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ES2 Climate Protection
With its mountain setting and proximity to some of Colorado’s major ski resorts, Frisco is on the front lines of climate change. The scientific consensus is that human activities are warming the planet and that the changes are likely to accelerate as emissions of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, increase. When it comes to global warming, cities and towns are both the problem and the solution. They account for a significant percentage of all climate warming emissions.
Already, Frisco is witnessing the symptoms of climate change. Since 1950, much of the High Country has experienced declines in spring snowpack. Within the Colorado River Basin, April snowpack has been below historical averages 11 of the past 16 years. Our lodgepole pine forests are turning from green to brown, as our winters are no longer cold enough to check the mountain pine beetle populations, which kill the trees.
Local governments are taking the initiative to address this long-term sustainability challenge by finding ways to increase resource conservation, reduce waste, maximize energy efficiency, increase alternative modes of transportation and fuel, and advocate for regional and national policy changes through participation in organizations that champion these issues.
The Town of Frisco is setting an example for local governments by being an active member of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, a public-private collaborative effort to address climate change in the U.S. Rocky Mountains region. In addition, the Frisco Town Council recently signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Under this Agreement, more than 250 participating cities and towns have committed to taking the following three actions:
- Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from public transportation projects to sustainable building policies to public information campaigns; and
- Urge their state governments and the federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
- Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system
Frisco is working toward achieving these U.S. Mayors Climate Protection objectives. The Town encourages all residents, businesses and visitors to become active in the solution to combat global climate change:
- Replace a regular light bulb with a compact flourescent bulb.
- Move your thermostat down 2 degrees in the winter. Don't use air conditioning here in the summer.
- Clean or replace filters on your furnace and insulate your water heater.
- Walk, carpool, bike or take the Summit Stage. Cut emissions and do good for your body and your wallet.
- Keep your car tuned up, and inflate your tires properly.
- Take shorter showers.
- Buy energy-efficient appliances. Turn off and unplug appliances you're not using.
- Recycle at home and work. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year by recycling half the waste your household generates.
- Switch to windpower or other renewable energy through your existing utility company or buy renewable off-sets from a private company.
- Winterize your home with caulking, weather-stripping, and window coverings.
- Seek out and support Colorado-grown and organic foods and other products.
- Write letters to state and federal officials urging them to enact policy solutions to climate change.