Aspen – The jets that ferry the rich and famous to Glitter Gulch here contribute the greatest portion of potentially Earth-cooking greenhouse gases attributed to Aspen, according to a new study released Wednesday.
The Aspen greenhouse-gas emissions survey also reveals that the town’s famously environmentally conscious residents generate nearly twice as much carbon-dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming as the national average – a startling statistic destined to raise awareness of energy inefficiencies.
“People have asked me: ‘Don’t you guys feel like you’re a little hypocritical? You use a lot of energy,”‘ said Dan Richardson, global-warming manager for the town’s novel environmental initiative. “If we wanted to continue with this mentality, we wouldn’t have done this inventory. We’re putting it on the table and, in essence, challenging ourselves to reduce our energy use.”
Dependent on cold, snowy winters to support its ski economy, town officials last year kicked off the Canary Initiative – named after the proverbial canary in a coal mine that acts as a harbinger of dangerous gases – and joined with organizations such as the Aspen Ski Co. and locally based think tanks to address the problem of global warming.
One of the first steps was to generate an inventory of the sources of the greenhouse gases that can be connected to Aspen.
“You can look at it as a positive or a negative document. I look at it as a neutral document. It is what it is,” said Mayor Helen Klanderud. “If we didn’t know what our baseline emissions were, we wouldn’t know where to start.”
The survey, conducted by Richard Heede of Climate Mitigation Services, revealed that planes flying in and out of Aspen’s Sardy Field – including the luxurious Gulfstreams and Challengers that shuttle in Hollywood stars, international political figures and well- heeled second-home owners – contribute a whopping 41 percent of the greenhouse gases assigned to Aspen.
“The ‘typical’ Aspen traveler … flies an average of 1,678 miles, consumes (about) 46 gallons of jet fuel and emits (about) 963 pounds of carbon-dioxide per one-way trip,” according to the report.
Motor vehicles, meanwhile, generate about a pound of carbon-dioxide per mile, or 25 percent of the greenhouse gases in the community.
“Transportation is the place where the most need for action is. It’s the largest, and it’s the area where most people are likely to make a change,” Richardson said.
“No one is suggesting that we cut air travel by 50 percent,” he said, pointing out that air traffic is crucial to the town’s economy. “We should just find other ways to offset those emissions through other savings.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
