Resilience and Climate Action Go Hand-in-Hand

written by Diane Ernst

“Climate change is more than parts per million and greenhouse gases. The people who are feeling the worst impacts of climate [change], their voices have got to be heard.”

— Robert D. Bullard

The word ‘resilient’ has been used more and more these days, especially throughout the pandemic. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines resilience as being: “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions” or “capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture.” Planning for community resilience is critical in the fight against climate change; however, many communities lack the knowledge and understanding of how to tie resiliency into their climate action planning.

Climate change is an urgent challenge that requires us to develop capacity for resilience and innovation. In Colorado, we recently suffered record wildfires that impacted infrastructure and local watersheds. The past five years have been the hottest on record in places all over the United States. Many states have also experienced extreme flooding that has killed people and destroyed homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. Various climate researchers state that we should expect more of this in the future. Understanding and planning for these potential hazards or stressors are critical in making communities more resilient and should be integrated into climate action planning.

Figure 1: Common Weather and Climate-Related Hazards

Today, combating the impacts of climate change is more than just reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Now is the time for communities to look at climate action more holistically. When developing climate action strategies for your community, it is integral to zoom out and look at the whole community to understand local impacts climate change can have on specific areas and people. Studies show that climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities and people of color.

For example:

Studies have shown that urban heat islands impact low-income communities and people of color at higher rates.

• Climate crisis will triple flooding threats for low-income US homes by 2050.

• Study’s show disproportionate impacts of wildfire among elderly and low-income communities.

• COVID-19 hit black communities the hardest.

Figure 2: Factors that can increase climate vulnerability

What Can We Do About It?

Assessing vulnerabilities throughout the climate action planning process ensures that projects and related activities will reduce climate change impacts in communities. It is necessary to conduct vulnerability and risk assessments to understand which people and areas are most at risk and why. This process will create equitable plans and enable the development of policies that ensure the communities most burdened by the impacts of climate change have their voices heard and will be served first. This process integrates people within the process, allowing community members to see the direct effects of climate change and what they can do about it. Many resources are out there to assist communities in assessing risk and vulnerability to become more resilient against climate change. Below are excellent resources to get you started.

Colorado Resiliency Office

This new website has various story maps and toolkits to help walk you through pre-and post-recovery efforts. It also has case studies and a peer exchange platform to engage with other communities in Colorado doing similar work. Check it out by clicking here.

Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Guide

This comprehensive guide focuses on the processes needed to develop vulnerability assessments at the community-level with the ultimate goal of promoting actions that increase resilience and adaptive capacity. Four phases will be presented to guide the process: (1) Preparing for the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment and Action Plan; (2) The Vulnerability and Risk Assessment; (3) The Action Plan; and (4) Planning and designing the implementation. Read the full document by clicking here.

Examples of Vulnerability Assessments

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June 2021

Photo courtesy of Shane Rounce via Unsplash

Communities have an essential role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and limiting the impacts of climate change. While reducing greenhouse emissions is an immediate need, it is integral to include long-term systems thinking and planning around future impacts of climate change. This work requires assessing the unique vulnerabilities that communities face and understanding the inequities of impact within these vulnerabilities. The past five years have been the hottest on record for the planet, and just this week many communities across Colorado and the West are experiencing dangerous record-breaking temperatures. In Colorado, we recently suffered catastrophic wildfires, and areas have experienced extreme flooding that killed people and destroyed homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. Climate science indicates that we should expect more of what we have seen recently in the future. These impacts have caused immense stress on all involved, but more so on community members of color and low-income communities. Now is the time for communities to not only prioritize climate action but to ensure their action planning includes assessing vulnerability, ingraining resiliency into plans and processes, and including all community members in the process to ensure those most impacted have a voice.

For a deeper dive, see the project highlighted below with the Colorado Resiliency Office, and be sure to keep an eye out for our blog coming out soon with resources and tools for including climate justice in climate action planning.

“Climate change is more than parts per million and greenhouse gases,” he added. “The people who are feeling the worst impacts of climate, their voices have got to be heard.”

— Robert D. Bullard via the NY Times

Project Spotlight – The Colorado resiliency office

Lotus worked with a team of experts on behalf of the Colorado Resiliency Office to create an interactive website that helps communities understand the shocks and stresses they face, make connections across sectors to leverage resources and ideas, develop solutions that address multiple challenges, and build adaptability and preparedness into plans. As part of the project, the team created multiple toolkits and resources for communities to help proactively prepare for and adapt for changing conditions. Also, best practices on how to meet immediate, short-term, and long-term recovery needs in the aftermath of a disaster.

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Team highlights - lotus is hiring a research associate! 

Click here to review the job description.  To apply, please submit the following documents to hillary@lotussustainability.com with position name in the title followed by your name “Research Associate – [Your name]”:

• Resume and Cover Letter – Help us understand why you’re the right fit for our team. Tell a story, highlight your most applicable skills, do whatever you think will capture the essence of what you’ll bring to the table. Cover letters should address your ability to meet the job responsibilities in the Required Qualifications section. Please include 2-3 references.

• Writing sample – We’re looking for something that shows us your writing style, whether it’s a blog about skiing, a technical paper you wrote, a section from a recent project report that’s publicly available, or something else. Please make sure that it’s your writing that we see.

Review of materials is ongoing and will continue until the position is filled. Early application is strongly encouraged. We strongly encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds to apply.

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Lotus’ commitment to equity

It has been one year since the Lotus team made a commitment to equity. After the murder of George Floyd, many of us took a moment to look inward to try to understand why this happened and how to prevent more atrocities happening in the future. Over the last year, we have participated in a diversity, equity, and inclusivity training, some of us have started and joined social justice book clubs, and we have been on the path of self-edification. As members of the dominant culture, we are just starting to learn our roles in our country’s history of racism.

 We are committed to continual learning. Over the next year, we will collectively dive into white supremacy culture and discuss how it may affect our workplace and our work, learn more about historic structures and institutions that laid the foundation for today’s racism, and identify how climate justice issues show up in our neighborhoods and for our clients. In the fall of 2021 and through 2022 we will engage in equity modules with The Avarna Group. Our hope is to grow and be better humans so we are able to better serve people through our work.

 The Lotus office will be closed tomorrow, Friday, June 18th, to recognize Juneteenth. Juneteenth celebrates the announcement made by Union Major General Granger to enslaved African Americans that slavery was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It is celebrated every year on June 19th. We honor those who were subjected to slavery and to those who are still feeling slavery’s longstanding ramifications today.

 Check out some of our favorite resources on equity:

•  Favorite reads on equity: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Homegoing, The Sum of Us, The Color of Law, and Born a Crime.

• Favorite movies on equity: 13th, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Moonlight.

• Favorite podcasts on equity: Ezra Klein’s interview with Heather McGhee About the Cost of Racism, Code Switch from NPR, and Pod Save the People.

• Favorite influencers moving the needle on equity:

  • @greengirlleah ; @mikaelaloach ; @ajabarber ; @Toritsui_ ; @ayanaeliza 

• General resources:

• Intersectional Environmentalist 

• The Avarna Group

• Anti-Racism Daily

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Inspiring and Noteworthy News

Local:

• Climate-friendly appliances, including refrigerators that do not use HFCs, as becoming easier to find for US consumers thanks to a new website.

• The City of Boulder updated their climate action goals!

• The City and County of Denver released its Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan to transition the City and County’s homes and buildings toward a cost-effective, equitable, climate-safe future.

• Drought in the Western U.S. is getting bad. Climate change is making it worse.

• Colorado has made some progress toward reducing ozone pollution. But it will take leaning on automobiles and oil and gas producers to really move the needle.

• Two Colorado researchers on renewable energy have a recommendation that might surprise some who embrace goals of 100% renewable or, at least, emission-free electricity.

• Colorado bill proposes to add a filter of global warming potential to state-funded buildings and roads.

• Amazon’s first electric vans started delivering packages in Denver.

National:

• The Biden Administration’s massive infrastructure plan proposal includes a program to put pipefitters and mines to work capping methane leaks at “orphaned” gas wells across the country.

• A focus on offshore wind development by the Biden Administration may result in tens of thousands of jobs and 30,000 megawatts of additional clean energy capacity.

• The “American Jobs Plan” has nine key aspects that are likely to have a big impact on the fight against climate change.

• How your hot showers and toilet flushes can help the climate.

• America’s largest coal minors’ union supports clean energy (with conditions).

• New survey finds surprisingly high percentage of unionized solar jobs.

Environmental Justice News:

• Researchers hope to obtain data that will help advance the field of Energy Justice.

• Gasoline costs consume nearly 20% of some household budgets.

• Climate activists defeat Exxon in push for clean energy.

• How electric cars can advance environmental justice. 

MARCH 2021

To some, mission statements are just words. For others, it is a way to conceptualize the meaning and purpose of their work. Mission statements spark change, increase innovation, and elevate an organization's impact. When it comes to sustainability and climate action efforts, mission statements give purpose to staff, customers, and stakeholders. Mission statements are also an opportunity to share where you/your organization stands on current social and environmental issues. Developing a mission statement that fits your organization's passion, skills, and culture is a process. Having a well-stated mission statement is becoming more and more critical to younger generations.

Recently, we helped the Urban Land Conservancy develop a number of potential mission statements to specifically address their work around sustainability. We also helped them to identify their spheres of influence, ideal scenarios, and opportunities to advance sustainability. You can read more about our work with ULC below.

Project Spotlight – Urban Land Conservancy Mission Statement

One of the things that we love to do most at Lotus is help organizations understand and define their sustainability goals and what sustainability means for their organization. Lotus recently had the opportunity to work on a small project with the Urban Land Conservancy (ULC), a nonprofit development organization that focuses on projects that benefit the whole community, such as affordable housing and below-market commercial space for nonprofits. We met with a core team from ULC who are focused on the development and management of new properties, and who are passionate about sustainability, to help them to define their goals and next steps to enhance and embed sustainability into their operations. Prior to the meeting, Lotus researched sustainability and green building initiatives at similar organizations in Denver and nationally, and held informational interviews to understand the key components to make these organizations’ sustainability work successful. Armed with this information, Lotus facilitated a workshop with ULC where their team determined how they can use their position as a developer of new properties to ensure that sustainability is integrated into every aspect of a project from the very beginning. Additionally, the ULC team determined how they can provide resources and support to existing tenants and leaseholders to help them improve sustainability in their operations.

Lotus Blog – Addressing Inequities in the Workplace 

Speaking of mission statements, some companies have been adopting ‘equity statements’ as well. In our newest blog post, we bring inequities in the workplace to the forefront. We address challenges and opportunities for women and people of color in the workplace. We also share resources on what you can do about it. Read more in the Blogs section of our website.

Introducing the Newest Member of the Lotus Team! – Diane Ernst

Diane grew up in the Midwest and spent most of her childhood in the woods and along streams near her home. Her connection to the natural world grew as she began to travel to state parks across the country with her family. After graduating with a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University, she knew she wanted to be a part of connecting people with their natural world.

Prior to joining Lotus, Diane worked as a Public Engagement Specialist in local government. She enjoyed working directly with and hearing from community members. During this time, she slowly began to see the systemic gaps in access to nature and the disproportionate impacts climate change had on parts of the community.

Diane believes the critical work to care for our planet requires an intersectional mindset. She strives to work towards a holistic approach to climate action and bringing people and equity into the equation. At Lotus, she brings the skills of understanding people with the fight against climate change. Her passion lies in meeting communities where they are to co-create behavior-changing practices that make a collective impact on people and the planet.

To celebrate Women’s History Month the Lotus Team will share about women that have made profound impacts in their lives:

Emily: “As a young girl and woman, I was often only one of or the single female among groups of boys and later young men in math and science classes. In a senior year college class, I was one of four women in a class of 95 people! Even in my early professional career, it was not unusual for me to be the only women in a room of 20 or 30 people. In a larger sense, I felt supported. I was reminded of the many, many women who came before me that advocated and fought for male-dominated professions to be more accessible to women. During my youth I was determined to pursue a career in math and science even though I was not often surrounded by my female peers. A huge source of inspiration were the many female musicians of the 1990’s who advocated for women’s rights in their lyrics and actions. My favorites were Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Bjork, PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, Fiona Apple, The Cranberries, The Breeders, Tori Amos, No Doubt, TLC, Alanis Morrisette, Madonna, and Liz Phair.”

Hillary: "My sister, who passed away three years ago from breast cancer, is my eternal hero. She still reminds me that life is better when you take a walk every day and share a bad joke. Also, my mom is a rockstar. She was one of the first women coders in Colorado, an amazing stay-at-home mom, breast cancer survivor, and she is a daily reminder of kindness and goodness."

Julia: "I've been inspired professionally by women like Katherine Hamilton, who has helped to pave the way in the clean energy field by being a strong leader, voice, and advocate for both women and the climate. Brene Brown's modeling of vulnerable leadership and intentional communication has informed my approach to my work, relationships, and life. And on a personal level, my mom is the strongest, kindest, and most compassionate woman I know."

Rachel: "I'm inspired by SO many women! Robin Wall Kimmerer and Jane Goodall come to mind right away, as they do such amazing work to learn more and educate us about the natural world. And of course my mom, a 13-year breast cancer survivor and overall wonder woman!”

Diane: “There have been many women that have paved the way before me that have given me the opportunities I have today. I am forever grateful for my grandmas, my moms, and my sisters. A quote by Rupi Kaur helps me describe my gratitude and my dedication for paying it forward - “I stand on the sacrifices of a million women before me - thinking - what can I do to make this mountain taller so the women after me can see farther” - legacy by Rupi Kaur.

Inspiring and Noteworthy News

It has been a winter of reflection, disparity, hope, and change. From wildfires, to elections, to renewing climate goals, we are feeling hopeful for 2021. Read on for more about wildfire impacts and silver linings, President Biden’s first few months in office, and organizations setting aggressive goals to combat climate change:

Local News

•  The Suncor Refinery is undergoing a state-sanctioned review of its outdated permits, and the community has expressed their desire for the facility to be closed or have their permitted pollution levels significantly reduced. 

• Black Hills Energy joins the state’s other investor-owned utilities Xcel and Tri-State in adopting a goal of 80% emissions reductions by 2030.

• Ranchers in Colorado are turning to regenerative agriculture practices to help them adapt to climate change.

• Colorado’s forests are at risk of burning in megafires if restorative actions are not taken soon.

• The State released its final version of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, read through it here.

• It’s only January, but cities across the Front Range are already collaborating with Denver Water to work on how to manage the drought and impending water shortages.

• Colorado Public Radio published a handy guide on the results of all of the climate-related election results for Colorado.

• Colorado communities are already reeling from the impacts of the climate crisis in varied ways.

• The wildfires in Colorado in 2020 were unprecedented in multiple ways, illustrated through several charts.

• Studies show that ticks carrying the Rocky Mountain spotted fever disease are more likely to host on humans than animals as temperatures rise. 

National News

• The University of Colorado Boulder released a report outlining the key steps the U.S. can take to reduce carbon dioxide emissions rapidly.

•  The number of electric vehicle models available to customers in the US market is anticipated to more than triple over the next three years, from 40 models to 127, as battery costs fall, infrastructure spreads, and adoption of EVs rises.

• Wildland fire fighting crews are grappling with the challenges of keeping wildfires away from Superfund sites and other contaminated areas that, if burned, could have serious consequences for environmental and public health.

• The stimulus bill that passed in the House and Senate at the end of December includes provisions that address climate change, including a mandatory phasedown in the production and use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, a major contributor to climate change.

• California’s Bureau of Environmental Justice, within the state’s Attorney General’s office, may become a model for other states and the federal government in addressing environmental justice concerns around the country.

• The EPA has finalized rules that limit the use of health research data, in particular in regard to particulate matter (PM) 2.5, in setting new rules and regulations.

•  The Trump Administration has opened applications for oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but no major oil companies have submitted applications yet.

• The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Association of State Floodplain Managers have petitioned the federal government to adopt more stringent building standards for homes and infrastructure near waterways due to the increasing impacts of climate change on these areas.

• New research on bacteria found in the soil (Geobacter) shows that the bacteria “recycle” the element cobalt.

• The City of Des Moines, Iowa, has passed a resolution to achieve 24/7 carbon-free electricity by 2035; it would be the first city of its size in the United States, and possibly the world, to set such a target. 

• The Rhodium Group has released its preliminary estimates for US greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, and the data indicate that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic activity led to a 10.3% drop in US emissions.

•  In his first days in office President Biden canceled the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, required a review of regulations and actions on oil and gas from the Trump administration, and is considering a moratorium on oil and gas development on federal lands.

• A federal appeals court has struck down the former Trump Administration’s Affordable Clean Energy rule, noting that it fails to provide environmental and public health protections.

•  President Biden has signed a slew of Executive Orders, some of which are aimed at addressing environmental racism.

• A new affordable housing project in Detroit will offer community solar to its residents.

• Turns out pikas are a resilient species, as scientists believe they are adapting to climate change rather than succumbing to it.

•  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many jobs to become remote. Now remote workers are moving out West, here’s a look at how the “Zoom Boom” is changing communities across the Western US.

• Looking to be more sustainable in 2021? Here are 6 simple ways that households can help the planet and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

• The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has released a state Transportation Electrification Scorecard that ranks states on criteria within six tiers in regard to their support for a transition to EVs. Colorado ranked eight in the analysis.

• An analysis in four states shows that rural communities may benefit the most from vehicle electrification due to the cost savings for drivers that tend to drive longer distances and spend more on gasoline.

• San Francisco has become the latest city to ban natural gas use in new residential and commercial buildings.

•  Biden has named former Secretary of State John Kerry as the new climate czar, tasked with fighting climate change through American action and diplomacy. 

•  Automaker GM has announced that they will abandon the current Trump-administration lawsuit that seeks to end California’s waiver for clean-air standards, instead supporting Biden’s plan to expand electric vehicle use.

•  Cambridge, Mass, has passed an ordinance requiring warning labels, similar to those on cigarette packs, to be placed on gas station pumps to inform users of the risks associated with fossil fuel use and the climate crisis.

Global News

• Despite a temporary reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions due to the COVID lockdowns, emissions continued to rise through 2020.

• Global warming has led to longer growing seasons, but deciduous trees are starting to lose their leaves earlier than usual, a new study finds.

• Countries around the world are pledging to reach net-zero emissions and are looking at carbon pricing in order to achieve those goals.

• New models show that the climate could stabilize a few decades after achieving net-zero emissions, much sooner than researchers originally thought.

• The rate of loss of global ice is accelerating, with the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica speeding up the fastest.

• The world’s first battery-powered shipping vessel will launch from Tokyo Bay in 2022!

Environmental Justice News

• Biden has pledged to advance environmental justice – here’s how the EPA can start.

• The risk of preterm birth rises near gas flaring, reflecting deep-rooted environmental injustices in rural America.

• Fine-particle air pollution has decreased across the US, but poor and minority communities are still the most polluted.

• A year of resistance: How youth protests shaped the discussion on climate change.

• How Biden’sEnvironmental Justice Order might work

Addressing Inequities in the Workplace

written by Diane Ernst

Meeting our energy needs sustainably is an all-hands-on-deck, technical challenge, yet only 26 percent of ‘green’ jobs in the U.S. are held by women, and less than 20 percent are held by people of color [1]. While Colorado is making progress, the clean energy industry still has a lot of work to do to truly be diverse.  Women and people of color represent a largely underutilized talent pool that could bolster innovation in clean energy.

According to the Clean Energy Ministerial, [2] a high-level global forum to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology, the energy industry remains one of the most gender imbalanced sectors, with women making up just 20 percent of the workforce. Green 2.0 reports that people of color represent 36 percent of the U.S. population and comprise 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, but they do not exceed 16 percent of staff in any of the surveyed organizations. Green 2.0 calls this the ‘The Green Ceiling’.

A study completed by the Solar Industry in 2019 [3] tracked gender, race, and ethnicity in the solar workforce (see Figure 1 for breakdown by race). Their reports show that 80 percent of senior executives in the solar industry are men and only 20 percent are women.

Good News

Green 2.0 also does a ‘Transparency Report Card’ annually. This study presents diversity data from the most influential non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foundations on the number of women and people of color on their full-time staffs, senior staffs, and boards. The full report shows the individual data for the top 40 NGOs and funders as reported over the four years. Figure 2 shows that the number of women and people of color have gone up slightly in the past 4 years.

Why Does This Matter?

International research consistently shows that a diverse workforce and gender-balanced boardrooms result in greater organizational performance and stronger bottom lines, both in the private and public sectors. A study done by McKinsey & Company showed that more diverse companies are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision making [4]. This can all lead to a cycle of increasing returns. 

Workplace diversity also brings new perspectives, a wider talent pool, more innovation, happier staff and increased profits [5]. Improving workplace diversity benefits all involved. As individuals and organizations, we must acknowledge the inequities that exist for women and people of color. The critical work to care for our planet requires an intersectional mindset and it is up to us to be allies and advocate for more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

“Evidence from many sectors suggests that integrating women into all levels of the energy value chain will lead to more effective clean energy initiatives.””

— Lorena Aguilar, International Union for Conservation of Nature

What Can We Do About It?

Environmental justice should be at the forefront of all organizations. Coming together to acknowledge and make changes for a more inclusive workplace requires all of us. We applaud the many organizations that are already making space for this work in their organizations. We also see many communities and municipalities prioritizing inclusion and community engagement. However, there is always room for growth. Here are some ideas to get started:

What this looks like:  

• Assess your organization:

  • Use this tool from Colorado State University. 

•  Change hiring and recruitment practices to be more equitable:

  • Use Avarna Groups Inclusive Hiring Toolkit.

• Support women and people of color in your work:

  • Make the case [6].

  • Use this Black Founders List.

• Empower the next generation:

  • Support or volunteer with She’s in Power.

    • She’s in Power is a workforce development and networking program that I am involved in that is aimed at addressing the clean energy workforce gender and race gap through project-based learning.  She’s in Power teams are made up of volunteer mentees (Sparks), mentors (Energizers), and community partners (Power Partners) that develop and deploy hands-on Power Projects, each working to measurably reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. 

    • Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you would like to be involved. We are currently recruiting committee volunteers, mentors, and mentees. Diane@lotussustainability.com. 

  • Support or volunteer with the GRID Alternatives Program.

  • Support or volunteer with Groundwork Denver.

  • Develop an inclusive career pipeline within your organization.

• Engage in policy and advocacy work:

  • Conservation Colorado.

  • Energy Outreach Colorado. 

Efforts at Lotus

Here at Lotus, we play a part in this as well. We acknowledge the history of systemic issues that have caused these inequalities and we understand that we have work to do. We are five white women. While we are proud of our woman-founded, women-owned, and women-led company, we realize that we are missing representation from BIPOC communities, the LGBTQ community, and those in possession of a Y-chromosome. We have consciously chosen to be a small company and, therefore, we grow slowly. When we decide it is time to expand our team, we will investigate why our previous job announcements did not reach or seem inviting to BIPOC communities. We will strive to ensure that our job announcements reach a broader audience. We will also:

• Educate ourselves on our country’s history, identify our own internal biases, and focus on becoming better listeners.

• Create a program that matches employee donations to organizations that align with our employees’ personal commitments.

• Advocate for inclusivity and equity considerations in all of our work.  

As we continue to grow, we are committed to learning how to increase our team’s diversity, and we will continue to welcome and invite those with different perspectives to join our industry. Read more about our commitments in our July 2020 Blog.

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1 See: Green 2.0 Research Summary.

2 See  Clean Energy Ministerial Status Report on Gender Equality in the Energy Sector.

3 See Solar Foundation Diversity Infographic.

4 See McKinsey & Company ‘Why Diversity Matters’.

5 See BCG Diversity and Innovation Study.

6 See GreenBiz BIPOC and Women owned Suppliers. 

7 See InsideClimateNews.org.

NOVEMBER 2020

So far, 2020 has certainly tested our collective patience. And for many of us, it has forced us to accept dramatic changes to the way we work, parent, teach, and live our lives. Here at Lotus, we’ve experienced our own changes to the way we do our work. Since March, we have transitioned to working remotely and embraced many new platforms to help us continue to effectively conduct stakeholder engagement activities. Without the ability to meet in person, we’ve doubled down on our efforts to take complex data and make it fun and accessible for our clients and the public. We have also helped our clients make websites to communicate their climate action work and provide resources to those working to address climate change across the state. You can read about our work with the Colorado Energy Office below and find out more about the innovative ways we approach data visualization in our blog post.

Project Highlight #1 - Colorado Energy Office’s Rebuild and Re-energize Colorado Website

This past spring and summer, Lotus worked with the Colorado Energy Office to create a website that serves as a climate action resource to local governments across the state. The website, called Rebuild and Re-energize Colorado, provides interactive resources such as dashboards and GIS maps in addition to text and linked resources. Additionally, the website provides access to Colorado’s policy initiatives while showcasing numerous energy and climate ambitions. Five key, high-impact actions that communities can take immediately are also noted. These include:

1.      Pursue Energy Efficiency through Energy Performance Contracting.

2.      Update Building Codes.

3.      Implement Smart Growth Principles.

4.      Adopt Electric Vehicles.

5.      Create a Climate Action Plan and Set Renewable Energy Goals.

The resource guide includes community spotlights that highlight some of the bold climate actions already being taken by communities across the state. Lotus’ GIS expertise transformed hard data into an interactive and visually appealing resource map used to communicate energy goals, strategies, and incentive programs.

An example map is shown below. Click around the map to explore large greenhouse gas emitting facilities and check out the coal-fired power plant facilities to see which ones are closing in the next 10 years!

Lotus Blog - How Lotus Visualizes Data

Recently, Lotus has been working with new platforms that help to creatively visualize and communicate data. These new methods include interactive dashboards, creative new chart types, online maps, and Storymap websites. Our latest blog post details the benefits of using innovative methods and storytelling to communicate data.

Read about creative ways that Lotus visualizes and communicates data in the Blogs section of our website.

What the Lotus Team is Grateful For This Season

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we all have a lot to be grateful for. So, in the honor of the season of giving and gratitude, the Lotus team would like to share what they are grateful for at this moment in time.

Emily: “I am grateful that we are moving into winter. I love this time of year where everything and everyone slows down. I love the evenings and the coziness of a fire and a good book. I love that my children beg for hot chocolate when the snow starts. I love that my 2-year old asks to go ice fishing and my 8-year old can’t wait to get on her skis. I love hiking in a quiet aspen forest, where all the rocks look like marshmallows. I love that there isn’t the expectation of constantly going.”

Hillary: “Independent bookstores especially the Bookworm of Edwards! Their staff picks have never steered me wrong.”

Julia: “I am grateful for the technologies and tools that have allowed me to stay connected to my family and friends this year, despite our limited ability to see each other in person. From using Facetime to see my nephew in Houston practice his first words to a virtual wedding shower over the summer, these tools have helped me become more present to my relationships and the time that I have with the people I love.”

Rachel: “There is SO much to be grateful for right now. I’m extremely grateful for the health of my friends and family (and myself), my co-workers, and the work I am lucky that I get to do every day, and the amount of time I’ve been able to spend in nature this year.”

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

We have seen climate change in real-time here in Colorado and across the West this summer and fall. This only supports the urgent need to take aggressive action to limit our carbon emissions. Individual companies, cities, and states are beginning to take the lead on climate action. Here is a look at some noteworthy local, national, and global new stories:

Local News

• Colorado recently released a draft of the state’s greenhouse gas reduction roadmap. Read a summary of the plan here and read the full draft plan on the CO Energy Office’s website.

• The City and County of Denver have allocated $300,000 of its $25.6 million Phase 2 Coronavirus Relief Funds to EV charging stations, subsidizing eGo Carshare memberships for residents in lower-income and under-resourced areas across the City.

• Black Hills Energy has reached an agreement to construct a 200 MW solar project in Pueblo that will boost the utility’s renewable energy portfolio to 51%.

• The Suncor refinery in Commerce City has been leaking dangerous chemicals at levels much higher than legally allowed.

• As of November 10, nearly 75% of the state’s land area is in at least an extreme drought, find out what’s driving the drought in this article.

• The City of Boulder is offering grants to local restaurants to help fund sustainable takeout items and packaging.

• Vail Resorts and PepsiCo are expanding their sustainability partnership.

• Colorado is taking further steps to regulate the oil and gas industry, hoping to extend well setbacks in addition to new emissions monitoring rules.

• Starting in 2021, Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s member cooperatives can negotiate new contracts with Tri-State that allow the co-ops to self-generate more of the electricity they sell to their members; Tri-State also plans to reduce member rates by 8% by the end of 2023.

• Farmers and ranchers in NW Colorado are experimenting with farming hay to help keep more water in the Upper Colorado River.

• Environmentalists from Colorado are challenging rules and decisions made by former the Bureau of Land Management director.

• Looking for sustainable, bulk foods, and zero-waste shops in Colorado? Here’s a guide that can help.

• Ball Corporation, based in Broomfield, announced a partnership with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment to introduce its Infinitely Recyclable aluminum beverage container at arenas in Denver, Los Angeles, and London.

National News

• The solar company Sunrun has announced a partnership with three Community Choice Aggregator utilities in the Bay Area to build what essentially amounts to a virtual power plant of distributed rooftop solar and storage across the region.

• One of the largest natural gas utilities in the country is suing the California Energy Commission over a report published by the latter that deals with the transition to cleaner fuels for generating heat and power.

• The Climate Equity Act, which would require the federal government to consider the impact of environmental legislation and regulation on low-income communities and communities of color, is gaining some attention and traction in Congress.

• Death Valley just recorded the hottest reliably measured temperature on Earth, at a toasty 130F!

• Rural areas and local communities across the country—including the five profiled by Inside Climate News—are poised to implement green economic recovery programs and hoping that federal aid will be available to support this work.

• Ford has announced it is developing an electric F-150 truck designed to be used for heavy-duty hauling and towing, separating itself from models developed by Tesla and GMC.

• REI Co-op announces new sustainability and climate goals, in which it aims to cut its carbon footprint by 55% by 2030 and join Climate Neutral and the 1 Trillion Trees Initiative.

• A fire historian helps add context around this year’s catastrophic wildfires across the Western US.

• As fires continue to rage across California, insurers increase the pace at which they are abandoning coverage for at-risk homes.

• California’s Governor has issued a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks in the state after 2035; the directive is likely to be challenged in court.

• Maryland has passed a ban on Styrofoam to-go containers at restaurants statewide, becoming the first state in the US to pass such a ban.

• Young voters have been joining the Sunrise Movement in large numbers, aiming to shame politicians that deny climate change.

• The US consumed a record amount of renewable energy in 2019, making up a total of 11% of the country’s energy consumption.

Global News

• Investing in green stimulus recovery programs across the globe may help to put the world on track to reduce emissions 35 percent or more from the current pathway; if a green recovery is not prioritized it is likely the pandemic will have little long-term effects on emissions. Carbon Brief has a tracker of the green recovery plans being vetting or implemented across the globe.

• Coal and natural gas may be some of the biggest casualties of the global coronavirus pandemic, suggest global energy analysts.

• London, a city known for its poor air quality and concentration of emissions-heavy industries, has a plan for achieving its net-zero carbon goal by 2050.

• Canada plans to center its COVID-19 economic recovery around climate action and invest in thousands of jobs in energy efficiency building retrofits.

• China president Xi Jinping has pledged the country to achieve         carbon neutrality by 2060, which could have significant impacts on the global fight to curb the climate crisis.

• Pope Francis gave a passionate talk about addressing climate change at TEDTalk’s first-ever free conference, Countdown Global Launch.

• Nature broadcaster David Attenborough pleads with citizens and governments across the world to care about the planet and start taking action to fight climate change.

• Global plastic pollution is a massive problem worldwide. But there are options and solutions out there to address the problem, according to National Geographic.

• A company called First Solar has pioneered a way to recycle solar panels, reclaiming up to 90% of the materials in the panels.

• A start-up in Uganda called Takataka Plastics is closing the loop and turning used plastics into construction materials and COVID face shields.

Environmental Justice News

• Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission will reconvene without some notable emissions reduction advocates.

• New research suggests that environmental racism not only affects humans but has negative impacts on wildlife and ecosystems too.

• Being a person of color does not increase your risk of contracting COVID-19, but racism does.

• Home appraisals for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities are still significantly lower than for white households, even when comparing neighborhoods of equal economic status.

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you and keep up the social distancing!

Creatively Communicating Climate Change in a Data-Heavy World

written by Rachel Meier.

The days of the static bar graph and pie chart are going by the wayside. In our ever-growing digital world, there are many new software options and apps that are available to help communicate data more creatively to the public. Over the past few years, Lotus has been working to incorporate many of these new technologies into our work.

Especially this year, visualizing data that can be hosted digitally has become extremely important. As more projects and programs move online, companies are similarly transitioning the way they transmit and translate data to their clients and the world. Some platforms create data dashboards that show multiple interactive graphs and charts (Power BI and Tableau), websites that create innovative new chart types to help show data in unique and engaging ways (SankeyMatic and Vizzlo), and websites that illustrate data on a map and create story websites around the data (ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS StoryMaps). There are even platforms to help virtually engage with the public and stakeholders, and Lotus has taken advantage of many of these platforms!

There are many advantages to using these new platforms. One reason is that users enjoy being able to interact with their data and information in general. When the user can manipulate the data on their own, they are able to not only access the specific information they need more quickly but they are also able to teach themselves. One example of this is the dashboard seen below. Lotus worked with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) to create the Rebuild and Re-energize Colorado website, which includes a dashboard that tells the story of the Energy Performance Contracting program. If the user selects a project on the map, the charts and the meters change to share details about that project.

Another reason to switch from static charts is that users can more easily draw their own conclusions when the data is presented to them in an interactive format. Many people learn best by doing, and these innovative charts and dashboards allow the user to “mess around” until they come to a conclusion or discover a unique takeaway that drives them back to explore the data further. The multitude of new chart types also allows the creator to create charts for all different types of users and learners, ideally making the data easy to understand regardless of who is looking at or using it. Finally, using these visualizations can help create a story around your data. Especially with platforms that use maps and other methods of tying data to places, users are better able to comprehend how the data will impact their lives. An example of this is a map from the CEO website which describes the density and distribution of electric vehicle charging stations across the state and how cities are planning for expanded charging infrastructure.

Stories are one of the oldest forms of communication.[1] By incorporating your data and charts into a story, you create a logical format from which users can draw conclusions and find takeaways. Narratives can help the reader understand complex statistics and data and can also help the researcher or data collector better understand their data and communicate it effectively with their audience. Using stories to communicate your data can also lead your user to take action. Telling the story about your data (including through audio) can also be useful in communicating the data to audiences that may not be visual learners or may not be able to see. These audiences are typically left out of the conversation when deciding how to visualize data and using stories that are verbalized can help bring these audiences in and make data science more accessible and inclusive.

Data visualization and storytelling have evolved greatly in recent years and will likely continue to evolve into the future. Lotus will continue to use these platforms and will experiment with new platforms not yet created to be able to find the best way to communicate our work with clients and the public.

[1] See: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6f9a/2595ae37f1c03f7e8b2902965fef78e40bcd.pdf.

JULY 2020

Over the past six weeks or so, we at Lotus have been partaking in many internal conversations about what it means to be an ally to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our communities and across Colorado. None of us has a perfect answer, and we’ve been working to educate ourselves on how our country has arrived at this moment in time and what we can do to ensure better inclusivity and equity now and into the future. Our blog post this month is a statement of solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and what concrete steps that we, as Lotus, are committing to taking to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Photo from Getty Images

Project Highlight #1 - Grand Canyon trust greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Lotus recently completed a project with the Grand Canyon Trust, where Lotus helped develop the first greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau covers an area of roughly 130,000 square miles and includes portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Lotus’ largest inventory yet by geographic area! The inventory tool was customized to fit the Colorado Plateau and will help the Grand Canyon Trust better understand the biggest sources of emissions within the Colorado Plateau, identify opportunities to impact those sources through policy, and help educate interested parties. Read a summary of our findings here!

Project Highlight #2 - Las Cruces’ climate action plan

Lotus recently completed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the City, and also developed greenhouse gas reduction targets and strategies. This work will help the City understand its carbon footprint, identify and implement ways to reduce its carbon footprint, gain community buy-in, and inform future policy and programs. Throughout the process of identifying emission reduction strategies, a Task Force of local experts and leaders in sustainability provided guidance and feedback on the development of the strategies. Lotus also worked with a broader group of community stakeholders to vet these strategies and identify the steps towards implementation. You can read the final report here!

Lotus Blog - In Solidarity

We vehemently condemn acts of violence against people of color. These actions have no place here in Colorado or anywhere else on Earth. We wish to add our voices to the growing list of those who will strive to be better allies to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

Read Lotus’ In Solidarity statement and the actions Lotus has committed to taking in the Blogs section of our website.

Summer Recipe Recommendations FROM THE LOTUS TEAM

This summer our family barbeques and picnics may look a little different than they did in the past. But that doesn’t stop us from cooking up our favorite recipes!

Here are some of the Lotus team’s favorite summer recipes:

Emily: “Anything by Danielle Walker. None of her recipes have gluten, dairy or soy! And everything is delicious and foolproof. Here’s one of my favorites: Mexican chicken soup.”

Hillary: “My son Rodger is an avid chef and requested to share one of his recipes. Here’s his favorite Peach Jam recipe straight from the chef himself: Add 4 peaches with no skin into a pot on the stove. Add tons of honey. Smash and stir. Then add sugar, pepper, and salt until it tastes good. Cool. Then put the jam on everything.”

Julia: “One of my favorites is a Spicy Spinach Pesto! Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cashews, toasted

1-2 TBS coconut oil, melted

1 large bunch (~1/2-1 pound) spinach

salt

pepper

Caribbean seasoning (or, if you don't have that, a blend of chili powder, ginger, red pepper, lemon zest, nutmeg, and parsley to taste)

Sriracha, to taste

Instructions:

1) Grind the nuts in a blender until well chopped. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple times.

2) Add the spinach and pulse into a puree as you slowly pour in the coconut oil.

3) Scrape down the sides and add salt, pepper, and spices. Blitz a few times to make sure it is all incorporated.

4) Take it out of the blender when you reach the desired consistency, scrape into a bowl, and add the sriracha to taste.

5) Serve with noodles or zoodles, on top of roasted chicken, or any other way you would eat pesto”

Rachel: “My favorite food blog at the moment is Cookie and Kate, so many wonderful vegetarian recipes. But my all-time favorite summer recipe is this Southwest Orzo Salad, I have it memorized I’ve made it so many times, it’s SO yummy and versatile!”

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

As the summer season gets started, the novel coronavirus continues to spread while states begin the reopening process. Meanwhile, governments across the globe are finding new ways to recover from the economic downturn caused by the shutdown, pushing some to consider investing in climate change solutions. And cities and states across the country are experiencing racial protests against inequity faced by communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and some are taking bold steps to eliminate that inequity. Here is a look at some noteworthy local, national, and global new stories:

Local News

• The closure of power plants in Colorado will free up a significant amount of water currently used in those operations.

• Frisco and Breckenridge adopt new Summit Sustainable Building Codes to help meet Summit County’s sustainability goals.

• Broomfield County extends oil and gas setbacks to 2,000 feet, which is four times the state’s minimum setback.

• Tri-State Generation and Transmission announced it will now offer a contract option that allows its member-owner cooperatives to increase the amount of renewable energy they utilize.

• Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission recently adopted Regulation 22, which establishes guidelines for polluting entities to report their emissions to the state and supports the tracking and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions statewide.

• Both the Colorado Energy Office and the City and County of Denver recently released electric vehicle plans that lay out roadmaps for enhancing EV infrastructure and adoption throughout the state and its biggest metropolitan area.

• Platte River Power Authority has announced the closure of the Rawhide coal plant in 2030, 16 years ahead of schedule; Colorado Springs Utilities also announced the closure of its two coal plants by 2023 and 2030.

• Only in CO: Denver Beer Co and The Clinic (medical and recreational cannabis) partner to create carbon capture and reuse system.

• City and County of Denver was recently awarded a $1 million DOLA grant to create community solar gardens on City and County property.

• Colorado Senate Bill 20-055, which supports the expansion of recycling end markets in Colorado, has passed in the General Assembly.

• Conservation groups are suing the state for failure to meet the rulemaking requirements of House Bill 1261, under which the Air Quality Control Commission was asked to develop rules to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals for the state by July 1.

National News

• COVID-19 has impacted the US oil and gas market significantly, with Denver-based Whiting Petroleum being the first to file for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the transition to renewables does not seem to be slowing down.

• Electricity generated from renewables is predicted to surpass that supplied from coal in the coming year based on the EIA’s most recent short-term outlook.

• A legal battle over the Trump Administration’s recent rollback of fuel economy standards is likely to begin soon.

• C40 Mayors has released a Statement of Principles to guide a climate action-and-resilience focused recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

• A coal-fired power plant in Utah proceeds with a plan to convert to running on 100% hydrogen; LA Department of Water and Power is investing in this project, which is the world’s first utility-scale renewable hydrogen power plant.

• States like West Virginia and Nevada are exploring how to repurpose old mine sites for solar power plants.

• Here are 9 purpose-driven, everyday products that can help us reduce our impact on the environment.

• Nearly two dozen states recently launched a lawsuit against the Trump Administration regarding the roll-back of fuel economy standards.

• NOAA adapts, continues to perform climate change research amidst the global pandemic and stay-at home orders.

• ACEEE released a policy brief that provides a review of state and local beneficial building electrification programs.

• President Trump signed an executive order that waives environmental requirements for pipeline projects in an effort to spur economic development; the order will likely see many challenges in court.

• Electricity consumption in the US is predicted to drop by a record amount in 2020.

• The links between racism, environmental justice, and climate change are explored in an in-depth interview with activist Elizabeth Yeampierre.

• A drop in the cost for renewable technologies and storage has some researchers predicting that the US could be 90 percent powered by renewables by 2035.

• California utility PG&E has pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter that occurred due to the Camp Fire in 2018, the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history.

• Florida’s Governor signed the Essential State Infrastructure bill recently, which, among other measures, calls for the state to develop a plan for building out an electric vehicle charging network and considering equity in regard to charging center placement.

• Chicago adopts new, more stringent ordinance requiring EV charging stations in new developments, including residential buildings with 5 or more dwelling units.

• Grape growers in the Napa Valley turn to carbon farming to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the region.

• Senate passes the Great American Outdoors Act, permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund and providing funding to the National Park Service and other federal agencies to clear their maintenance project backlogs.

• Rocky Mountain Institute, in partnership with World Resources Institute, have released a tool for municipal governments that tracks renewable energy transactions and engagement efforts by US cities, counties, tribal governments and more since 2015.

• Minnesota and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against Exxon Mobile, the American Petroleum Institute, and Kock Industries, alleging the companies knew about the impacts of their products on climate change and deceived investors and the public.

• Nevada announces the Clean Cars Nevada initiative in an effort to increase zero and low-emissions vehicles in the state and reduce transportation emissions.

• Dominion Energy and Duke Energy have canceled their Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, citing ‘legal uncertainty.’

Global News

• Economists and researchers suggest ways that the pandemic economic stimulus funding can help in the low-carbon transition.

• A National Geographic story map shows how the climates of different cities will be impacted by climate change.

• A travel journalist gives her advice on how to be more sustainable in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Sweden closes its last coal-fired power plant, becoming the third coal-free European country.

• The UN COP26 Climate talks, originally planned for November of this year, have been reschedule for November of 2021 due to concerns around COVID-19.

• CarbonBrief hosted an interesting webinar to discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global emissions.

• A major diesel fuel spill in northern Russia is making its way towards the Arctic Ocean.

• A survey of over 80,000 people across 40 countries seems to indicate that awareness of and concerns about climate change is growing across the world. The US and Sweden were the two countries with the highest levels of people not concerned about climate change.

• A Finnish city has launched an app that functions as a personal carbon trading platform, where residents are rewarded for choosing less carbon-intensive mobility options. Residents earn points for taking actions like replacing driving with walking or biking, and these points can be exchanged for rewards like bus tickets, pool passes, and other eco-friendly swag.

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you and keep up the social distancing!

In Solidarity

written by Emily Artale with input from all Lotus Staff.

We vehemently condemn acts of violence against people of color. We wish to add our voices to the growing list of those who will strive to be better allies to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

From Crested Butte News, photo by Nolan Blunck.

This past weekend I attended a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally in my hometown, Crested Butte. It was well attended – a couple of hundred people for a community of around 3,000. A brass band from Denver, Brothers of Brass, came along with spoken word artists from around the state. There was a lot of discussion and positive energy. What stuck out to me the most was a comment made by my friend and the event’s organizer: “…There is nothing more important right now than the fact that people are getting murdered because they look like me.” She’s right. While we are usually focused on the health of our planet, we mustn’t overlook the dire need to contribute to the health and safety of our people.

We want to do our part. We want to be better humans and grow and listen.

Here is what the Lotus team is committed to doing:

We will continue to educate ourselves on our country’s history, identify our own internal biases, and focus on becoming better listeners.

We have participated in local marches and rallies, we are initiating discussions with members of our communities, and we are reading books, articles, and blogs, and listening to conversations that will help us better understand our roles as allies. We will research opportunities for our staff to participate in equity training so we can be more prepared to incorporate equity into all of our current and future projects.

Books that we are reading include: Racing to Justice, The New Jim Crowe, So You Want to Talk About Race, Stamped from the Beginning, Raising White Kids, Farming While Black, and White Fragility. Please let us know if you have any book recommendations!

Through this process, we hope that we will be able to lessen our naivety and contribute to a more equal community. And we will pass along what we learn.

We will recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday and match employee donations to organizations supporting, promoting, and elevating BIPOC communities.

Starting in 2021, Lotus will be adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday for our employees to recognize and celebrate the official end to slavery in the United States. Additionally, Lotus will create a program that matches employee donations to organizations that align with our employees’ personal commitments.

As we continue to grow, we are committed to learning how to increase our team’s diversity, and we will continue to welcome and invite those with different perspectives to join our industry.

We are four white women. While we are proud of our woman-founded, women-owned, and women-led company, we realize that we are missing representation from BIPOC communities, the LGBTQ community, and those in possession of a Y-chromosome. We have consciously chosen to be a small company and, therefore, we grow slowly. When we decide it is time to expand our team, we will investigate why our previous job announcements did not reach or seem inviting to BIPOC communities. We will strive to ensure that our job announcements reach a broader audience.

We will advocate for inclusivity and equity considerations in all of our work.

Since the onset of our climate action planning work, we have tried to include discussions around environmental justice and equity. At times we have been more successful than others. We will strive to look for additional equity partners to better inform our work, and we will strongly encourage our clients to look closely at inclusivity and impacts on BIPOC communities and other vulnerable groups. Voices from these communities have been historically left out of many climate conversations even when these communities bear a greater brunt of climate change impacts. We honor the wisdom from BIPOC communities, and we will always invite them to the table during our climate discussions so that we may learn and grow.

Finally, we strive to honor and acknowledge the Native and ancestral peoples and history that have been displaced in the lands where we work. In this way we aim to recognize the history of colonialism and the impacts it has had on BIPOC communities.

MARCH 2020

So far, 2020 has been a year filled with both good news and optimism, as well as some unprecedented events. We’ve seen states taking significant climate action (like New Mexico’s governor sign the Energy Transition Act into law) and electric utilities committing to new and more ambitious renewable energy goals (such as  Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Xcel Energy in Colorado, and the Public Service Company of Arizona). We’ve also seen more environmental regulations eliminated at the federal level and a global pandemic forcing millions across the world to stay home and practice social distancing.

We know there hasn’t been a lot of good news to start off this new decade. And we know that most of us are having our patience tried as we try to flatten the curve. So, we at Lotus decided to keep this newsletter as full of positive, uplifting news as possible! Amidst the chaos of a global pandemic, we’ve seen emissions drop in many countries around the world. We are still working with our clients to help them track, model, and strategize how to reduce GHG emissions and provide a healthy, equitable climate for all citizens. As they say, this too shall pass. Let’s keep doing everything we can to make the world a better, more sustainable place!

Project Highlight - Holy Cross Energy’s Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory

Lotus recently began working with the Colorado cooperative utility Holy Cross Energy (HCE) to complete the company’s 2018 operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory. Based in west-central Colorado, HCE provides electric services to over 55,000 members throughout Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa and Pitkin counties.[1] This operational inventory will enable HCE to better understand trends in emissions, help HCE prepare for future local and state GHG policies, and allow HCE to develop internal GHG accounting capabilities. Lotus also reviewed the utility’s power supply emissions from 2005, 2014 and 2018.

[1] See: https://www.holycross.com/service-map/

Lotus Blog - What cities can do to reduce global carbon emissions

We’ve worked for years with towns and cities across the country to help them assess their emissions, model GHG reduction scenarios, and strategize the best way to reduce emissions at the local level. Cities are a significant global source of GHG emissions and will be a critical partner in designing a low-carbon future. In our most recent blog post, we’ll clue you into five of the key strategies that cities can take to make significant reductions in their emissions.

Discover how cities can reduce global carbon emissions in the Blogs section of our website!

podcast and book recommendations FROM THE LOTUS TEAM

Since we’re all spending a lot of time indoors and away from others this spring, the team at Lotus wanted to recommend some of their favorite podcasts and books to help pass the time!

Emily: “I recently read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and absolutely loved it. I also loved City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.”

Hillary: “I love the podcast Totally Football Show;. I listen to every single episode.”

Julia: “I love The Interchange podcast for sustainability-related subject matter. For something completely non-sustainability related and just fun I suggest Everything is Alive. ”

Rachel: “I’m a big fan of the Stuff You Should Know podcast. Also highly recommend the Reply All podcast, and for a good mystery, Dateline (the TV show) also has a podcast version!”

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

In many ways 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. So, in the midst of a global pandemic, we are only including inspiring articles in this quarter’s News section to remind us all that there is still good coming amidst the chaos! Here are our picks for inspiring news articles to start 2020 off on a happy note:

Local News

• Tri-State Generation and Transmission will close all of its coal power plants and mines in Colorado and New Mexico by 2030.

• Eagle County launches a new website for their recently completed Community Resilience Framework, which Lotus helped to support

• The Sustainable Development Strategy Group recently released a primer on renewable energy credits (RECs), see their findings here.

• A recent study by AAA finds that electric vehicles are competitive on lifetime costs with traditional vehicles.

• Rocky Mountain National Park sets another attendance record in 2019.

• ICLEI’s latest annual newsletter spotlights several Colorado communities, including Boulder and Fort Collins.

National News

• Redundancy and overlap not a problem with collaborative climate action plans.

• An updated version of the Local Clean Energy Self-Scoring Tool, which allows communities to assess and analyze their own policies, operations, and initiatives, was released at the end of 2019.

• The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has released a State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) tool to help local governments understand and use localized projections for energy planning.

• New Mexico’s Governor signed the Energy Transition Act into law; this bill requires that 50 percent of electricity be sourced from renewable resources by 2030, and 80 percent by 2040.

• Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest retail and wholesale electricity provider, announced plans to source two thirds of its electricity mix from nuclear and renewables by 2030, and be carbon-free by 2050.

• Xcel Energy announced more details in the utility’s plan to reduce its emissions by 80% by 2030 and to be carbon-free by 2050; as other utilities make similar commitments, the question of what to do with existing fossil fuel assets remains.

• The Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives released a legislative framework for the CLEAN Future Act, which calls for the US to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Senate has also released its own similar legislation called the Clean Economy Act.

• A new study looks at the ways that efficiency programs serve low-income communities and offers insights into opportunities to maximize impact.

• Inside Climate News provided a year-end overview of state action on climate change and what is on the horizon.

• Microsoft vows to reach carbon neutrality and remove all carbon emissions it has ever emitted since 1975 by 2050.

• A bill intended to boost electrical vehicle adoption through infrastructure and battery technology improvements was introduced in the US House of Representatives.

• Why do communities and schools need sustainability coordinators?

• Two-thirds of new power generation capacity that will be added in 2020 will be renewable.

• Starbucks details new sustainability measures including plant-based foods and sustainable packaging.

• New bus lines are connecting West Coast cities and are popular among younger generations that are less likely to own cars.

• Kansas City announces plans to remove fares from the public transportation system almost entirely; it will be the largest US city to make this change, which could support advancements in equity and emissions reductions.

• Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill that will ban fracking; the legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Merkley of Oregon.

• Super Bowl ads for electric vehicles increase significantly for Super Bowl LIV.

• A new bill introduced in the House aims to make plastic producers responsible for plastic pollution.

• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos creates $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund to dole out grants to “any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.”

• Here’s how social distancing and self-quarantine measures during the coronavirus pandemic may help fight climate change in the US and globally.

Global News

• Take a look back at the biggest sustainability stories from 2019.

• Finnish grocery chain tries to tackle excess food waste, offers daily “happy hour” for items close to their sell-by date.

• World’s largest asset management firm BlackRock will begin considering climate change impacts centrally in its investment decisions.

• The European Union has developed a trillion-euro financing plan to mitigate climate change and support a just transition for countries and regions that are currently heavily reliant on coal.

• How you can help those affected by the Australian bushfires.

• China has set new goals on plastic reduction, aiming to ban straws and other single use plastics by 2025.

• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity proposes moving 30% of the Earth’s surface into a conservation status to protect biodiversity and prevent mass extinction and climate change.

• A hydrogen injection project in the UK may show how to reduce emissions in the heating sector through the use of clean-burning hydrogen gas.

• Delta Airlines plans to spend $10 billion over the next 10 years to become the world’s first carbon neutral airline.

• See how China’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak has dramatically improved air quality and has reduced the country’s emissions by 25 percent.

• And emissions reductions are happening around the world as people stay home/telecommute.

Bonus mood booster article: here are the top wildlife photos from National Geographic in 2019!

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you and keep up the social distancing!

No City is Too Small to Help Reduce Global Carbon Emissions

Cities and towns (cities) are a critical partner in the design of a low-carbon future. Generating up to 70 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,[1] cities can drive down carbon emissions through sustainable policies and programs. Not only do these actions have the potential to improve the health of our planet, but cities are also uniquely positioned to lead the transformation of our current fossil-fuel based society into one that fosters more jobs, better health, and brings a more just and equitable economy.

Fortunately, we know what cities need to do.

Approximately 40 percent of cities’ GHG emissions is derived from energy used to operate buildings, transportation emissions make up approximately another 40 percent, and the remaining emissions are generated from the degradation of municipal solid waste, wastewater treatment, and other small sources. There are a few caveats and some cities may have uniquely high contributions from the oil and gas, mining, and agricultural sectors. However, in most cases, the bulk of cities’ emissions are derived from the burning of fossil fuels used in buildings and vehicles.

After years of modeling GHG reduction scenarios, we know some key strategies that reduce the most carbon emissions. The five key strategies are:

1. Commit to sourcing 100 percent of electricity from renewable energy.

2. Electrify buildings by converting combustion fuel systems to electric systems.

3. Replace internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles.

4. Develop and implement inclusive building energy efficiency programs.

5. Shift from traditional single-occupancy travel to ride sharing, transit, biking, and walking.

These actions could reduce most cities’ GHG emissions by upwards of 80 percent. A variety of other solutions are available and should be considered such as zero waste commitments, improved wastewater treatment, and reducing consumption-based activities. Although these activities may not reduce our GHG emissions as much as the list noted above, they contribute tremendously to land, water, and air pollution; public health; community cohesiveness; and general community values.

Strategy 1: 100 Percent Renewable Energy Commitment

Adopting a commitment to source 100 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources is the most impactful move that a community can make to reduce its carbon emissions. While adopting a commitment may seem “soft”, it is impactful. We have seen it. We have seen small municipalities advocate, fight, and even sue their electric utilities so that more renewables can be put onto the grid. And they have been successful in making change. So successful that, in a matter of years, these same utilities committed to their own aggressive renewable goals.

Strategy 2: Electrify Buildings

Electrifying buildings can come with significant financial, political, and equity hurdles. Yet, it must be included to meet ambitious carbon reduction targets. Consider that approximately 50 percent of residential and up to 70 percent of commercial buildings’ energy usage is fueled by natural gas and most buildings in the Rocky Mountain West use natural gas as their heating fuel. By replacing this fuel with electricity, generated from a renewable source, buildings can essentially eliminate all carbon emissions.

Strategy 3: Electrify Transportation

Similar to electrically run buildings, electric mobility options that are implemented in sequence with a greener grid, are critical to reducing carbon. History has shown us that getting people out of their cars isn’t enough and it’s difficult to implement and enforce, thus we must change the vehicles that we drive. Transitioning them from fossil fuel-based energy sources to renewable sources is the most effective way to green our mobility infrastructure.

Strategy 4: Implement Inclusive Energy Efficiency Programs

In addition to reducing carbon in and of itself, reducing energy consumption is essential for meeting 100 percent renewable energy goals. Electrifying buildings and mobility systems adds electricity to the grid, making it harder for utilities to cost-effectively add more renewable energy and manage the grid. Energy efficiency programs that are inclusive – target and include all members of the community – provide simultaneous benefits to a community’s carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enabling the key 100 percent renewable energy goal.

Strategy 5: Reduce Single-Occupancy Vehicle Travel

Getting out of our cars and reducing single-occupancy vehicle travel through transit, carpooling, biking, and walking will reduce emissions from fossil fuel-based vehicles and will ease the strain on the electric grid. Though slightly less impactful than the other key four strategies, increasing mobility options is an essential component to reduce emissions and improves the quality of life for the cities’ residents.

[1] See: https://www.c40.org/why_cities.

DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020

Photo from Aaron Benson on Unsplash

It’s the end of the year, and also the end of the decade, which means it is a great time to reflect on all the work that has been done over the past several years. Since 2010 we’ve seen the frequency and severity of natural disasters increase across the world, and even locally here in Colorado. These disasters have caused significant damage to the nation’s infrastructure, and since 2017 have cost FEMA upwards of $138 billion in Disaster Relief Funds (through September 2019).[1] This year has also seen many communities declare a Climate Emergency as the impacts of inaction on climate change become increasingly more clear.

Now more than ever, it is important for cities to realize the importance of evolving to become inclusive, zero-carbon communities that provide residents with economic and social benefits equitably. The most recent United Nations Environmental Programme Emissions Gap Report[2] states that global carbon emissions are continuing to rise, and that the world is quickly running out of time to avoid the worst impacts from global warming and climate change. Developing and implementing a plan for transitioning towards sustainable and resilient infrastructure and services is critical for cities across Colorado and the world. Cities and towns are beginning to see the necessity of ensuring thriving and equitable communities into the future. Lotus is grateful for the opportunity to support meaningful work at the local, regional, and state level across Colorado, the Four Corners, and the Midwest over the last several years, and we look forward to continuing this work into the next decade.

[1] For more information, see: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1573361021479-05f14acb9b93da2fafa71eb097c330b7/Nov2019DisasterReliefFundReport.pdf

[2] For more information, see: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30798/EGR19ESEN.pdf?sequence=13

Project Highlight - EAGLE COUNTY’S RESILIENCE PLAN

Eagle County, located in central Colorado and home to several of Colorado’s world class ski resorts, embarked on creating the county’s first Resilience Plan earlier this year. Lotus has been working with partner organizations, such as Adaptation International and Aspen Global Change Institute, to complete the Eagle County Community Resilience Plan. In developing the plan, Lotus led an extensive stakeholder engagement process and supported public outreach efforts to ensure that the plan provides a framework for long term community vibrancy, health, success and sustainability for Eagle County. The Plan has four key focus areas (Health & Wellness, Economy & Tourism, Infrastructure, and Natural Resources & the Environment) and a vision that “Eagle County is a thriving, connected, and resilient community that implements innovative ideas and local solutions for environmental stewardship, social equity, and a sustainable economy that benefits all.” Instead of creating a static document that could just live on a shelf, Eagle County opted to  develop the plan as a website that engages community members in the work, provides opportunities to participate and give feedback, and can be regularly updated as the implementation work proceeds. We’ve been thrilled to be able to support this project and can’t wait to see the County continue on its resiliency journey!

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT - TOWN OF ERIE’S SUSTAINABILITY MASTER PLAN

The Town of Erie, Colorado, recently approved the Town’s first Sustainability Master Plan. Lotus was selected to help the Town complete this work and collaborated with Town staff and the Town’s Sustainability Advisory Board to develop the Plan. The Plan has four key sectors: Energy Use; Transportation; Waste, Recycling and Composting; and Education & Outreach. Each sector includes a list of priorities and strategies that the Town can take to enhance the sustainability of Town operations and residents’ lives over the next five years. The Plan also includes measurable targets through which Erie can gauge its success, and guiding principles for implementation that note key partners and resources that the Town can engage in this effort. This Plan will serve as a decision-making tool to identify projects that the Town can pursue in order to achieve its Sustainability Vision of becoming “…a leader in sustainability by providing outreach and leadership alongside inclusive and accessible opportunities that support the growth of the local economy and engage the community while protecting the natural environment.” Lotus is grateful for the opportunity to have helped the Town create their first Sustainability Master Plan and is excited to see Erie implement this work in the coming years!

Lotus Blog - HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CREATE RESILIENCY

How can cities become more resilient to climate change and its impacts? Just ask the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). This network of more than 10,000 mayors from local governments across the world is working towards “a resilient and low emission economy.” In its recent report titled “Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity,” the GCoM explores how local, state, and national governments have the power and unique opportunity to work together to create resiliency, while also implementing mitigation strategies, in the face of a climate emergency.

Discover How Cities can Create Resiliency in the Blogs section of our website!

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FROM THE LOTUS TEAM

Emily: “Buy with intention. Buy gifts with meaning that contribute less to the waste, make more with less, invest in larger purchases (such as an EV and community solar) that lowers my carbon footprint.”

Hillary: “I want to start buying like nothing is recyclable. See this video for inspiration: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/opinion/recycling-myths.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage”

Julia: “My fiancé and I are planning a zero-waste wedding, including composting all food waste, sourcing food locally, and growing our own pots of flowers for centerpieces.”

Rachel: “I'm hoping to move to an apartment that provides recycling services and makes it easier for me to compost, bike to places safely, and where I feel comfortable working from home! Also, I want to try to buy in bulk more and bring my own containers to the grocery store.”

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

It’s been an up and down year and decade for the environmental movement in the US and across the world. While nationally we’ve seen roll backs on environmental regulations and the US leaving the Paris Climate Accord, we’ve seen local and state governments, other nations, and private companies step up to the plate to take firm action on mitigating and adapting to climate change. Here are some inspiring and noteworthy news articles to close out the year and the decade:

Local News

• CDPHE releases a risk assessment of the oil and gas industry on public health.

• Voters in Colorado passed Proposition DD, which taxes sports betting to fund the state’s water fund.

• United Power and La Plata Electric Association ask the Public Utilities Commissions to determine the cost for them to buy out of their contracts with Tri-State Generation and Transmission.

• A new study shows that deep decarbonization of the electrical sector in Colorado will not only reduce emissions, but also result in significant cost savings for the state.

• Lyft is piloting a 200 electric vehicle fleet in Denver.

• GRID Alternatives Colorado hosted its 4th We Build Installation in November as a part of its Women in Solar program.

• Solaris Energy and Namaste Solar completed a 1-MW Solinator Garden for the City of Fort Collins in November.

• Routt County and Steamboat Springs to use greenhouse gas emissions inventory to help create joint Climate Action Plan.

• Tri-State Generation, along with several national partners, help establish Beneficial Electrification League’s first Colorado chapter.

National News

• PepsiCo is spending $1 billion to advance sustainability initiatives within the company.

• More U.S. cities are adopting electric buses into their public transit fleets, reducing emissions and enhancing cost savings for the communities.

• Air quality in the US is declining, leading to nearly 10,000 more deaths annually since 2016.

• It’s official: the Trump Administration begins paperwork to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.

• California cities consider creating their own electric utilities after several days of blackout from PG&E.

• With fires erupting in California, the National Weather Service issues a first-ever Extreme Red Flag Warning for two California counties.

• Utilities have multiple tools at their disposal in their efforts to decarbonize the energy they provide customers.

• A new report details how programs across the United States are attempting to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations through in-home energy efficiency measures.

• Does building electric vehicles create more emissions than conventional fuel powered vehicles?

• Patagonia aims to cut down on waste with its new Worn Wear line of products.

• Climate change protesters disrupt and delay the Harvard-Yale football game.

• Alaska Natives’ ice shelters are melting due to a warming planet.

• Learn why most greenhouse gas inventories underestimate emissions from agriculture.

• Humans are exceptionally talented at ignoring the facts on environmental issues, argues one western environmental reporter.

• IBM throws its support behind the Climate Leadership Council’s Carbon Dividend Plan.

• First-of-its-kind report from ACEEE reveals dramatic energy efficiency impacts, warns of stalled progress in face of climate challenge.

Global News

• Germany has instituted a price on carbon, but will other countries follow Germany’s lead?

• Nearly 2,000 metric tons of waste will be created from Halloween this year in the UK.

• Climate denial is waning across the world as the impacts are beginning to be felt.

• This year is shaping up to be the second warmest on record, with significant sea level rise.

• International climate activist Greta Thunberg turns down a major environmental award, asks world leaders to start listening to the science.

• Analyzing the economic, environmental, and broader social impacts related to climate risk is a growing field, and a recent episode of The Interchange details how those analysis can be approached. 

• In November, New Zealand passed a Zero Carbon Bill, mandating the country to reach zero net carbon emissions by January 1, 2050.

• Indonesia may set record for area burned in forest fires in 2019.

• New floating solar farm in the Netherlands shows the ease of installing renewable energy.

• Environmentalists discuss the global impact of Black Friday and why we can’t seem to break the spending habit.

• RMI releases new report on the 7 Challenges for Energy Transformation.

• RecycLiCo, an e-waste innovator, reports 99.97% purity from recycled Lithium Ion battery materials, making it feasible to recycle electronic waste.

• Here’s a list of the best climate change charities to donate to this holiday season (or any time, really).

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

How Local Governments Create Resilient Cities

The Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) was established in 2017 when the North American Compact of Mayors and the EU’s Covenant of Mayors merged. This created a network of more than 10,000 cities and local governments from six continents and 139 countries that are working towards “supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and towards a resilient and low-emission economy.”[i] Cities and local governments can register to join the GCoM and by doing so they are committing to implementing and monitoring strategic action plans while making information on their efforts and results publicly available.

Figure 1. GCoM’s six top priorities for national action. See Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity.

In September of this year the GCoM, as part of a coalition of more than 50 global organizations, released a report titled “Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity.”[ii] This report was released just before the UN’s Climate Action Summit, and in the midst of worldwide School Strikes for Climate led by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The report “quantifies the social, environmental, and economic benefits available to national governments willing to enable, empower, and invest in zero-carbon cities.” Additionally, the report aims to rebalance the global conversation around cities, underscoring the crucial roles of national and state governments, in partnership with local governments, in shaping cities.

One of the main points made in the report is the fact that, with current technologies and practices, it is feasible for cities across the world to decrease emissions 90% by 2050 from 2010 levels. These emission reductions would primarily come from building electrification and efficiency (58%), followed by transportation (21%), materials efficiency (16%), and waste diversion and reduction (5%). This is an ambitious goal that would require significant capital investment (around $1.83 trillion, or 2% of global GDP annually), but with increasing concern that the planet is headed towards climate catastrophe,[iii] these investments may pale in comparison with the amount that would be spent coping with forthcoming climate impacts. While national-level policies will be key to advancing climate action globally, cities have shown that they can be leaders in making concrete decisions that will make their residents resilient to future climate impacts.

Currently, less than 40% of all countries have an explicit national strategy for cities (in relation to UN Sustainable Development Goal #11 [make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable]). This gap leaves cities and countries vulnerable to risks related to climate change. City governments account for nearly one third of the emissions reduction potential and can significantly influence the actions taken by national governments worldwide.[iv] The report lists six top priorities for national action (Figure 1), with the overarching priority being to “proactively plan for a just transition to zero-carbon cities.” It is imperative for cities to use these strategies to advocate for “ambitious, coordinated climate action.”

The report also features case studies of cities across the world that have made rapid, sustainable transitions that have helped their residents become more resilient towards climate change impacts. One of those cities is Indore, India. Indore was plagued by waste and smog throughout the city, leading to protests by citizens. To combat the growing waste problem, the City took action by now offering twice-daily door-to-door waste collection services, even to citizens living in settlements. Residents pay around $0.86 per month for these services and sort the waste and recycling themselves. The government in Indore has constructed a biogas plant for organic waste which fuels City buses, and also has plans to construct more biogas plants in the future to power more of the City’s bus fleet. Recycled plastic is also sold for use in the construction of roads and buildings in the City. These initiatives are made possible through national legislation called the Swachh Bharat Mission,[v] which has a goal of creating a clean and defecation free India by 2019. There is also national legislation in India which allows cities to borrow money to enact these initiatives. There are some outstanding inclusion problems, which the City is working towards mitigating, but Indore is now an example city in India and across the world for waste management.

Another example of a rapid, sustainable transition is in Seoul, South Korea. After the end of the Korean War, Seoul began to expand rapidly, which led to the expansion of informal developments. This was creating sprawl within Seoul, and the City quickly passed several pieces of legislation aimed at combating sprawl and agglomerating the housing options within the city. By readjusting land and creating a higher density throughout the entire city (17,000 residents per square kilometer) and capitalizing on the construction by redesigning the metro rail system simultaneously, Seoul residents now experience less congestion, well-situated housing options, and lower cost of living. Agglomeration also helps create resiliency in Seoul; sitting just slightly above sea level,[vi] building up rather than out helps prevent infrastructure costs associated with sea level rise. Pairing mitigation strategies with resilience efforts is helping to make Seoul a climate ready city.

At Lotus, we work with many municipal and state clients to help them with rapid, sustainable transitions towards resiliency. Cities throughout Colorado can take the lessons learned from these case studies and can take the strategies provided in this report to make strides toward increasing the sustainability and resiliency of their cities.

[i] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/about/

[ii] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Climate-Emergency-Urban-Opportunity-report.pdf

[iii] https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2019

[iv] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Climate-Emergency-Urban-Opportunity-Briefing-for-mayors.pdf

[v] http://swachhbharatmission.gov.in/SBMCMS/about-us.htm

[vi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul

OCTOBER 2019

Back in September, children around the world skipped school to attend their local strike against climate inaction. These strikes aimed to bring attention to the lack of impactful climate policies across the world in order to take steps toward climate mitigation and adaptation. Lead by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, this quickly became one of the largest environmental protests in history. The strike drew attention worldwide, and even led some countries to make commitments to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions more quickly than previously pledged.

Here at Lotus, we’re committed to working with communities to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions and develop strategies for tangible and impactful reductions in these emissions. We specialize in working directly with our clients to understand their communities and create plans that are tailored to their needs and capacity. And we’re not just focused on Colorado; we’re currently working across state lines with the City of Las Cruces, New Mexico to help complete a greenhouse gas inventory and develop greenhouse gas reduction strategies. Continue reading to learn more about this exciting project!

Project Highlight - Las Cruces, NM Aims to Understand, Reduce the City’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Las Cruces, New Mexico, located in southwest New Mexico, is the state’s second largest city and home to New Mexico State University. Lotus is working to complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the City, and also to develop greenhouse gas reduction targets and strategies. This work will help the City understand its carbon footprint, identify and implement ways to reduce its carbon footprint, gain community buy-in, and inform future policy and programs. Throughout the process of identifying emission reduction strategies, a Task Force of local experts and leaders in sustainability will provide guidance and feedback on the development of the strategies. We will also work with a broader group of community stakeholders to vet these strategies and identify the steps towards implementation.

One of the first and most important steps in the process of understanding what strategies are most relevant for the community is identifying the community’s values and determining how emission reduction strategies may have an impact on equity. In Las Cruces, a diverse community that sits close to the border with Mexico, ensuring that emission mitigation has the dual impact of improving the quality of life for every community member is a strong value that will help guide the process of identifying relevant emission reduction strategies. Based on information in the emissions inventory, the biggest share of community emissions comes from the transportation sector, and specifically from gasoline-powered vehicles. By considering strategies that reduce single occupancy vehicle use, make it easier for the community to move around in people-powered forms of transportation, and improve access to public transportation, the community can realize both emission reductions, while also reducing the cost of transportation, improving access to multi-modal options, and improving air quality, particularly near major roadways.

We are thrilled to be supporting this work and, while in the early stages of strategy development, are very excited to see how climate mitigation can also enhance equity and improve quality of life in the community.

Lotus Blog - Equity vs. Equality Parts 1 & 2, What does it all Mean?

Equity and equality are terms sometimes used in the same context in our society. In a general sense, they both suggest the idea of everything being fair or even; however, they mean different things. Our most recent blog posts help to give an understanding of the difference between the terms equity and equality, and how those terms are used in the sustainability realm and in the evaluation of emission reductions and climate adaptation strategies. Discover the link between Equity and Equality in the Blogs section of our website!

Lotus is Growing!

Lotus welcomed Rachel Meier to the team in September! Rachel brings expertise in spatial analysis, data visualization and sustainability planning to the Lotus team. Prior to joining Lotus, Rachel completed her Masters of the Environment (MENV) degree at the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2017 and spent time with The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico working on projects related to electric vehicle charging station planning, urban heat island mitigation, and post-wildfire reforestation. When she’s not crunching numbers in Excel or drafting infographics in Illustrator, you can find Rachel on the trails hiking, out on a paddleboard, trying to stay upright while skiing down the slopes, or listening to live music somewhere along the Front Range.

Lotus in the Community

Don’t miss out on Denver’s 2019 Sustainability Summit on December 5 at the Colorado Convention Center! Come see some of the incredible work happening across the Front Range and statewide, and say hi to Julia and Rachel from the Lotus team!

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

We’ve seen hurricanes create wide swaths of devastation in the Southeast and in the Bahamas, and we set a record for the hottest September on record here in Colorado. There has also been an increased emphasis on climate policies both at the local level and in the Democratic presidential debates. Please see below for just some of the many articles with sustainability and climate action at the forefront that we found interesting.

Local News

• Colorado recently voted to adopt California’s Zero Emission Vehicle program, mandating five percent of the state’s vehicle sales to be zero- or low-emission vehicles by 2023.

• The City and County of Denver is taking steps to address climate change, announce new Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency.

• WalletHub releases its Greenest Cities in America list, ranking Denver at #29.

• A new water pipeline, planned to transfer water from the San Luis Valley to Douglas County in the Front Range, is being met with opposition from local farmers.

• Advertising push for Proposition DD aims to clarify how tax on sports betting will fund Colorado’s Water Plan.

National News

• A new report from the Urban Land Institute outlines how extreme heat will impact the real estate industry in the US and the key role that the industry plays in creating heat-resilient cities.

• Cities across the country are adopting more stringent building codes in order to address and reduce energy use in buildings.

• Here’s a look at 5 energy companies that are changing the face of renewables in 2019.

• The US now has its first all-electric fuel station.

• Honolulu is preparing for sea level rise and mitigation as the most recent UN report shows that communities like it will be greatly impacted by the changing climate.

• The weekly Energy Gang podcast devoted a recent episode to exploring how batteries are becoming a new normal for grid operators to enhance resiliency, flexibility, and energy storage.

• Despite a wet winter in 2018/19, Lake Mead is projected to fall below 1,090 ft by January 1, 2020 and will trigger water cutbacks for Arizona and Nevada in 2020.

• Axios gives an overview of CNN’s marathon Climate Town Hall from September 4.

• According to new polling from the group Climate Nexus, 7 in 10 American voters support government action to address climate change.

• Carbon Brief explores the use of net-zero emission targets, and the need for separate targets for emissions reductions and emissions capture in order to ensure that we focus on near-term opportunities to reduce emissions first.

• A new report from ACEEE shows that energy efficiency alone has the potential to cut US energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.

• ACEEE has also released a new policy brief detailing the problem of affordable energy in the US, and some policy options to solve this issue.

Global News

• Greenland’s ice sheet has melted a record amount this year.

• The Lower Darling River in New South Wales, Australia is on the brink of environmental collapse as the government orders relocation of the river’s native fish population.

• Hurricane Dorian devastates the Bahamas, 70,000 Bahamians require assistance.

• Meet some of the other inspiring young climate activists from around the world.

• The recent UN Climate Summit resulted in commitments from several small countries, a moving speech from a young climate activist, but little movement from the world’s biggest polluters.

• Budweiser UK/Ireland is spending big money to eliminate plastic rings on beer cans by 2020.

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you!

JULY 2019

Increased extreme weather events, higher than normal temperatures, reduced snowpack, outbreaks of disease, and adverse economic impacts can all be attributed to climate change. Nationwide, In 2017 alone, 16 disaster events resulted in the death of 362 people (double the death toll for 2016) and over $306 billion in total damage (of that total, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria attributed $265 billion in losses alone). This doesn’t count the events that occur on a “smaller” scale but have a large impact on a localized front including flooding, avalanches, and severe storms. During the winter of 2017/2018, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center collected data on more than 2,200 avalanches where 45 people were caught, and three people died.

At the crux of the issue is how impacts from climate change affect all of us. Elderly and young people, along with those with compromised health, tend to be more susceptible to physical and health hazards that can be associated with adverse weather events. As we prepare for the future and plan for resiliency, it is important to keep not only the physical environment in mind, but also the public health of our communities. But what are communities doing to combat the challenges they face? Keep reading to learn more about what Eagle County, Colorado is doing to step up and face these challenges head on while maintaining a healthy and vibrant community for its residents and those who visit.

Project Highlight –Helping to build a more resilient community in Eagle County

Many communities across the country are recognizing that even as they take action to mitigate their environmental impact and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they will likely still feel the results of the climate crisis within their boundaries. These climate-related impacts can range from increased drought and wildfire risk, to sea level rise and flooding, and reach as far as increased risk for health issues such as heat-related and vector-borne illnesses. All the impacts may exacerbate existing challenges many people face in their daily lives including mental health, feeling safe and secure at home, making a livable wage, etc. These hazards and events impact the whole community without discrimination, and often it is those among us with the least access to resources who feel the greatest impacts. In the coming decades, the State of Colorado is expected to see a rise in temperatures, more frequent and extreme drought events, and changes in seasonality and climate that significantly impact the tourism and agricultural sectors of the state’s economy.

Recognizing the need to ensure the community is resilient to the various impacts of our changing climate, and that the community can absorb the shocks of these climate impacts, Eagle County is developing a community resilience plan. This plan will define a vision for a vibrant, connected, sustainable, and holistic community that is prepared for (and resilient to) the various stressors that will result from climate change. Lotus is thrilled and honored to partner with Adaptation International on the development of this plan. Our team is leading a series of stakeholder engagement workshops and community surveys that will ensure this plan is effective, equitable, and considers the needs and concerns of the entire community. It is both inspiring and empowering to work with a community that is so driven to ensure that every citizen, organization, business, and ecosystem is supported to continue to thrive long into the future. We look forward to providing an update on this project as the Eagle County Community Resilience Plan evolves from vision to reality.

Lotus Blogs— Equality versus Equity

This month’s Lotus blog focuses on equality versus equity. In this Part 1 of our two-part blog, we discuss the difference between the two terms and explain how they relate to sustainability and climate. Part 2 of the series will dive into more detail and discuss how the terms are applied when evaluating emission reduction and climate adaptation strategies. To read more, check out the blogs section of our website and be sure to catch Part 2 as well!

Lotus in the Community

Lotus’s very own Hillary Dobos will be part of a Commit to Action Panel & Workshop (4th in Series) highlighting commitment to the most recent Sustainable Denver Summit. The discussion takes place on August 22 at the Alliance Center. The commitment on behalf of participants during the summit was to work with at least three organizations to develop, integrate, and achieve their environmental justice goals and Hillary will share Lotus’s progress thus far!

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

On July 16th the Denver Office of Sustainability announced, “Happy Inauguration Day!” as Mayor Michael B. Hancock was sworn in for his third term as Mayor of Denver. Mayor Hancock has taken a stand on the importance of curbing climate change and we are excited to see more progress over the next four years!

Below are recent articles that Lotus found inspiring or noteworthy. If you ever have an article you think we should share, please let us know!

Local News

• Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association announced a goal to provide 80% carbon-free electricity to all members of the cooperative by 2030; this is the first such goal by an electric cooperative in Colorado.

• Xcel Energy CEO Ben Fawke was interviewed about how and why the utility is moving towards their clean energy goals in a recent episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast.

• A recent Colorado Greenhouse Gas Inventory projects emissions to decline into 2030.

• Study shows that the 2013 floods in Colorado increased acknowledgement of global warming.

National News

• As the Environmental Protection Agency finalizes the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which replaces the Clean Power Plan, states and green advocacy groups prepare for court battles.

• A recent New York Times article questions how to divvy up funding for disaster resiliency for coastal cities when the cost far outpaces the available funds.

• New York state’s new aggressive Climate and Community Protection Act includes some of the most aggressive emission reduction targets in the country, along with important provisions to address issues of equity in fighting climate change.

• Fortune magazine ran a brief profile on the climate change policies and agendas released by several of the 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls.

• In an unprecedented legal case, a group of young people are suing the federal government for its role in causing climate change due to its support for the fossil fuel industry. If you haven’t heard of this case and want to learn more, watch the recent 60 Minutes episode on it.

• A recent profile of some of the young people sparking the climate movement in countries across the globe is an inspiring read.

• A recent report finds that impacts from climate change will push 120 million people into poverty by 2030, yet in the U.S. very little is being done to protect underserved populations.

• A study shows that 69 percent of Americans are “somewhat worried” about climate change.

• Zero Hour, a youth advocacy group, attended a 3-day event in Miami titled “This is Zero Hour: The Youth Climate Summit” focused on climate action and protecting the environment.

• Improving energy efficiency includes using data that leads to more informed decisions related to corporate sustainability.

Global News

• France experienced temperatures approaching 115⁰F at the end of June, but the EU remains divided when it comes to climate change.

• The People’s Summit on Climate, Rights and Human Survival is the first ever global summit on human rights and climate change and will be held in New York on September 18th and 19th. The Summit aims to encourage the human rights community to urgently scale-up its efforts on climate justice, creating the most diverse movement ever assembled to tackle the climate crisis.

• Researchers have found that by not taking action against climate change, sustainable development may be hindered. According to the article, climate change threatens to undermine 40% of the targets identified within the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action, resiliency, and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Thank you!

MAY 2019

If you regularly read sustainability news, you may have noticed that more and more state and local governments are passing legislation aimed at tackling climate change with policies aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy, assisting coal-oriented communities in the transition toward cleaner fuels, and changing the norm in terms of transportation in favor of less-emitting options such as electric vehicles. Furthermore, there is an uptick in the number of municipalities and companies developing greenhouse gas inventories to set the baseline for future climate action.

Developing greenhouse gas inventories and modeling strategies is a Lotus specialty and we have completed greenhouse gas inventories for more than 40 municipalities. In addition to our work with municipalities, we are thrilled to be working with the Grand Canyon Trust on a unique, large-scale, regional greenhouse gas inventory covering the four corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, better known as the Colorado Plateau. Continue reading to learn how Grand Canyon Trust is developing an understanding of greenhouse gas emissions within the Colorado Plateau.

Grand Canyon Trust Embarks on a Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

The Colorado Plateau covers an area of roughly 130,000 square miles and includes portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It is home to nine national parks and more than a dozen national monuments. Since 1985, the Grand Canyon Trust has set out to protect and restore the Colorado Plateau. To support their mission, Lotus is helping to develop their first greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The inventory tool will help the Grand Canyon Trust better understand the biggest source of emissions within the Colorado Plateau, identify opportunities to impact those sources through policy, and help educate interested parties. Because this inventory includes over 40 counties within 4 states it is complex and unique. Lotus is so excited to be able to apply our expertise in this arena to help the Grand Canyon Trust continue their mission and protect the Colorado Plateau.

Lotus Blogs—An Overview of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5 Degrees of Warming (Parts 1 and 2)

Our most recent blog posts summarize an October 2018 report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that outlines the impacts of climate change if temperatures raise 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels. The goal of the report is to explain how the response to climate change, sustainable development, and the eradication of poverty can be most effectively addressed and expanded. This is just one, global, science-based explanation of what happens if we continue with business as usual. These blogs were written by Maggie Zeh, a senior at Rock Canyon High School, who worked with Lotus as part of her senior career exploration coursework. Maggie plans to continue following her passion for the environment this fall at the University of Michigan, where she will major in Environmental Science. We wish Maggie the best of luck and appreciate all her hard work during her time with us!

Lotus is Growing!

Lotus welcomed Karmen Griffith to the team in March! Karmen brings over 15 years of experience in environmental consulting, compliance, and project management to the Lotus team. Prior to joining Lotus, Karmen led a variety of private and public-sector environmental programs for Tetra Tech, including working on the State of Colorado's waste tire program and leading projects related to environmental compliance, stormwater, and environmental due diligence. Karmen is known for her program and project management skills, research expertise, and technical report writing and reviews.  As a Lotus Associate, she provides support on a wide variety of projects for Lotus' clients, including greenhouse gas inventories and modeling, toolkit development, plan research and development, and stakeholder facilitation. Please join us in welcoming Karmen to the team!

In addition to adding Karmen to the team, Lotus is excited to announce that we are seeking to fill the role of Research Associate as our fifth employee! We are looking for someone who is willing to pitch in on all tasks that come up in the course of business. We need someone who is flexible, nimble, and willing to adapt to the needs of our business in a rapidly evolving market!  Ideal candidates have 2-4 years of experience, strong communication skills (oral and written), and a passion for the type of work we do. Please see the full job description on www.lotussustainability.com. All interested candidates are encouraged to contact Hillary Dobos at hillary@lotussustainability.com.

Lotus in the Community

Lotus’s Julia Ferguson will be speaking at the Sustainability Leadership Program on June 20th, 2019. The mission of the Sustainability Leadership Program (offered through the Sustainable Living Association) is to develop leaders who will address our present challenges and opportunities so that future generations can enjoy better options than those available today.

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

The beginning of May marked the end of the Colorado legislative session, and we are seeing a path forward aimed at tackling climate change. Beyond Colorado, there is growing momentum in the same direction! Please see below for just some of the many articles with sustainability and climate action at the forefront that we found interesting. 

Local News

• Several bills in the Colorado state legislative session relate to climate change and sustainability: HB 19-1261 creates a framework to tackle climate change by setting science-based goals to reduce carbon pollution of at least 26 percent by 2025, 50 percent by 2030, and 90 percent by 2050 (compared to 2005 levels); HB 19-096 identifies opportunities to facilitate emissions data collection to meet statewide goals.

• The Colorado Legislature has passed two new bills aimed at reducing energy and water use in buildings: HB19-1231 sets minimum energy and water-saving standards for residential and commercial appliances; and HB 19-1260 requires local jurisdictions to adopt one of the three most recent versions on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) when they update other building codes.

• Colorado State Representative Chris Hansen, who recently put forward a bill on retiring coal power plants that will provide environmental benefits as well as benefits to the local communities that rely on the plants for their economic livelihood, share more about the bill on the podcast the Energy Transition Show.

• Colorado Governor Polis signed into law SB 19-181, which is aimed at limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations in the state by giving local governments land-use authority over extraction projects.

National News

• Most consumers want renewable electricity, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports.

• The New Mexico legislature last month passed Senate Bill 489, establishing goals for 80 percent renewable electricity by 2040 and 100 percent by 2045, as well as community assistance provisions for coal-impacted communities. New Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law.

• Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced the launch of a new council, the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council, which will address oversight gaps created by emerging transportation technologies.

• Many local governments are struggling with how to provide recycling services in the wake of changes to recycling markets; this columnist argues that moving to dual- or multi-stream recycling systems may provide a solution.

• Seven Western states have agreed on a plan to manage the Colorado River amid the current 19-year drought.

• The Columbia Energy Exchange podcast recently explored the findings of “Sustainable Energy in America” Factbook and discussed the changing U.S. energy landscape with Lisa Jacobson.

• A judge blocked oil and gas drilling in parts of Wyoming and said the U.S. government must consider climate change impacts differently when leasing public lands for energy exploration.

• Nevada’s Governor Sisolack announces the state will join the U.S. Climate Alliance.

• A new study indicates that congestion pricing in L.A. could reduce emissions from transportation by 20%; New York plans to implement congestion pricing in 2021. 

• Idaho Power joins Xcel Energy as one of the few investor-owned utilities that has established a 100% clean electricity goal the Idaho utility plans to accomplish this by 2045.

• A new analysis estimates that 86 percent of coal-fired power plants will be more expensive to operate than local renewable energy by 2025. 

• As the uptake of electric vehicles continues to increase, utilities see a potential revenue stream in the investment of EV charging infrastructure.

• Representative Paul Tonko, who is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, shared the intent of this committee in the upcoming legislative sessions with the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast.

• Multiple states are looking at opportunities to further regulate refrigerants, which represent an extremely potent form of greenhouse gases.

• Recent NASA data indicates that the planet may be warming at a slightly faster pace than previously estimated.

• South Carolina joins several other coastal states in a move to restrict off-shore drilling in advance of the Department of Interior’s Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposal.

• The City of Chicago is the latest to join a group of U.S. cities committed to achieving 100% renewable energy, most of which will come from wind power around the Windy City; Chicago plans on meeting this target by 2040, and is the largest U.S. city to set this commitment yet.

• Senator Ed Markey, one of the co-sponsors of the Green New Deal, spoke with Vox about the resolution’s intent and potential for impact.

• A new bill in New York City will place emissions caps on existing buildings in an attempt to cut emissions from the City’s biggest carbon-emitting sector.

• Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state, who has championed clean energy policy, talks about tools for decarbonization on the Columbia Energy Exchange.

• Puerto Rico’s legislature passed an ambitious bill for the territory to obtain 100% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2050, but the reliance on natural gas may make this difficult.

Global News

• The city of Copenhagen, Denmark, offers many examples of how a sustainable city can be successfully planned and developed from the existing infrastructure.

• Over 40 governments across the globe have adopted carbon pricing schemes to reduce emissions; the New York Times provided an overview of several, including their price on carbon and impact potential.

• Germany is considering introducing a carbon emissions tax to curb the production of greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, Amsterdam is moving to remove over 11,000 parking spots in the city by 2025, creating more space for cyclists and pedestrians.

We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you!

MARCH 2019

Across the country and, indeed, the world, youth-led movements focused on supporting and leading climate action initiatives are growing. As students in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom ask their country’s leaders to address climate change through policy and planning (including through an international school climate strike planned for March 15th), groups of youth in the United States are working towards a similar goal. A group of youth is even going so far as to challenge the government’s standing on climate change in the courts, arguing that by allowing climate change to continue at the current pace, the U.S. government is threatening their and future generations’ rights to ‘life, liberty, and property.’ As these youth movements gain attention on the national front, we’ve witnessed the power of involving youth in climate action planning and work at a local level as well.

Continue reading to learn about how the City of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, made the involvement and voices of the community’s youth a cornerstone of their aggressive climate action plan, which calls for net zero emissions from the community by 2040. You can also hear directly from a young person passionate about climate change, as our blog post this month was written by Maggie Zeh, a senior at Rock Canyon High School. Maggie is interested in pursuing a career in sustainability and is shadowing Lotus as part of her senior career exploration studies. Finally, take a look at some of the most compelling climate and policy-related news stories that we’ve been following on the local, national, and international stage.

We always appreciate your feedback, and the opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments.

St. Louis Park Makes Youth Involvement a Focus of the City’s Aspirational Climate Action Plan

The City of St. Louis Park, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, boasts one of the most aggressive climate action goals in local governments: the City aims to be a carbon neutral community by 2040. The community’s climate action plan, completed and adopted by City Council in early 2018, included significant involvement from youth in the community that are passionate about climate change. The core stakeholder group for the plan, which included 10 youth representatives, ensured that youth concerns were heard and addressed during plan development. This was done by working with both iMatter, a Minnesota-based and youth-led organization that works on climate action, and Roots & Shoots, the local environmental club from St. Louis Park High School. Additionally, the plan calls for continual involvement from youth groups like iMatter and Roots and Shoots to ensure that young people in the community remain engaged and their voices and concerns continue to be heard throughout the implementation of the City’s sustainability initiatives.

St. Louis Park has a Council-appointed, resident-led Environment and Sustainability Commission that meets monthly to support the City’s overall sustainability efforts and provide direction and guidance on opportunities to involve the community in this work. Of the Commission’s 13 members representing each ward in the City, two members are youth representatives. In this way St. Louis Park is illustrating that the City recognizes that continual and active involvement of youth is crucial to the success of the City’s climate action policies. Additionally, through the youth members of the Environment and Sustainability Commission, St. Louis Park is able to leverage additional resources in communicating the City’s sustainability vision to all members of the community, including through engaging the community at youth-focused events and using the ever-present tool of social media.

The leadership and community in St. Louis Park acknowledged that climate change has the potential to drastically impact the world which young people will inherit, and had the wisdom to recognize the power of youth voices and engagement in climate action. This sets an excellent example of the expanded reach that community’s can have in their climate action policies and programs.

Lotus Blog: More than the ‘iGen’—Parts 1 and 2

The involvement of young people in climate change activism has grown rapidly in the past few years, and groups of passionate and informed youth are driving local conversation about climate action policies. These youth groups make a compelling argument—our failure as a society to address climate change ensures a less stable, more hazardous, and more economically insecure future for their generations and those that come after. Our most recent blog posts, which can be found in two quick reads, was written by Maggie Zeh, a senior at Rock Canyon High School who is working with Lotus as part of her senior career exploration coursework. Maggie is passionate about the environment and interested in pursuing a career in sustainability.

Hear what one young person has to say about why her generation cares about climate change.

Inspiring or Noteworthy News

News stories about climate policy, opportunities to improve and invest in technologies to reduce emissions, and how the public sector is responding have been abundant in the early part of 2019. If you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter.

LOCAL NEWS

• Boulder may have some of the highest concentrations of certain air quality contaminants.

• Two Colorado co-operative utilities considering partnership to reduce coal and increase renewables.

• City and County of Denver receive $2.5M from American Cities Climate Challenge to help combat impacts from climate change.

• Unsatisfied by rising rates and limited by renewable options , some Colorado electric co-operatives are looking for new options.

• Governor Polis announced an executive order aimed at supporting and expanding the adoption and development of infrastructure for vehicle electrification.

• Colorado ski areas and the ski industry in general are focusing on their relationships with utilities and regulators to address their climate action goals.

• Uber and RTD partner in Denver to provide mobility as a service.

• House Bill 17-1339 is designed to issue low-cost bonds to help utilities close coal plants and cover the transition.

• Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission asserted its jurisdiction over the dispute between Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Delta-Montrose Electric Authority.

• Several of Colorado’s rural electric co-operatives have announced clean energy goals.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Clean energy policies and support is gaining political common ground as the economic and environmental benefits of these projects become more appealing.

• A Virginia County is debuting a small autonomous shuttle that will travel through the commercial districts.

• The House Energy and Commerce committee will focus its first hearings of 2019 on climate change, which hasn’t been discussed at length by the committee in several years.

• America’s carbon dioxide emissions rose by 3.4 percent in 2018, the biggest increase in eight years.

• Cities are rethinking the way they address transportation and mobility, and Pittsburgh’s goals are a reflection of this.

• Oil companies are starting to support carbon taxing policies. 

• Freshman democrats in Congress are pushing for a Green New Deal. Thomas Friedman argues that it is a strategy for American national security, national resilience, and natural economic leadership.

• The Governor of Pennsylvania has announced the state’s first carbon emissions reduction targets.

• Researchers at the University of Arizona have mapped changes in snow mass in Western states since 1982 at a detailed scale and found that some areas have had a decline in maximum snow mass of 41%.

• U.S. air travel is on the rise, which means more emissions in the transportation sector; many U.S. based airlines are not addressing climate mitigation to the degree that airlines in the EU are.

• GM is moving thousands of engineers from working on internal combustion engines to electric and autonomous vehicles, with a focus on the Chinese market and sports utility vehicles.

• The National Renewable Energy Lab and the Clean Energy States Alliance release a report on the design and implementation of community solar gardens for low-to-moderate income customers, which provides useful insight for project and program developers. The report draws on Lotus’s work with the Colorado Energy Office on the Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project.

• Cities are (sometimes unintentionally) adopting regulations and laws that will support climate change efforts, tucked into measures related to housing and transportation.

• The Department of Defense released a report that details the threats to U.S. military installations due to climate change impacts.

• At least 6 GW of coal capacity is expected to be retired in the U.S. in 2019.

• Los Angeles is abandoning three natural gas plants with plans to invest in more renewables.

• Illinois is the latest state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance and commit to reduce carbon emissions in the coming years.

• A recent poll from Yale and George Mason Universities shows that more Americans than ever are concerned about the impacts that climate change will have on their lives and the future.

• Solar requirements on new homes are now being enforced in California, while other states grapple with the economic impacts and feasibility of such policies.

• New Mexico’s governor moves to limit methane emissions from oil and gas development in the state and also reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 (over a 2005 baseline) ‘as soon as practicable.’

• Electric vehicles are dominating the conversation within the public sector.

• The New York Times published an interesting interactive graphic that estimates what the emissions reduction impacts would be if the U.S. were to adopt similar climate change mitigation policies as some other states and nations have.

• The recent polar vortex in the Midwest provided an opportunity to analyze the need for massive deployment of energy storage in order for a 100% renewable grid to withstand similar events in the future, according to an analysis by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.

• Of the 265 U.S. coal-fired power plants that monitor their groundwater impacts, 242 have reported unsafe levels of at least one pollutant from coal ash.

GLOBAL NEWS

• Karachi, Pakistan, is developing a emissions-reducing clean Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will be powered by bio-methane from manure.

• International ecologists and economists predict that all salt-water fish will go extinct by 2048 under the status quo.

• Hydrogen fuel cell trains may soon be running throughout the United Kingdom.

• Fiat Chrysler was indicted in an emissions scandal similar to Volkswagen’s DieselGate.

• The EU has agreed to a ban on 10 single-use plastic products.

• Scientists warn that oceans may be warming at a faster pace than previously expected.

• The Guardian provides a great primer on the development and use of battery technology, which is crucial to a clean energy transition.

• Researchers are exploring what types of carbon taxing policies are most attractive to citizens.

• The Guardian highlights successful tactics from the ozone movement in the late 1980’s that may offer some guidance on how to gain momentum and support for action on climate change.

• Carbon Brief details a year-in-review for climate data based on an analysis of temperature records, emissions reports, and other data from 2018.

• TechCrunch offers three pieces of advice to regulators regarding how to approach the changing mobility and infrastructure system brought on by new technologies and innovations in transportation and mobility policy.

• The Earth has experienced the 5 warmest years on record, all since 2014.

• The UK is considering implementing a meat tax to curb GHG emissions.

• Corporate clean energy buying surged in 2018.

• The world’s largest offshore wind farm just started powering parts of the UK.

• The European Union announced it will reduce emissions from new trucks and buses by 30% by 2030; investment in alternative fueling and charging infrastructure is needed in order for this goal to be reached.

Come See Lotus at the Green Spaces Coworking Space on April 23, 2019

Lotus’s Hillary Dobos will be joining Jerry Tinianow, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City and County of Denver, and others on a panel discussing "Sustainability and the Future of Your Industry"  at Green Spaces Coworking Space on April 23rd from 6-7PM followed by a cocktail hour. If you are able to stop by, please say hello!

We always appreciate your feedback, and the opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments.

JANUARY 2019

As we start the new year, the Lotus team is excited about many of the emerging trends, new technologies, and policy innovations that state and local governments and forward-thinking organizations are exploring to achieve their climate action goals. During the last few months of 2018 the IPCC Special Assessment Report and the Fourth National Climate Assessment, as well as other publications and reports, provided several reminders of the urgency of taking quick action to mitigate climate change. While international delegations debated the specifics of tracking and reporting emissions reduction activities at COP24 in Katowice, local leadership in governments and the private sector are driving real efforts towards climate action in the United States. This month, we are excited to explore new ideas on tackling sustainability in the transportation sector and how innovative policy and infrastructure can support big emissions reductions from transportation activities. We also have an update on new organizations that are using data to drive decisions, and some news articles that we have found inspiring or noteworthy over the past several weeks.

Lotus Blog—Emerging Trends in the Transportation Sector

The transportation sector (which includes all forms of on-road travel as well as aviation, railways, and waterborne navigation) accounted for roughly 28 percent of the United States’ total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2016. Given the significant share of national emissions that result from our daily driving habits and personal transportation activities many cities and regional governments, often with the help of new technologies and emerging policy trends, are exploring how to reduce transportation emissions through infrastructure planning and policy development. In our latest blog, we take a quick look at the emerging transportation sustainability trends that are exciting us right now.

How are cities driving down transportation emissions?

More Organizations are Using Data to Inform Their Goals

Establishing a climate action strategy and understanding which goals and strategies are appropriate for your community can be challenging. An important first step of this process is determining your baseline GHG emissions and emission-producing activities; this will allow you to appropriately direct your resources towards the most impactful climate action strategies. We are seeing more communities and organizations that are interested in measuring their emissions impact in order to define and determine the most effective strategies to meet their climate action goals.

Lotus is thrilled to be supporting the first GHG emissions inventories for the City of Westminster, Colorado and the Adams 12 Five Star School District. The City of Westminster is interested in understanding both community-generated emissions and those that come from municipal operations. Lotus is completing a Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions (GPC)-compliant inventory for the Westminster community, as well as a Local Government Operations Protocol inventory to analyze the impact of municipal operations. The results of these inventories will inform the development of the City of Westminster’s first sustainability plan, which is forthcoming in 2019.

Adams 12 Five Star School District, which is pursuing Collaborative for High-Performing Schools (CHPS) verification for a recently-completed new school building, is interested in understanding the impact of school district operations on the environment, and what impact their current sustainability strategies will have on their sustainability goals. Lotus is working with the District to collect data and complete a District-wide operational GHG emissions inventory that will be entered into the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) tool, which will allow the District to track their emissions year-to-year and compare their impact with other school districts and campuses across the country.

Our team loves helping organizations meet their sustainability goals no matter where they are in the process, and we especially enjoy supporting organizations that are looking to better understand their environmental footprint and the impact of their sustainability strategies. If your organization is interested in measuring your emissions and environmental impact to support the achievement of your sustainability and climate action goals, contact us for information on how to get started!

Start Measuring Your Impact

Inspiring and Noteworthy News

COLORADO NEWS

• Many cities and states are exploring a variety of innovative approaches to reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector. We explore some in our most recent blog.

• Xcel Energy announced its intent to be a carbon-free electricity provider by 2050; it is the first utility in the nation to make this incredible commitment.

• DMEA (Delta-Montrose Electric Association) moves to break with Tri State Generation and Transmission, primarily due to concerns about rising costs and a greater interest in renewable energy by DMEA.

• Xcel Energy and United Power are both exploring new battery projects as BloombergNEF’s reports on the likely growth of the energy storage market.

• Will Toor joins the Colorado Energy Office as its Executive Director to help Governor Polis reach his goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040.

• The City of Boulder’s greenhouse gas inventory web page makes understanding the community’s emissions straightforward and accessible for almost anyone. It offers a great example of how we can inform and empower citizens to be engaged in their community’s climate action initiatives.

• The City of Fort Collins has met their internal city operations Climate Action Plan 2020 goals three years ahead of schedule and has a new dashboard for tracking and reporting community efforts.

  NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Americans generally agree that supporting renewable energy is a good thing and our views on climate change are shifting.

• Silicon Valley is stepping up to the plate to fund research on carbon removal technologies.

• The episode ‘8 Bets About the Future’ from The Interchange Podcast by GreenTechMedia is a fun and thought-provoking exploration of the developments in clean tech and infrastructure that will shape our world in the years to come.

• Puerto Rico considers a 100% renewable by 2050 goal, but reliance on natural gas in the interim may make that unfeasible.

• ‘Natural climate solutions’ (such as reforestation) can help the U.S. meet the targets it originally set in the Paris Agreement.

• 5 new congressional representatives that made climate change and environmental justice a key platform for their campaign won in the mid-terms, and seven states are poised to start discussing a climate tax in 2019.

• Offshore wind projects continue to make more financial sense, and Rhode Island is paying attention.

• Researchers have developed a carbon-fiber material from algae that have consumed carbon dioxide.

• Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge highlights the recent work in Georgetown, Texas, to develop a virtual power plant by partnering with homeowners and businesses in the community. 

• To engage citizens in fighting climate change and reducing emissions, we need to focus on hope, not fear.

• NRDC released a report showing the impact of the clean energy economy on bringing more jobs to rural areas.

• While it hasn’t yet announced any closures, PacifcCorp’s recent analysis indicates that 60% of its coal units are uneconomic, and replacement with cleaner energy resources may save the company, investors, and customers in the long run. 

• Ten charts show the progress of 25 countries regarding clean energy, energy efficiency, sustainability in transportation, and efforts towards carbon capture.

• At the crux of ensuring that we mitigate climate change impacts is engaging cities and urban planners in creating a sustainable and resilient future for us all, the UN Environment Programme states.

• Not sure what happened in Poland at COP24? Catch up with this long read: Key take-aways from COP24 in Poland. Pressed for time? Get a short overview in this 4 minute video.

• Net-Zero Energy homes are paying for themselves even more quickly than expected in many markets.

• The New York Times published an interesting interactive piece that explores the methods that different states used to produce electricity, and how those energy mixes have changed since 2001.

• Democrats will revive the House Special Committee on Climate Change, with Representative Kathy Castor from Florida leading the committee.

OCTOBER 2018

As summer winds down and the changing Aspens strike a brilliant note, the Lotus team is grateful to be assisting many local communities as they define and implement their climate action strategies. Whether through developing and facilitating impactful stakeholder engagement strategies, spreading the good word about opportunities to participate in energy efficiency programs, or helping communities and organizations develop their first-ever greenhouse gas analysis, we are amazed and inspired by the everyday work of the teams and communities we get to support. Read on to learn more, including useful stakeholder engagement strategies in our most recent blog, find out what our clients are up to, and see a list of note-worthy news that we think is worth sharing.

Lotus Blog

Over the last few years we have witnessed more and more communities pursuing climate action strategies and conversations that address each community’s individual values. But as a community leader, how do you know you are focusing on the right priorities and strategies that will achieve your climate action goals and build a resilient community for the future? Lotus has employed effective stakeholder engagement tools that have brought great results for our clients; in this blog we will share how you can incorporate an impactful stakeholder engagement strategy into your climate action planning process.

Supporting and promoting energy efficiency in rural Colorado

The Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT), an innovative program of the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA), coordinates and facilitates the implementation of multiple income-qualified residential energy efficiency programs in the Gunnison Valley. According to research from Western State University, Gunnison County homes use on average 40% more energy than homes in similar climate zones, and with 30% of the local population making less that 80% of the Area Median Income, there is great opportunity to reduce energy use and increase the comfort of homes while also supporting greater home affordability. However, spreading the word about a new program, even one that addresses such a great need, can prove challenging in a rural community.

Lotus supported the development of the GV-HEAT program and lead program administration for the first several months and is excited to now be handing the program back over to local agencies to administer successfully. By building critical relationships with program partners and developing efficient processes that will lead to long-term program sustainability, we have endeavored to set our clients up for success in continuing to make this unique offering available to Gunnison Valley residents long into the future.

Lotus has been working with GVRHA and partner organizations such as Energy Smart Colorado, Energy Outreach Colorado, the state-wide Weatherization Assistance Program, and Gunnison County to make residents aware of the availability of grant funds and rebates for home energy efficiency improvements. Through grass-roots marketing tactics, such as presenting at community meetings to Spanish-speaking and immigrant populations, and by developing deep relationships with local partner organizations, word is spreading fast about the opportunity to participate in GV-HEAT and benefit from program services.Word of mouth has also been crucial in spreading the good news about GV-HEAT. Recently, Lotus worked with KBUT, the local public radio station out of Gunnison County, to launch a short radio series on the GV-HEAT program, which will continue to drive traffic towards the GV-HEAT program. Take a moment to listen to the short radio segments and learn more about this creative and streamlined approach to implementing residential energy efficiency programs.

Listen to our clients and partners discuss GV-HEAT

Say Hello!

This fall, Lotus will be participating in many regional and state-wide conversations regarding sustainability. If you do attend one of the following events, please stop by to say hello! We would love to meet you.

• Emily Artale will be presenting at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's Rural Energy Conference on October 22nd. Emily will be sharing strategies and successes for developing rural energy efficiency programs based on Lotus's work in the Gunnison Valley. 

• Julia Ferguson will be attending the Compact for Colorado Communities event to shape the Colorado Communities Cooperative on October 16th in Westminster, Colorado. 

• Lotus will attend the Sustainable Denver Summit on November 29, 2019.

Things that are inspiring us right now

We can’t help but be impressed and excited about some recent announcements, toolkit launches, and news articles that illustrate the impact of leaders in sustainability and climate action:

• Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission signaled their approval for Xcel Energy’s Colorado Energy Plan, which is anticipated to reduce CO2 emissions by 60%, increase the generation of electricity from renewable resources within Xcel’s mix to 55% by 2026, and save ratepayers $213 million. Read more from The Denver Post and Xcel Energy about the specifics of the plan and it’s impact.

• The efforts of Pueblo, Colorado, to ‘go green’ and reduce the city’s environmental impact while providing a better quality of living for residents are not going ­­­unnoticed, as evidenced by this recent Time Magazine article from June.

• Fort Collins Utilities has launched a new loan program to support residential energy efficiency projects. The EPIC loan program, which offers on-bill financing for residential customers of the utility that pursue energy efficiency upgrades, and will target less efficient rental properties.

• ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability recently launched a new Contribution Analysis Tool to help communities determine the impacts of various drivers and activities on year-to-year emissions changes.

• Although forestry is traditionally not included in community GHG inventories, a group of forestry experts based out of Colorado are interested in better understanding and quantifying emissions and sinks from forests. In an effort to better understand the impacts such calculations may have on communities this forestry expert group would like to gather your feedback via this short survey.

• GreenBiz wrote a recent article about the need for greater availability of national-level data on energy use, transportation, and other emissions-related activities to support communities localized emissions inventories.

• A recent Scientific American article provides some interesting graphs illustrating that a big shift to renewable electricity production can greatly reduce water use, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and create new high-paying jobs.

• Aspen Mayor Steve Skadron and Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Clapper penned a great op-ed recently in The Aspen Times highlighting the opportunity to reduce emissions and improve air quality, following Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s recent announcement that Colorado will join 13 other states in adopting an advanced clean car program.

• The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) recently released a GoEVCity Policy Toolkit to help cities identify and implement effective policies to drive towards greater electric vehicle adoption.

• More and more cities are launching electrical vehicle initiatives to drive municipal fleets towards electrification.

• The Federal Government is accepting comments on the Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicle Rules as proposed. Go here to make your voice heard.

• California Governor Jerry Brown signs legislation to push for 100% clean, renewable electricity by 2045. Further, Brown recently signed an Executive Order pushing California towards carbon neutrality by 2045; this is the first executive order of this kind in the United States.

APRIL 2018

Lotus continues to build solutions that address local and national sustainability challenges. This spring we are excited to support communities through the U.S. DOE Solar in Your Community Challenge, expand our efficiency program in the Gunnison Valley, launch new GHG emissions inventories, and grow our team!

Supporting local communities to build their solar capacity

Lotus is a consulting partner to the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar in Your Community Challenge, a call to action for innovative leaders across the country to team up and create projects and programs that will build local capacity to support community solar, with a focus on serving low and moderate income (LMI) households.

We love supporting projects that are good for the environment and the community living in it, so this partnership is a perfect fit for the Lotus team! Lotus is currently assisting teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Michigan by helping to guide program development and tell the story of these inspiring projects.

Each of the teams we are supporting has a unique approach to the development of community solar projects, tailored for the communities they are serving. In New Hampshire, Lotus is supporting the development of program guidelines that will encourage and support LMI families to participate in community solar projects. In Michigan, we will help identify and implement strategies for integrating energy efficiency programs into solar project portfolios. 

We are honored to support such creative leaders that are making a difference in their local communities. To learn more about these projects, please contact us and we would be happy to share more information. 

CARE Program now available to Gunnison County residents

The Colorado Affordable Residential Energy (CARE) program was officially launched in March, making energy efficiency assessments and retrofits accessible for low to moderate income families in the Gunnison Valley. CARE, which is funded through generous grants from Energy Outreach Colorado and the local utilities, provides free energy assessments and qualified retrofits through the Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT), which Lotus administers alongside the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority. Through GV-HEAT, Valley residents can be connected to services that will allow them to better understand their home energy use, learn more efficient behavior, and receive rebates and grants towards qualifying efficiency upgrades.

Lotus Featured in Sierra Club's video series

As part of their recent series on women-owned businesses in the sustainability field, the Colorado Sierra Club recently invited Hillary Dobos and Emily Artale of Lotus to share the story of our company and the impact that one individual can make. Click here to be directed to the full video!

More Mountain Communities are launching Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Lotus was recently hired by the City of Aspen and Summit County to complete their 2017 greenhouse gas inventories. We are excited to support these communities in their continual efforts to be sustainability leaders! Lotus will be completing the inventories to the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GPC) standard, which sets rigorous guidelines for the documentation and sharing of emissions data in order to ensure that communities can have comparable inventories year-to-year and across geographic regions for reference. 

 

The Lotus Team is Growing!

Lotus recently hired Julia Ferguson to find sustainability solutions for Lotus's diverse clients. Julia has worked with Lotus since August of last year on a contractual basis, and is excited to join the team full-time. 'Working on a team that is so dedicated to finding the most innovative, effective, and meaningful sustainability solutions is inspiring,' says Ferguson, 'I can't wait to keep serving our communities in Colorado and beyond!' Julia joins the team as a Senior Associate for Lotus; she has previously worked as Sustainability Coordinator for Adams County Government and Program Manager for the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

We've Moved!

Lotus recently moved offices to Steno in Denver. If you'd like to come visit us in person, please direct your GPS to 1627 Vine Street, Denver, CO 80206! We'd love to meet with you in our new space. 

FEBRUARY 2018

Lotus Engineering and Sustainability has begun 2018 with many exciting projects and announcements. From modeling greenhouse gas reduction strategies, to developing a new report on low-income community solar models, to launching an energy assistance program on the Western Slope of the Rockies, our team is busy finding sustainability solutions for our clients. Please read below to learn more about our current projects and updates, and let us know how we can help your organization achieve your sustainability goals. 

Colorado Energy Office released a report on the Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project

Lotus was hired by the Colorado Energy Office to assist in the development and evaluation of the innovative low-income community solar demonstration project. The demonstration project was conducted in partnership with eight utilities across the state and provides insight on how community solar programs can have a positive impact on vulnerable community members while supporting a utility's renewable energy and community outreach goals. 

The full report, which includes detailed case studies of the projects developed by each utility, can be found here. 

If your organization has an interest in developing community solar projects that have wide-reaching benefits, please reach out. We are passionate about ensuring access to clean energy to all community members, and would love to support your work. 
Read More

Lotus Blog: 100% Renewable Commitments (Part 2)
In our last blog post, we discussed how a growing number of communities and businesses are committing to 100% renewable energy in the near future. In Part 2, we suggest some strategies and actions that may lead to access towards a 100% renewable energy goal. Contact us to learn about the first steps your community or business can take towards sustainability and climate action.

For those communities that have already pledged to invest in 100% renewable energy or electricity: CONGRATULATIONS and WELL DONE! We look forward to watching your progress and supporting your work!

Denver's 80x50 Climate Goal Stakeholder and Community Input Initiative Recognized at the Compact of Colorado Communities Symposium on
January 31

The City and County of Denver was awarded for their leadership with the 80x50 Stakeholder and Community Input Initiative. Lotus has the distinct pleasure of leading this project for the City and County of Denver, and is currently working with Denver to refine the 80x50 targets and strategies based on stakeholder feedback. Congratulations to the City and County of Denver for leading this effort and driving sustainability forward in the Denver metro region. 

Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT) Officially Launches

Lotus and the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA) launched the Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT) this month! Through GV-HEAT, we are connecting households in the Gunnison Valley to a suite of home energy efficiency programs that will help make homes in the Valley more safe, comfortable, and efficient. Lotus serves as the program developer and administrator for GV-HEAT, and is applying on behalf of the Housing Authority to administer the Colorado Affordable Residential Energy (CARE) program as part of GV-HEAT. Contact us to learn more about this program, and how to establish a similar one in your community!

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories and Climate Action Planning

As many of us know, you can't manage what you don't measure. Throughout 2017 and into the beginning of 2018, Lotus has assisted multiple local communities, including Boulder County and the City of Longmont, in completing an up-to-date and GPC compliant community greenhouse gas inventory. These detailed inventories provide the community with the resources and information needed to make data-driven decisions about how to reduce emissions and aggressively achieve climate action goals. Lotus is now excited to be embarking on climate action strategies with these communities and others, and is currently modeling strategies that will achieve emissions reductions to support the development of relevant, achievable, and aggressive climate action plans. 

To learn more about Lotus's greenhouse gas inventory and climate action planning work, please visit our website. 

Colorado Sierra Club highlights Women-Owned Businesses that are making a difference in the sustainability field

Emily Artale, Co-owner and Principal Engineer at Lotus, will be featured in the upcoming video from the Sierra Club. Keep an eye out for this short video in the next newsletter!