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In Telluride, it’s not easy being green. This is a town that loves its electricity, powering everything from saunas and hot tubs to the ski lifts and gondola that ferry us around.
But on Saturday, the mayors of Telluride and Mountain Village came together for a rally in front of the San Miguel County Courthouse to encourage Telluriders to be a little more green, and pledge the support of their towns’ governments to turn this community 100 percent carbon neutral by 2020 in an effort they call Telluride Renewed.
“Telluride Renewed is just two mayors of two adjacent towns coming together to ask their community to achieve a big goal,” said Mountain Village Mayor Bob Delves. “If somebody doesn’t start, nobody will do it. We are small community, a well-educated community, and a fairly affluent community. If we can’t do it, who can?”
The speeches were part of a rally for 350 Day, an international effort to raise awareness about carbon emissions. That number is what scientists say is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in terms of parts per million. The Earth is already a bit above that level, hovering around 390. People came out in more than 350 locations all over the globe on Saturday to raise awareness of the problem.
In Telluride, the rally took place on the courthouse steps, with a variety of electric, hybrid and human-powered vehicles assembled in the middle of main street. Later, the group stood in a formation among the vehicles that spelled out 350 for a photograph to be sent as a “visual petition” to lawmakers, encouraging them to act on emissions legislation.
Talking about carbon emissions can be a little like talking about black holes — science tells us it exists, but we can’t actually see our carbon output. Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser illustrated the problem with a large rubber exercise ball about two feet in diameter. He said the amount of air in the ball was equal to about a pound of carbon dioxide emissions.
In 2007, Fraser said, our regional community emitted about 275,000 metric tons of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions — a measure used to gauge CO2 output.
“That’s equal to about 616 million of these balloons,” Fraser said as Delves sent the ball bouncing into the crowd. “Our challenge is great, almost overwhelming, but it is doable.”
Fraser added that Telluride Renewed will be working with other municipalities and counties within the San Miguel Power Association service area, including Rico, Norwood, Ridgway, Ouray County and part of Dolores County to name a few.
Finances in Telluride are tight, but Fraser said that if the town can afford to install a solar array at the waste water treatment plant, “micro hydro” systems at the Pandora Water Treatment Plant and Stillwell Tunnel, and if the Bridal Veil Power Station signs a contract with either the San Miguel Power Association or Tri-State Power, some 11 million pounds of carbon emissions will be mitigated.
For Mountain Village’s part, Delves is pushing a plan called “Greening the Gondola,” which aims to raise $2.3 million to put solar panels on parts of the gondola infrastructure. The project is in partnership with the New Community Coalition, and hopes to produce 20 percent of the power needed to run the system. Delves presented a $10,000 check from an anonymous donor to get the ball rolling.
Measures by both governments will help reduce carbon emissions significantly, but both mayors said some of the biggest changes come at home.
Delves said he has begun actively turning things off in his house when they’re not in use, even installing a switch that cuts electricity to a stereo system that’s powered even when it’s turned off, and lowering the heat. The efforts have lowered his electricity bill by 10 to 12 percent, he said.
“I haven’t felt one bit of pain,” Delves said. “We turned off the hot tub yesterday,” Delves announced to an applauding crowd. “Don’t cry for me, though, I still have a sauna.”
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