reuse and recycling; changes to
building and land use; and a coordinated effort to educate and
encourage the broader community to follow suit.
To address these issues, the Sustainability Initiative is
divided into five subcommittees:
These subcommittees have submitted and will
continue to submit a list of Key Steps that they recommend
the County take in order to achieve or work toward our
sustainability goals.
County Policies: Supporting and Enacting a
Sustainable Future
On Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005, the Boulder County
Commissioners adopted two resolutions stating the County's
commitment to energy and resource conservation, waste
reduction, pollution prevention and other sustainable
practices. The resolutions required the creation and
implementation of action
plans setting the direction and specific actions to move
towards Zero Waste and energy conservation. Other resolutions
and actions will follow as determined by the plans.
Resolution 2005-137: "Adopting a Sustainable Energy Path for Boulder
County."
Resolution 2005-138: "Adopting Zero Waste as a Guiding Principle and
Supporting the Creation of a Zero Waste Plan."
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