The mote in their eye…. and the beam in ours.
I listened to Public comments on the BOCC Climate Emergency Resolution yesterday which included an impassioned protest not to listen to a “Bartender”… “A Bartender!!” for advice. Well, who hasn’t? (and in my experience it tends to be better advice than pundits and politicians). This was after our younger citizens quoted Greta Thunberg’s UN speech. As Ms. Thunberg has repeated… and repeated… “Listen to the Science”. If your bartender happens to have a PHD in climate science- well, then - you’re in Aspen.
To our local governments I say "Lead by example.” There are plenty of things each of us can do on an individual level but THAT IS NOT ENOUGH and that’s the point of a “Climate Emergency”.
What’s OUR Climate Action? Here are a few ideas,
1.Make all County/City owned vehicles electric or hybrid. (incentivize EV purchases through HOV access and free parking)
2. Make all County/City owned properties Net Zero
3. Carbon tax all jet fuel at the Pitco Airport
4. All energy supplied to County/City buildings and new construction must be from renewables.
5. Ban all single use plastics and micro plastics from retail vendors in the County/City.
6. Use recycled plastic as paving material.
7. Plant trees and replant every habitat area which has been destroyed for roadways (the roundabout springs to mind)
8. Build wildlife bridges over roadways.
9. Protect wildlife corridors (do not allow human encroachment - houses and/or ski trails).
10. Reduce the number of trails (foot, bike and motorized) through wildlife habitat
11. Install a diagnostic PPM network which will give data points for Carbon and air pollution.
12. Monitor the carbon content of soil throughout the County
13. Improve the Pitco Landfill by pyrolizing construction waste and beetle kill for biochar compost, making rag paper, and mandating “drop and swap” for contractors.
14. Revegetate every abandoned mine site in the county with biochar compost like they did at Coal Creek.
15. Keep the water in the rivers and on the Western Slope Colorado River Basin.
16. Reinstate grazing for fire and weed mitigation (looking at you SkiCo)
17. Mandate Carbon offsets for all air travel by County/City employees and elected representatives.
18. Enact a Billionaire tax to pay for it all.
Less talk. More Action.
I listened to Public comments on the BOCC Climate Emergency Resolution yesterday which included an impassioned protest not to listen to a “Bartender”… “A Bartender!!” for advice. Well, who hasn’t? (and in my experience it tends to be better advice than pundits and politicians). This was after our younger citizens quoted Greta Thunberg’s UN speech. As Ms. Thunberg has repeated… and repeated… “Listen to the Science”. If your bartender happens to have a PHD in climate science- well, then - you’re in Aspen.
To our local governments I say "Lead by example.” There are plenty of things each of us can do on an individual level but THAT IS NOT ENOUGH and that’s the point of a “Climate Emergency”.
What’s OUR Climate Action? Here are a few ideas,
1.Make all County/City owned vehicles electric or hybrid. (incentivize EV purchases through HOV access and free parking)
2. Make all County/City owned properties Net Zero
3. Carbon tax all jet fuel at the Pitco Airport
4. All energy supplied to County/City buildings and new construction must be from renewables.
5. Ban all single use plastics and micro plastics from retail vendors in the County/City.
6. Use recycled plastic as paving material.
7. Plant trees and replant every habitat area which has been destroyed for roadways (the roundabout springs to mind)
8. Build wildlife bridges over roadways.
9. Protect wildlife corridors (do not allow human encroachment - houses and/or ski trails).
10. Reduce the number of trails (foot, bike and motorized) through wildlife habitat
11. Install a diagnostic PPM network which will give data points for Carbon and air pollution.
12. Monitor the carbon content of soil throughout the County
13. Improve the Pitco Landfill by pyrolizing construction waste and beetle kill for biochar compost, making rag paper, and mandating “drop and swap” for contractors.
14. Revegetate every abandoned mine site in the county with biochar compost like they did at Coal Creek.
15. Keep the water in the rivers and on the Western Slope Colorado River Basin.
16. Reinstate grazing for fire and weed mitigation (looking at you SkiCo)
17. Mandate Carbon offsets for all air travel by County/City employees and elected representatives.
18. Enact a Billionaire tax to pay for it all.
Less talk. More Action.
1 comment:
It would be useful to incentivise building projects by allowing larger sqft if house is net zero. Start with 3500 sqft and go up if the house is net zero or even off grid. So off grid can have 15k sqft. That is a high prize and absolutely worth to be off grid.
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