Turns out all of those massive second homes dotting the surrounding mountains and accessed by equally massive V-8 SUV’s have an out-sized impact on carbon emissions in Eagle County, which a new study shows produces 28 percent more carbon dioxide (CO2) than the rest of Colorado.
Here’s a press release on the new study from Eagle County:
A recently completed energy inventory of Eagle County illustrates several opportunities for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs across the community. The report can be found at www.eaglecounty.us/EnvHealth/
The study was conducted by Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) of Carbondale. Key findings include:
Eagle County’s strategic plan includes the goal: Eagle County protects the natural environment; and the supporting objective: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in county government and our communities. Eagle County Commissioner Jill Ryan says the inventory will help determine the most effective steps the county and the community can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also realizing cost savings.
“We know that protecting our environment is crucial to maintaining our quality of life and our local economy,” Commissioner Ryan said. “When local governments make significant progress on reducing their own carbon footprint, it results in a collective impact that reduces the rate at which our planet is warming and our climate is changing.”
Moving forward, Eagle County is partnering with Walking Mountains and local stakeholders to create a community climate action plan. Other efforts by the county include investments in fleet improvements, building efficiencies and solar energy. In addition, the county commissioners hosted two community conversations on climate change this spring; view video from those meetings at www.eaglecounty.us/