Greening Denver

By Kate Levinson

With average starting salaries upwards of $40K, nearly a quarter of the population in its 20s and, of course, with a beautiful backdrop, it’s no surprise that recent college grads are flocking to Denver -- and thanks to them, it’s become one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.

And now we can add one more thing to the why-everyone-loves-Denver list: It’s green. Though always environmentally conscious, the city has really stepped it up in preparation for the upcoming Democratic National Convention -- what organizers say will be the greenest convention ever. And the green in Denver won’t end when the convention does. The Democratic National Convention Committee, the DNC Host Committee and the city’s Greenprint Denver are working together to make sure things get green and stay green for the convention and beyond.

The Democratic National Convention Committee began the greening process more than a year ago, starting with its own offices. They purposely chose a building near a mass transit hub and encouraged employees to walk or bike to work. When employees get there, they are met with energy efficient lighting and electronics, workstations that incorporate repurposed and recycled materials and a ton of recycled paper (for when they absolutely need to print something, double-sided only). What they won’t see is trash cans: To keep employees’ eyes on recycling, they don’t have garbage cans in their offices.

The DNCC has taken enormous steps to ensure the greenest convention in history, starting with the calculation of the entire event’s carbon footprint. They plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and participate in carbon offset programs to remedy the unavoidable.

The convention will also focus on energy efficiency, including permanent solar panels being installed on the Pepsi Center, the oh-so-green venue for the event, and also recycling and composting waste, focusing on sustainable materials and encouraging the use of mass transit.

The committee is also making sure convention attendees know what’s going on and why, with its green community service and education programs that aim to impact the Denver community post-event. Check out part one of the DNCC’s “Green Screen” series for a behind-the-scenes look at the greening going on:

While the DNCC tackles the convention itself, the event’s host committee, in partnership with Greenprint Denver, is trying to green everything beyond the doors of the Pepsi Center. It has organized Green Teams to address things like business outreach, including a green business directory for convention-goers; guidance for green event planning; water conservation efforts, from reminders in hotel rooms to reusable water bottles; and a Lean & Green program to offer guests healthy, organic and locally grown dining options.

According to the Wall Street Journal, much of the force behind greening Denver came from the city’s Democratic mayor, John Hickenlooper, who early on issued a challenge to “make this the greenest convention in the history of the planet.”

The response from newly hired Director of Greening, Andrea Robinson? “That terrifies me!”

But terrifying or not, all this greening will have a huge, lasting impact on the convention, the city of Denver and most importantly, the planet.

Photo by ishrona