{"id":2449275,"date":"2019-09-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-28T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=313554"},"modified":"2019-09-28T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T06:00:00","slug":"inventory-shows-challenge-basalt-faces-to-reach-carbon-emission-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/inventory-shows-challenge-basalt-faces-to-reach-carbon-emission-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Inventory shows challenge Basalt faces to reach carbon emission goals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6610800744879\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-313554-75\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times | Basalt's next generation shows promise for battling climate change. Basalt 5th grader Oliver Fox-Rubin, sitting in center, speaks at a rally against climate change that he organized on Friday.\" no matter how old are you can make a fox-rubin told an audience of about class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Basalt&#8217;s next generation shows promise for battling climate change. Basalt 5th grader Oliver Fox-Rubin, sitting in center, speaks at a rally against climate change that he organized on Friday. &#8220;No matter how old you are you can make a difference,&#8221; Fox-Rubin told an audience of about 50 people.<\/strong><br \/>Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Basalt's next generation shows promise for battling climate change. Basalt 5th grader Oliver Fox-Rubin, sitting in center, speaks at a rally against climate change that he organized on Friday. \" no matter how old are you can make a fox-rubin told an audience of about><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy image | The Basalt 2017 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report by CORE shows how the town compares in 2014 (left) to 2017. Emissions dropped only 2% over the three-year period.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The Basalt 2017 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report by CORE shows how the town compares in 2014 (left) to 2017. Emissions dropped only 2% over the three-year period.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy image<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/basaltemissions-atd-092819-1.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Basalt 2017 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report by CORE shows how the town compares in 2014 (left) to 2017. Emissions dropped only 2% over the three-year period.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/inventory-shows-challenge-basalt-faces-to-reach-carbon-emission-goals\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/inventory-shows-challenge-basalt-faces-to-reach-carbon-emission-goals\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt learned this week just how tough it is to go green.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">An inventory of Basalt\u2019s town-wide greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 showed there was only a 2% decrease from the 2014 baseline, according to a report by the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, a Roaring Fork Valley-based nonprofit. That\u2019s a slow start to a lofty goal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cBasalt committed to reduce emissions 25% by 2025 and 80% by 2050 against the 2014 baseline,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt Town Council learned the results Tuesday night from Phi Filerman, community sustainability manager for CORE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is hard,\u201d Councilman Auden Schendler said of the modest decrease in greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At first glance it can be discouraging, but that decrease came despite growth in the town, he noted. Taxable sales in Basalt increased by about 13% between 2014 and 2017 while population increased by about 7%, according to the CORE report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Schendler is senior vice president of sustainability for Aspen Skiing Co. and a renowned climate activist. He said he thought the town would have achieved a bigger decrease in overall carbon emissions simply from the power grid getting greener. Holy Cross Energy is continually increasing its mix of renewable energy. Schendler said Basalt\u2019s decreases would mount as Holy Cross goes green.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In 2017, Basalt residences and businesses generated 53,907 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to CORE\u2019s report. That was about 904 metric tons fewer than in 2014.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In the latest inventory, the energy to heat and power buildings remained the biggest contributor at 62%. Transportation was a distant second at 23% while aviation, from residents using air travel, was at 7%. The remaining 8% of emissions came from decomposition of trash and landfill operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAlthough significant sustainability efforts are being made, Basalt has a long way to go to meet the reduction goal of 25% by 2025,\u201d CORE\u2019s report said. \u201cTo meet the 2025 reduction goal, the Basalt community needs to reduce emissions 2% every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There is hope to achieve the goal, Filerman said, because Basalt\u2019s biggest contribution to carbon emissions \u2014 buildings \u2014 also is the area ripest to reduce. About 20% of Holy Cross Energy\u2019s electric mix was generated by renewable or clean sources in 2014. That increased to 39% in 2017, according to CORE\u2019s report. As that number increases, the carbon emissions from Holy Cross customers decrease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cA cleaner electric grid significantly impacts emissions,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Adopting greener building standards for new construction and retrofitting existing structures is a key to reducing emissions. Basalt is taking action on both fronts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt Town Council approved amendments to its existing Sustainable Building Regulations on Tuesday night. Among the changes are higher fees for exterior energy use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The town government also is considering pursuit of programs proposed by the Green Team, a citizen committee that advises the council on environmental issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cTo help divert yard waste from the Pitkin County landfill, the Green Team is proposing to host two lawn\/yard waste drop-off events a month for five consecutive months, May through October,\u201d said a memo to council.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Green Team also wants to pursue what is known as a cold-climate air source heat pump to reduce power consumption at Town Hall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Reducing the carbon emissions produced by Basalt residents\u2019 transportation, excluding air travel, might be a harder nut to crack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMotorists coming to and leaving Basalt traveled more than 32 million vehicle miles in 2017,\u201d the CORE inventory said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It comes as no surprise that burning gasoline in private vehicles produces most of the emissions. Public transportation accounted for only 5% of Basalt\u2019s transportation-related emissions, the study said. So, reducing transportation-related emissions depends on getting more people on the bus, the study said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The full greenhouse gas inventory for Basalt can be found at bit.ly\/2nWbM45.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/inventory-shows-challenge-basalt-faces-to-reach-carbon-emission-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basalt&#8217;s next generation shows promise for battling climate change. Basalt 5th grader Oliver Fox-Rubin, sitting in center, speaks at a rally against climate change that he organized on Friday. &#8220;No matter how old you are you can make a difference,&#8221; Fox-Rubin told an audience of about 50 people.Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times The Basalt 2017 Greenhouse [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2449275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 12:09:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2449275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449275\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2449275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2449275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2449275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}