FORT COLLINS — Fort Collins is among the nation’s top cities in cutting carbon emissions, thanks to programs and efforts aimed at keeping the air clean, city officials say.
But the sluggish economy gets credit too.
Fort Collins senior environment planner Lucinda Smith says the economic slowdown has reduced driving and the amount of junk flowing into the local landfill.
“Generally, landfills as a whole are seeing drops in solid waste because fewer people are consuming and making trips to the landfill,” Smith said.
Still, Fort Collins has plenty to be proud of, Smith said. Since 2005, the city’s carbon-dioxide emissions are down 11 percent.
The group ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability is praising both Fort Collins and Boulder for their efforts.
From 2008 to 2009, for example, Boulder cut its carbon emissions by 1 percent, ICLEI said.
Although Fort Collins’ population grew by 13 percent between 2005 and 2010, its carbon footprint shrank.
From 2005 to 2009, the city’s regional gross domestic product grew more than 4 percent.
Also, in 2010, Fort Collins was ranked “Fourth Best Place for Businesses and Careers” by Forbes magazine and “Sixth Best Place to Live in the Nation” by Money magazine.
Officials say those rankings confirm that carbon-emission cuts and a high quality of life can co-exist nicely.
“For over a decade, Fort Collins has embraced a pragmatic approach to climate protection called ‘No Regrets’ that involves making economically sound choices to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, while providing multiple benefits to the community and support for existing community goals,” said John Stokes, director of the city’s Natural Resources Department.
The city measures its carbon emissions by gauging and analyzing activities that contribute to bad air. That includes the number of cars on the road, solid-waste production and electric consumption, Smith said.
Its analysis of figures since 2005 found that emissions from electricity, natural gas and vehicles dropped 5 percent; per-capita use of electricity dropped 9 percent; and waste sent to the landfill dropped 45 percent, while the community waste-diversion rate increased 43 percent.
Also, Transfort — the city’s bus system — logged more than 2 million riders in 2010, a 37 percent increase over 2005.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
