Education & Outreach

Educating the community on Golden’s sustainability initiatives and resources is a key component in creating a Greener Golden.  We encourage community members to actively take part in sustainability as a public value that supports cultural, economic and environmental health for all citizens. Our goal is to create effective, ongoing two-way communication that informs, educates and inspires community involvement in city-wide sustainability efforts.

Connect

Golden Sustainability Email List Passionate about sustainability? Sign up for the Sustainability Email List, to receive email updates on ways to share ideas, participate in projects, and contribute your knowledge to Golden’s Sustainability Initiative.

CSAB Youth Education Grant Program

The Community Sustainability Advisory Board Youth Education Grant Program is an annual funding opportunity for any educational group within Golden working on youth-led sustainability projects. Through a competitive selection process, projects directly related to the City’s sustainability goals will be evaluated and selected by the Board for funding. Projects should propose to achieve tangible environmental benefits and provide educational opportunities or materials. Eligible projects could include projects addressing issues from renewable energy, water conservation, energy efficiency, and waste diversion.

The 2022-2023 grant applications are available now and will be accepted on a rolling deadline. Schools, youth organizations, non-profits with youth based educational programming are all welcome to apply. Limited to organizations base within City of Golden limits.

For questions, email goldensustainability@cityofgolden.net.

Education Partners

Golden High School Environment Club

The GHS Environment Club is a group of students working towards making the school and golden community more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Colorado School of Mines Senior Design Teams

To evaluate new sustainable technologies for Golden’s projects and programs, the City of Golden often turns to the Colorado School of Mines undergraduate seniors for their assistance Under the guidance of City staff and technical advisors, teams of students will spend their academic semester or year researching and designing systems meant to help the City achieve their energy, water and waste goals. The teams play an important role in proving the feasibility of their projects and in creating educational material for the public.

2021 Golden Energize Engineering – This team researched how heat recovery from wastewater could increase the energy efficiency in new buildings for the Heart of Golden Project. A summary one-pager is also available.

2021 Mines Toilet Team – This team designed a portable, solar-powered urine pasturization and nitrogen recovery system that has the potential to reduce vehicle miles traveled associated with fertilizing local crops. A summary pamphlet is also available.

2020 Brickyard House Project – This team surveyed the historic Brickyard House on Catamount Drive for feasible solar projects. They designed a 54 solar panel array which would allow the Brickyard House to become a net zero building. They also designed a 200 panel array capable of serving as a community solar garden specifically for historic buildings.

2020 Golden Solar Solutions – This team surveyed an 80 acre parcel of land just north of Golden off of Highway 93 for feasibility as a community solar garden. They designed a 10 MW solar array that could produce 9% of Golden’s total energy use.

Member Organizations

Climate CelebrationGolden has joined the following organizations to help mitigate climate change:

Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA):  CC4CA is a coalition of local governments across the state that advocates for stronger state and federal climate policy. CC4CA is governed by a steering committee of representatives from member communities. After passing resolution 2583 pdf download, Golden joined CC4CA in 2017 to support regional climate policies at the state and federal level.

Climate Mayors:  Climate Mayors is a bipartisan, peer-to-peer network of U.S. mayors working together to demonstrate leadership on climate change.

Compact of Colorado Communities:  Founded by Aspen Mayor Steve Skadron in collaboration with the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), the Compact is meant to be a powerful tool for advancing climate change education, action, and policymaking in local governments statewide. By joining the Compact of Colorado Communities, Golden commits to providing one staff member and elected official to participate in periodic meetings, attend trainings, pay modest annual dues, and adopt future policies that further progress the City’s sustainability goals.

Sierra Club ready for 100 wind powerSierra Club Ready for 100:  In 2019, Golden joined a growing number of  local jurisdictions taking action to build an equitable 100 percent clean energy economy, further propelling a national movement of climate and clean energy leadership.

Mayors for Solar EnergySponsored by, Environment America. the “Mayors for Solar Energy” statement, pledges to make solar power “a key element” of Golden’s energy portfolio

U.S. Climate Alliance:  The United States Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of states and unincorporated self-governing territories in the United States that are committed to upholding the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change within their borders, by achieving the U.S. goal of reducing greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide equivalent) economy-wide emissions 26–28% from 2005 levels by 2025[4] and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan.

2020 Citizen Task Force Recommendations

Throughout 2020, the Community Sustainability Advisory Board solicited the input of citizen task forces regarding the three sustainability goal areas: Water, Waste, and Energy. The goal was to to refine programs and policies that will be recommended to City Council over the next several years. The Board and City staff wish to thank each of the over 80 participants who participated in person, online and who submitted email comments in this effort, and invites everyone to check out the final work product of this year long effort the Citizen Task Force Recommendations Final Report.

2018 Sustainability Open House

With over 150 attendees, an effective and engaging Community Conversation event was held on September 17, 2018. Thank you to those who attended and provided comments and feedback on our goals. Your participation allowed the Community Sustainability Advisory Board to capture valuable input and ideas about the future of sustainability in Golden. For a recap of the event, download the Sustainability Conversation Slideshow.

2016 Golden Sustainability Night

Sustainability NightOn November 30, 2016 the City of Golden Sustainability Department and the Community Sustainability Advisory Board held Golden’s first Sustainability Night at the American Mountaineering Center. During the expo, attendees browsed over 30 sustainability vendor booths, and had the opportunity to learn about local green resources and chat with industry experts. Topics ranged from green building and renewable energy to alternative transportation and water conservation resources.

The expo also included a kid zone with activities sponsored by Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK). One featured activity titled, “Who polluted Clear Creek?” Offered children a hands-on way to experience how different pollutants impact rivers and drinking water. Families enjoyed prize drawings, giveaways and short movies, including Nature is Speaking, 10 Hopeful Things, and A Spoon You Can Eat.

Sustainable Energy Policy Analyst, Ken Regelson, gave two short presentations, An Abundant, Secure, and Sustainable Energy Economy and Unleashing Innovation. As the founder of EnergyShouldBe.org, Regelson makes short videos encouraging action toward a 100 percent renewably-powered world by 2035. Regelson has many awards for his work in renewable energy and a Masters Degree in electrical engineering.

The keynote address was given by Colorado State Historian, Dr. Patty Limerick on her historical perspective on climate issues. Attendees were thrilled to have Dr. Limerick. In addition to her position as the state historian, Dr. Limerick is the Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she is also a professor of environmental studies and history. Dr. Limerick is the author of Desert Passages, The Legacy of Conquest, Something in the Soil, and A Ditch in Time

For more information on Golden Sustainability night, visit www.cityofgolden.net/sustainabilitynight, or contact Golden Sustainability Coordinator Theresa Worsham at TWorsham@cityofgolden.net or 303-384-8117.

COG Mesa

 Golden was named after Thomas L. Golden,
a gold prospector who arrived in Jefferson County in 1858.

Additional Resources

City of Golden, Colorado
COG Mesa
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