It’s summer in Denmark and we are travelling our home country. On our journey through the flatlands of this tiny coastal country, we are passing hundreds and hundreds of windmills.
Denmark has the highest proportion of wind power in the world. And luckily the newly elected government is even more ambitious.
It hasn’t been without local resistance through. The windmills are visible and take up a lot of space. All that taken into consideration, it leaves us proud of this visionary country that we grew up in. It is an apparent reminder of how Denmark is acting and moving toward a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.
As young adults living in Aspen, we want to preserve our future in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. We want to be able to pursue our passion for nordic skiing and outdoor adventure. We want to act on climate change so we can lean into a bright future in the mountains. It is easy to be caught up in fear reading, for example, the latest UN report that leaves us with only 11 years to prevent irreversible damage from climate change.
Therefore, we are wholeheartedly supporting the Pitkin County solar project that Holy Cross Energy, ACSD and RES, a Broomfield-based renewable energy developer, are proposing to the Roaring Fork Valley. Imagine the whole valley being self-sufficient. Powered by solar power. In this case, 1,000 homes would be powered per year.
It leaves us with the same kind of pride as the windmills of Denmark do and much more trust in the future. We are not the only ones. In a recent Holy Cross survey, 78% of Pitkin County respondents indicated they would like to increase the energy that comes from renewable sources, and 80% would like to be able to purchase renewable power from the grid. No matter what’s going on at the federal level, we can create local climate solutions.
Leo and Eske Roennau
Aspen