Boulder County is experiencing the impacts of a warming climate in the form of reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, increased risk of high intensity wildfires, extreme weather events, and an increased number of “high heat” days. Boulder County’s Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience (OSCAR) works to ensure that we are prepared to survive and thrive in the face of shocks and stresses related to climate change while also supporting programs and policies that fight the climate crisis through rapid emissions reductions and carbon dioxide removal.

As we work to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions and environmental impact, OSCAR is also reimagining what we must do to ensure that all residents benefit from a more resilient decarbonized economy with clean air and opportunities to thrive. Because people of color and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution, economic insecurity, and climate disasters, OSCAR centers racial equity and justice in all of our initiatives. In the pages that follow, you will see the strategic priorities that guide OSCAR's work.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to advance policies and programs that conserve resources, protect the environment, and safeguard our climate in order to build a sustainable, just, and resilient community.

Department Values

As trusted stewards of Boulder County’s future, we provide the best in public service. We believe the path to a healthy environment is integrally tied to overcoming social, economic, and racial injustice. We care deeply about the people and places that make our community unique, and are committed to Boulder County’s organizational values:

• Inclusion: We value, respect, and support all individuals by being an inclusive, culturally responsive county government.
• Stewardship: We honor our county’s past, and work in partnership with our community to ensure a thriving, healthy quality of life for present and future generations.
• Service: We work with passion and integrity in a supportive, positive environment to ensure accountability, responsiveness, efficiency, and justice.
• Engagement: We listen to and provide opportunities for all community members to actively collaborate and engage with us in order to continually improve our services.
• Sustainability: We are committed to environmental, social, and economic sustainability and build partnerships to help make the broader community more sustainable.
• Innovation: We are motivated, progressive, and visionary. We continually challenge ourselves to lead with innovation, collaboration, and creativity
• Resilience: We plan for the future and forge strong partnerships that allow us to adapt quickly to challenges and manage community impacts.

Framework for Assessing Impact

OSCAR oversees a range of programs that collectively allow us to realize our mission. By aligning individual programs with the most important criteria, we can better assess our impact to determine which efforts will create the best outcomes and which need to be modified in order to use our limited time and resources most effectively. Below are the top priorities for evaluating each program area:

• Equity and justice: How effectively does the program address systemic inequalities that put marginalized communities at greater risk of climate impacts?
• Shifting large-scale systems: How innovative and scalable is the program, and does it address the root causes of our climate and environmental crises in ways that will accelerate our transition to a sustainable, just, and resilient society?
• Climate mitigation: How much does the program reduce greenhouse gas emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere relative to what the science tells us is needed?
• Economic vitality: How effectively does the program create new, clean jobs and financial stability for individuals and institutions within Boulder County?
• Resource conservation: How effectively does the program preserve and protect the land, water, air, soil, and other resources that all people and natural systems depend on for health and resilience?
• Community engagement: How effectively does the program actively engage key stakeholders to achieve greater impact including funders, technical experts, environmental groups, marginalized community members, the general public, and other Boulder County departments?
• Adaptation and resilience: How effectively does the program prepare Boulder County for climate disasters, and does it strengthen our community’s ability to recover from impact events quickly?

Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA)

Boulder County initiated the establishment of the Colorado Communities for Climate Action. This is a coalition of local governments advocating for state and federal policies that protect Colorado’s climate for current and future generations. Established in 2016, the CC4CA coalition has grown to 42 jurisdictional members from across the state, representing more than one-quarter of all Coloradans. The coalition provides an opportunity to pool resources and bring local governments together in a cost-effective way for coordinated action. The coalition is an effective voice in building the public support necessary for Colorado to provide a visible, leading role in addressing climate change nationally and internationally.

Climate Policy Action Leadership (CPAL) Collaborative

The Collaborative addresses environmental justice and inclusivity at a crucial time in state-level climate policy. Boulder County equity and policy specialists introduce the policies being considered at the state and support these eight community leaders in navigating the public process to voice their positions on policies of importance in their communities.

Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant

In November 2016, voters approved the Sustainability Tax ballot initiative, which allocates a portion of sales and use tax revenue to fund sustainability infrastructure and programs. The Sustainability Tax includes grant funding to cities and towns. Boulder County’s Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant Program provides an opportunity for municipalities in the county to undertake environmental sustainability priorities within their communities. In addition, the Grant Program enhances collaborative efforts and leverages resources across our county for a more regional approach to environmental sustainability.

Fight against Climate Change

Boulder County is committed to finding ways to meet our growing energy demand while protecting the environment and maintaining economic vitality and vibrant communities. We are also committed to making sure that our residents have the information and resources necessary to use less energy, save money and make the best possible energy choices. This includes knowing how to pick the most energy-efficient products and appliances, improve the efficiency of homes and commercial buildings, use alternative transportation, and much more.

Boulder County is committed to addressing global climate change at the local level. The county has completed the following actions to demonstrate this commitment and contribute to informed decision-making:

• Conducted greenhouse gas inventories for 2005, 2011 and 2016 to identify the main emission sources and to identify opportunities to reduce emissions. The latest inventory is now current as of 2021. Boulder County is also conducting a consumption-based emissions inventory to get a more complete understanding of emissions associated with the products, goods, and services that the community consumes.
• Approved by resolution the Sustainable Energy Plan (SEP) in 2008, and the county set out to implement actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The SEP is now replaced by the Environmental Sustainability Plan.
• Adopted a Climate Change Preparedness Plan in 2012 to help Boulder County and its communities become resilient to the anticipated effects of climate change.
• Adopted the Environmental Sustainability Plan in 2013, which was subsequently updated in 2018 and 2023. The Climate Section of the plan describes community-wide climate action strategies.
• In 2018, completed a Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Emission Reductions Strategies report with an updated greenhouse gas Inventory (with 2016 data), emission reduction opportunities, and new long-term emission reduction goals.
• In 2018, adopted countywide goals to reduce GHG emissions 45% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, compared to the 2005 baseline.

Keep it Clean Partnership

The Keep it Clean Partnership (KICP) program officially started in 2003 through an intergovernmental agreement between Boulder County, the cities of Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, and Lafayette, and the town of Superior. Since 2003 KICP has been providing education and outreach, training opportunities, and facilitating stormwater collaboration between these communities. KICP provides education and outreach activities in part to help Boulder County and other partners meet their stormwater permit requirements, but the program’s goal is to have a meaningful impact educating residents about watershed health and improving water quality. Since the program’s inception, KICP has worked closely with local stormwater staff to develop trainings and provide resources to support their programs and help reduce sources of pollution. KICP has also managed a collaborative water quality monitoring program with data provided by six local municipalities since 2015, producing an annual water quality report with findings from this program.

Restore Colorado

With support from the USDA, Boulder County launched Restore Colorado, a program that connects restaurants and food businesses with local food producers to fund regenerative farming projects that sequester carbon and support healthy soil on Colorado farms and ranches.

Participating businesses and restaurants become Zero Foodprint members and add an opt-out 1% fee to their customer’s bills, which goes towards Restore Colorado grants. Restore Colorado grants are administered by Mad Agriculture and distributed directly to Colorado farms and ranches, with a focus in Boulder County. These grants fund climate-beneficial regenerative farming projects, such as compost application and cover crop planting, that can be costly for farmers to implement without support.

Since its launch, Restore Colorado has had over 30 food businesses sign up to participate and has formed partnerships with the City and County of Denver and the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The Restore Colorado Program was submitted to the annual National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards in 2023, under the County Resiliency, Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability category to highlight the successes of its two-year pilot phase.

Low-Income Community Solar Garden Utility Bill Subsidy

Using proceeds from the Energy Impact Offset Fund–an alternative option for County cannabis cultivators to meet their renewable energy sourcing requirements–Boulder County provides additional utility bill savings to income-qualified Xcel Energy customers in the county who, at no cost, are subscribed to the low-income dedicated community solar garden located at the now-closed Xcel Valmont coal-fired power plant on east Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder. With this County funding managed by Energy Outreach Colorado, over 310 Xcel qualifying county residents, excluding those in the City of Boulder who receive a similar city-funded subsidy, receive on average 22% in electric bill savings. Combined with the 18% offered by the utility, this results in a 40% total reduction on their bill.

Sustainable Food & Agriculture Fund

Boulder County invites farmers, agricultural producers, the private sector, and non-profit organizations to apply for funding to accelerate and launch environmental sustainability projects that benefit food and agriculture in Boulder County. This funding opportunity is provided to impact five broad areas:

• On-farm regenerative agriculture and soil health practices;
• Farmer/producer education, conferences, and workshops that focus on sustainable and regenerative agriculture demonstrations;
• On-farm and farmer’s market infrastructure;
• Sustainable local food and crop production;
• Programmatic and resource support for frontline farm workers and organizations.

Fund recipients have used their grants to develop educational programs, support local food production, provide food and safety equipment for frontline farm workers, implement regenerative practices, preserve heirloom grain seeds, and create pollinator habitats. These projects increase soil nutrient levels, foster healthy ecosystems, sequester carbon, and help crops become more resistant to climate change.

Climate Innovation Fund

Boulder County created the Climate Innovation Fund in 2022 to encourage innovation and provide seed capital for projects fighting climate change through nature-based solutions, carbon dioxide removal, and landscape restoration and resilience. Five projects were selected for the inaugural year of funding through a competitive application process involving a panel of 17 national and local experts. Total funds of $540,000 were awarded through this program. Boulder County worked with Carbon Direct to develop a best practices playbook for other communities looking to implement a similar program, and is continuing to work with them to assess the impact of completed projects and incorporate lessons learned into future rounds of funding. The selected projects include innovative methods for production and use of biochar, improvements to soil health by applying mycelium to excess woody debris, dryland agroforestry, and regenerative agricultural practices. These projects will be reporting on their carbon sequestration metrics and other co-benefits, and sharing their successes and challenges throughout their implementation.

4 Corners Carbon Removal Coalition

Boulder County has partnered with the city of Flagstaff, Arizona to form a coalition of local governments that will pool resources to fund nature-based and engineered carbon dioxide removal projects in the Four Corners region. The 4 Corners Carbon Removal Coalition’s first project will seek proposals that integrate carbon removed from GHG emissions into local concrete production. Read more in Grist and The Hill.

EnergySmart

The EnergySmart program helps Boulder County residents make their homes and businesses more energy efficient, comfortable, and affordable. EnergySmart has served over 19,510 homes and spurred investment of more than $40.8M in the local economy.

Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE)

Partners for a Clean Environment is Boulder County’s one-stop-shop for business sustainability. PACE provides free expert advisor services, and financial incentives to help businesses measure and reduce their climate impacts. PACE’s Small Business Equity Program helps small businesses save energy and money by replacing outdated restaurant/grocery equipment and lighting. PACE has served over 3,890 businesses and has saved over $2.6 million in business energy costs.

Rebuilding Better

Rebuilding Better connects builders and Marshall Fire-impacted residents to resources for planning, designing, and constructing high-performance homes that are cleaner, more comfortable, and more resilient to climate change impacts. Together with partners from the Colorado Energy Office, Xcel Energy, the City of Louisville, the Town of Superior, and many nonprofits, the effort amassed over $50,000 of incentives and discounts per homeowner to help lower the upfront cost of building high-performance homes. To date, nearly 70% of the homes permitted have been built to a level of energy efficiency that makes them eligible for high-performance home incentives.

The Rebuilding Better Program was submitted to the annual National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards in 2023, under the County Resiliency, Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability category to highlight the success of the advisory services that are helping residents, who were victims of the 2021 Marshall Fire, rebuild their homes to be more energy-efficient and climate-resilient.

Latinx Media

OSCAR is currently piloting a 6-month collaboration with Latinx media partners (radio and press) to expand OSCAR’s reach to the wider Latinx community to continue sharing climate crisis timely updates, resources, information and opportunities.

Below are OSCAR’s top three most important strategic focus areas.

Focus on innovative solutions that drive large-scale, system-level change

We understand that the urgency of our time demands solutions that address the intersectional crises of environmental destruction, climate chaos, and inequality. By focusing on large-scale transformation of our social, economic, and energy systems, we are forced to explore new, innovative initiatives that will set us on a path towards the sustainable, just, and resilient future we all deserve.

Center our work on equity and racial justice

At its core, climate change and environmental degradation are justice issues. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community members are most impacted by economic insecurity, toxic exposure, and climate disasters. These disproportionate impacts are compounded by centuries of systemic racism that make it difficult for vulnerable communities to have the influence they deserve in shaping our shared future. By centering our work on equity and racial justice, we will share power with those who are most impacted, and make decisions only after asking: “Who benefits, who is harmed, and how do our actions affect those who have the most at stake?”

Engage the community

To create a world that supports healthy ecosystems, addresses systemic inequality, and is resilient in the face of climate change, we must engage partners at all levels within the Boulder County community and beyond. We will collaborate with county departments to achieve collective impact; we will engage citizens and businesses to take climate action and support our work; we will partner with funders, technical experts, marginalized community members, environmental groups and other stakeholders to discover and deploy game-changing solutions to meet our goals.