ZGreen News. The City of Aspen is looking to resume operations at the historic Castle Creek hydroelectric facility, a re
ZG reen N ews
… ta k i n g a c t i o n t o d ay f o r a g r e e n e r t o m o r r o w
C i t y o f A s p e n · C a n a r y I n i t i at i v e · E n v i r o n m e n ta l h e a lt h
Historic hydro plant on track to light up Aspen Castle Creek facility would provide “green” power for 655 homes
The historic Castle Creek hydroelectric plant served Aspen from 1893 to 1958, meeting all of the city’s electric needs. The new, proposed plant will have the same capacity as the former plant – generating 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The City of Aspen is looking to resume operations at the historic Castle Creek hydroelectric facility, a renewable-energy project that would generate enough electricity to power about 655 typical Aspen homes and eliminate 5,167 tons of carbon emissions each year. (Continued on page 2.)
Green your holidays Green gifts Give a home energy audit Offset a friend’s emissions with Canary Tags (www.canarytags.com) Give a bus pass (www.rfta.com) Sign a friend up for Car Share (www.cartogo.com) Make dinner for a friend Give fresh, local food with a CSA membership (www.edibleaspen.com/content/pages/ articles/sum09/sourceGuide.pdf)
Decrease your carbon footprint and your impact on the environment this holiday season with these eco-friendly tips. Put timers on decorative lights. Use a timer to save energy and money by automatically turning your holiday lights on and off. Get solar-powered lights. Invest in renewably-powered holiday decorations, such as solar-powered holiday lights. (Search the Web for eco-friendly options.) Switch to LED holiday lights. Save energy with decorative LED lights, which use 98 percent less electricity than conventional bulbs and aren’t manufactured with eco-taxing glass or tungsten. (Continued on page 2.)
December 2009 · Vol. 02 · Issue 12
Aspen’s Copenhagen delegation Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley will be represented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Dec. 8-17) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Roaring Fork Valley representatives include: Chip Comins (AREDAY), Suzanne Farver (Rocky Mountain Climate Organization), Nathan Ratledge (CORE), Eric Ringsby (AREDAY), and Johnny Weiss (Solar Energy International).
Energy Smart Loans Pitkin County has the authority to finance energy-efficiency and renewableenergy projects up to a total of $7 million, thanks to the voter approval of the Energy Smart Local Improvement District in November. The voluntary, opt-in program allows eligible property owners to apply for financing to fund their energy upgrades, the cost of which would then be repaid via a special assessment on their property tax bill. Visit www.aspenpitkin.com and click on Energy Smart Loan Program under the County’s links for more info.
Drive less; reduce air pollution Help keep Aspen’s PM-10 levels low this winter by riding the bus, carpooling, biking, or walking. PM-10 levels in the city are moderate in the winter and low during the rest of the year. Reducing traffic is the only way to significantly lower PM-10 levels in Aspen. Even a small amount of particulate air pollution can harm health.
www.AspenZGreen.com
Green
ZGreen news is brought to you by:
Events Calendar
December 8 - 17 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen, Denmark 193 countries will try to come to an agreement regarding greenhouse gas emissions reductions from 2012 and into the future. Several Aspen representatives also will be attending the proceedings (see page 1). Stay up-to-date on its proceedings at http://en.cop15.dk. December 11 · 8:00 am - 12:30 pm Workshop: Selling Energy Star, Selling Confidence Glenwood Springs Learn about green building and the benefits of Energy Star homes at this half-day training at the Garfield County Administration Building in Glenwood Springs. Free, registration required. Contact Rob Morey at (970) 384-7953 or
[email protected]. Ongoing, Daily Naturalist-guided snowshoe & ski tours Aspen, Snowmass & Ashcroft Join a naturalist from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies on a snowshoe or ski tour to learn about the ecology and natural history of the Roaring Fork Valley. For more info, www.aspennature.org Ongoing, Thursdays · 7:30 pm (Jan -Mar) Naturalist Nights Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Learn from wildlife experts and ecologists about the natural world through slideshows and discussions. For more info, www.aspennature.org Upcoming Courses: Colorado Mountain College A number of energy and environmental courses are being offered this spring at Colorado Mountain College campuses throughout the valley, including Building & Systems Remodels, Natural Building & Design, Greening Your Home, Intro to Straw Bale Building, and Intro to Photovoltatics. For a complete course listing and to register, visit www.coloradomtn.edu.
www.AspenZGreen.com
For more information: Contact the departments and programs that have taken the lead in
protecting Aspen’s environment and our quality of life. Canary Initiative:
[email protected] · www.aspenglobalwarming.com Aspen ZGreen:
[email protected] · www.aspenzgreen.com
·
Utilities Energy Efficiency:
[email protected]
www.aspenpitkin.com/energyefficiency
·
Utilities renewable energy:
[email protected]
www.aspenpitkin.com/departments/utilities/renewables Environmental Health:
[email protected]
www.aspenpitkin.com/departments/environmental-health
Hydro plant
Green giving
Continued from page 1.
Continued from page 1.
The 1.05 mega-watt operation would produce 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of hydropower each year and would increase the municipal electric utility’s renewable portfolio by about 8 percent – bringing the City of Aspen electric utility closer to its goal of providing 100-percent renewable power by 2015.
Buy local/organic food. Local, grass-fed livestock produce 40 to 60 percent less carbon than their conventionallyraised brethren and require roughly 30 to 50 percent less water.
The proposed 1,880 square-foot facility would be built under the Castle Creek Bridge and would utilize the existing water rights, head gates, and water storage from the original facility, which supplied all of Aspen’s power from 1893 to 1958. In addition to generating a significant amount of electricity, the new facility also would house an education center and museum. Questions or comments about the Castle Creek hydro project? Email Phil Overeynder at
[email protected].
Give green. Green gifts can be enjoyed throughout the new year. (See Green Gifts box on page one for ideas.) Wrap gifts in reusable shopping bags. Wrap gifts using local, reusable bags such as those designed by the Aspen High School Environment Club, disturbed through the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (www.aspencore.org). Choose ground shipping. Ground shipping is six times more efficient than sending packages by air, meaning fewer carbon emissions per package. Recycle your holiday tree. Drop-off sites are available at the Rio Grande Recycling Center in Aspen and at the Basalt Recycling Center beginning Dec. 15. These trees are taken to the Pitkin County landfill for composting.
