Being Green in Denver means more than simple recycling and energy saving programs (though the city does plenty of both). Denver is a city that has embraced environmental sustainability as a core value, and the comprehensive programs are reflected from the time your meeting attendees arrive at Denver International Airport, are transported to Denver hotels, and throughout the actual meeting itself.
The city is proud to support a vendor directory of green service providers. Additionally, the Colorado Convention Center has a robust green program. Click here for a Q&A with the center's Sustainability Program Administrator. Click here for an in-depth look at the ways your meeting can "go green." Finally, Denver is making plans for the Democratic National Convention, to be held Aug.25-28, 2008, to be the greenest convention of all time.
In the summer of 2005, Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper joined 49 other mayors nationwide in a U.S. Conference of Mayors pledge to improve the environment of their cities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The mayors acknowledged that they could take steps now in their own governmental operations and communities to reduce their impact on worldwide global warming pollution by striving to meet or exceed targets set forth by the United Nation's Kyoto Protocol.
The pledge was one of the first actions taken by Mayor Hickenlooper after launching Denver's Sustainable Development Initiative to integrate environmental impact considerations into the city's programs and policies, convene stakeholder groups, catalyze new projects, and communicate the importance of sustainable development in Denver.
Greenprint Denver charts the city's course over the next five years and will position the city as a national leader in a global effort to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.
- In the early 90s, Denver created the first "Green Fleet" program in the nation by purchasing alternative fuel vehicles. Denver's Green Fleet is currently one of the largest in the country. More than 43% of the fleet is powered by alternatives, including 138 hybrid electric vehicles, as well as vehicles fueled by propane, compressed natural gas and biodiesel.
- The city's use of 420,000 gallons of B20 biodiesel fuel in a pilot study in 2005 supported local economies and reduced air pollution and dependence on foreign oil. In 2007, all diesel-powered fleet vehicles began running on the cleaner-burning fuel.
- In 2004, DIA became the first commercial airport in the country to attain ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System, which encompasses all activities within the 34,000-acre site.
- Denver International Airport's fleet is 100% alternative and includes vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, hybrid technology and biodiesel.
- Denver utilizes goat herds to help eliminate invasive weeds and manage brush in natural areas in a cost-effective, non-polluting manner. By grazing on vegetation and trampling plants with their hooves, the goats create natural mulch, add organic matter to the soil, and distribute seeds. The innovative program has received worldwide attention as an environmentally-friendly alternative to mowing and pesticides.
- Denver Parks and Recreation uses 28% less water today in its parks than it did in 2001, due to replacing outdated irrigation systems and transforming bluegrass areas into native grasses where appropriate.
- The city's expanded recycling program added seven new recyclable materials and sorting is no longer required. Since the launch of the program in 2005, recycling tonnage has increased by 18%.
