City Profiles / Large Cities / Denver, CO

Denver, Colorado

Coloradans understand the value of water in their semi-arid state and there is nothing casual about their referring to it as "liquid gold." Seasonal snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains provides Denver with a fluctuating supply dependant on the weather. Seeking to preserve this resource, the city water utility, Denver Water, offers numerous incentives including rebates, tax credits and conservation pricing for keeping consumption down. They have already made so much progress toward their 1997 goal of reducing municipal water consumption by 22 percent by 2050 that the goal was moved up to 2016. The utility is now examining challenges such as global warming and population increases for a 2010 Integrated Resource Plan that will shape future conservation efforts.

The city's reliance on its natural landscape is exemplified in many other ways as well, including its more than 200 city parks, 14,000 acres of mountain parkland and 850 miles of off-road bike trails. To prevent stormwater runoff, reduce greenhouse gases, and cool streets and sidewalks, the city's Mile-High Million program aims to plant one million trees in the metropolitan Denver area by 2025. The energy utility, Xcel, is actively taking advantage of the city's natural access to wind, solar and geothermal energy, with a plan for 20 percent of the city's electricity to come from wind power by 2020.

To cut down on waste—58 percent of Denver's trash is organic matter—Denver Recycles has implemented a pilot program for composting. Tested on 3,300 homes from October 2008 to June 2009, the program collects organic matter, composts it and sells it for use on lawns and gardens. Thus far, program has proved so successful that the city hopes to extend the service to all households.

The Democratic National Convention in August 2008 initiated many green initiatives that stuck. The Freewheelin bike-sharing program, created by Humana Health Care and the not-for-profit organization Bikes Belong, brought nearly 1,000 donated bikes to Denver for the convention. Humana permanently donated 30 bikes for residents' use, free of charge with a swipe of a credit card or a Freewheelin key fob at a solar-powered kiosk, and the mayor has committed to expanding the urban bike transit system. The convention also improved recycling, energy-efficiency and water conservation at municipal facilities and hotels, bringing environmental and cost benefits long after the convention ended.