Explore a year of local climate stories
Holiday Closures
All City of Boulder administrative facilities and Age Well Centers will be closed Thursday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday. Some facilities and services will remain open.
A lot happened last year in City of Boulder climate action. The Climate Tax passed, volunteers helped create urban heat maps, and community cleanups made neighborhoods safer (just to name a few). The city, its partners and the people of Boulder have been busy working to change systems at the root of the climate crisis and to build a better future for everyone in our community.
It’s easy to miss local stories when the world keeps presenting us with breaking national headlines and global news. With this in mind, we’ve put together a roundup of last year's climate stories from our own backyard.
Boulder voters approved a new tax that will fund ongoing programs and new projects that address the climate crisis locally. Read more about the tax.
The city and community partners launched Cool Boulder. The campaign mobilizes the city, local organizations and people of Boulder to regenerate our trees, soils and habitats for a resilient future. Learn more about the campaign.
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that the historic climate accountability lawsuits filed by Boulder County, San Miguel County, and the City of Boulder will continue to proceed in state, rather than federal, court. This decision set a precedent for more than two dozen similar cases across the country. Read more about the lawsuit.
The City of Boulder attended the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15). This was a historic moment for local governments to shape federal and global policy, and Boulder had a seat at the table. Learn more about the conference.
The city was once again recognized as a global leader on environmental action and transparency by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Read the full article.
On April 4, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report. The report makes clear that all sectors of society, levels of government and individuals have a role to play. In Boulder, we’re taking this responsibility seriously. Learn how.
Rella Abernathy holds up Boulder's Cities with Nature certificate next to two representatives from San Francisco.
The panel discussed how to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and speed up the electrification of Boulder’s buildings. Two working groups took a detailed look at the barriers to achieving these goals and identified steps the city and Xcel should take to overcome them. Read the full article.
The City of Boulder has joined forces with state and local governments across the country in the National Building Performance Standard (BPS) Coalition, a collaboration launched by White House Council on Environmental Quality. By joining the coalition, Boulder has committed to update its building performance standards to help the city achieve its health, equity and climate goals. Check out the full story.
One year in, the pilot program shows financial promise. The two-way charging system reduces costs by about $250 per month, reducing the North Boulder Recreation Center’s (NBRC) electricity bill by about 3.4%. Learn more about the two-way charger.
Staff hold up an old light fixture that will be recycled or reused.
The city, Eco-Cycle, Boulder Housing Partners (BHP) and FLOWS hosted several community cleanup days for manufactured home and BHP communities. This ongoing effort brings recycling services and knowledge to historically underserved neighborhoods. Read about the cleanups.
Heat data collected by volunteer community scientists shows the hottest places in Boulder. These findings will help guide strategies that reduce unhealthy and deadly effects of extreme heat and help everyone in Boulder be more climate ready. Learn more and explore the story map.
Two cars equipped with heat sensors during the city's summer heat mapping event.
Local college students are leading the charge on climate action, thanks to a group of young environmentalists at the University of Colorado Boulder, called the EcoVisits. Learn more about the group.
Middle and High Schoolers transformed trash into fashion for the 12th annual Trash the Runway. Read the full story.
We asked you to share your hopeful visions, here’s what we heard. Listen to our community audio collage.
Isabel (Izzy) Iwaskow's outfit made from bike inner tubes, caution tape, electrical cord and orange construction netting