{"id":807411,"date":"2020-05-13T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T22:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=383253"},"modified":"2020-05-13T16:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T22:45:00","slug":"breckenridge-annual-sustainability-report-shows-progress-toward-2030-goal-room-for-improvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/breckenridge-annual-sustainability-report-shows-progress-toward-2030-goal-room-for-improvement\/","title":{"rendered":"Breckenridge annual sustainability report shows progress toward 2030 goal, room for improvement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A lone aspen tree sits in the midst of lodgepole pines at the base of Peak 6 in Breckenridge on Wednesday, May 13. The Breckenridge Town Council on Tuesday, May 12, reviewed an annual sustainability report and discussed the environmental impact of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/strong>
Jason Connolly \/ jconnolly@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

BRECKENRIDGE \u2014 To monitor the progress of the SustainableBreck Plan put out in 2011, Breckenridge Sustainability Coordinator Jessie Burley presented to town council members Tuesday an annual report that addresses 10 main areas of sustainability, from the local economy to forest health.<\/p>\n

Some of the highlights in the report included the town providing $1,500 in rebates to home and business owners who installed rooftop solar, new glass recycling stations at Carter Park, a free food scrap drop-off at the recycling center and the addition of two electric buses to the Breckenridge FreeRide fleet. Other accomplishments included adding 11 deed restricted units through the Housing Helps program, acquiring 112 acres of open space and growing the Invest in Teachers program more than 13% from 2016 to 2019.<\/p>\n

One of the main goals of SustainableBreck is for the town to have a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The report measured aspects of sustainability with color coding. For example, a green dot means the town is on track to meet the 2030 goal while a red dot means it is not. One of the red dots pointed out by council was solid waste, which saw a 6% increase in diversion \u2014 well short of the 2020 goal of 20%. Much of this was attributed to construction waste. <\/p>\n

Council member Kelly Owens asked if there was a way to incentivize more recycling at construction sites or require a certain percentage of materials to be recycled. Community Development Director Mark Truckey explained that most construction waste is not recyclable. Mayor Eric Mamula suggested talking with some larger construction companies that are focused on sustainability to find a solution.<\/p>\n

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