Hancock salutes Earth day–lays out green plan

Denver mayoral candidate Michael Hancock today sent out a press release touting the green initiatives he will push as mayor. Turns out he isn’t the only mayoral candidate with a green plan. See them all here.

You can read his green initiative here.

From Hancock’s website:

As Mayor, Michael will establish Greenprint Denver as a permanent office of the Mayor, giving it a greater ability to support private-sector job growth, coordinate with other city agencies and set benchmarks and goals in seven key areas: energy, water, land, transportation, waste, community, and air and emissions.

Greenprint Denver will coordinate with the Office of Economic Development on clean-energy job creation while also tracking efficiencies, effectiveness and cost-savings with other city offices and departments such as Community Planning and Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Health and Safety.

A stronger Greenprint Denver will allow for more coordination and communication between city agencies so that the best ideas are implemented efficiently and effectively with a focus on outcomes, including a reduction of agency overlap.

You can read James Mejia’s green platform here.

From Mejia’s plan:

As gas prices rise electric cars will become more common creating a higher need for charging stations. My administration will take an active role in identifying locations throughout the city and seek business partners to identify the most effective possibilities. The Hyatt Regency at the Convention Center provides designated parking and charging for guests with electric cars. At DIA, the new Canopy Airport Parking provides free charging for travelers using electric vehicles. When I am Mayor, I will work with businesses to install stations throughout the City and will see that the energy provided to these stations comes from renewable sources.

As Mayor I will ensure that Denver continues its transition to using long lasting materials. The Department of Public Works has begun to repave high traffic roads and intersections with concrete. Concrete is more durable than asphalt, better handles Colorado winters and will ultimately save the City money through reduced maintenance and replacement costs. Denver has one of the largest inventories of LED traffic lights. These lights are brighter, last longer, are environmentally safe and save the City hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The City of Denver currently charges an additional fee for recycling collection. As Mayor I will provide recycling and composting free of charge to all Denver homes, including multiunit housing and businesses. Our current system is a deterrent to recycling and composting. The long-term benefits to Denver will easily out weigh any additional cost the city experiences in the short-term. In just a few short years our efforts will pay for themselves and create a greener city.

Chris Romer’s green plan is here.

From Romer’s plan:

Chris understands that to attract the employers of the future to our city and protect our natural resources for generations to come, Denver must be on the leading edge of sustainability and energy efficiency. He’s consistently fought for measures that promote sustainability while creating jobs and saving money. To position Denver on the leading edge of the Clean Energy Economy, Chris will: Create clean energy jobs in Denver, Support and empower GreenPrint Denver, Promote multimodal transportation to reduce pollution and increase options, Lead sustainability efforts starting at City Hall

After using Colorado companies to equip his Denver home with solar panels, an energy efficient cooling system and strong insulation to reduce his family’s energy footprint and utility bills, Chris knows the power of effective sustainability and the good jobs it can create. He believes Denver should strive to be the greenest city in the country.


Doug Linkhart’s green vision is here.

From Linkhart’s plan:

Recycling is one of the most cost-effective strategies to combat greenhouse gases. To engage Denver residents in the battle against global warming, Doug will implement Denver’s new Solid Waste Plan, which calls for the conversion of the current dumpster-based system to a 3-cart system in order to provide recycling and composting to every home. Denver has made good progress in this regard, but still ranks below the national average in waste diversion and above many cities in greenhouse gas emissions per capita.

The “Green for Green” program will cover the costs of the new solid waste program by assessing a monthly fee on each homeowner, with the amount determined by level of participation in recycling and composting and a discount for low-income households. As the Co-Chair of Council’s Business, Workforce and Sustainability Committee, Doug brought together experts from other cities to discuss best practices. As Mayor, Doug will use this information, coupled with community input and the expertise of our Solid Waste Division, to design and implement an effective, equitable system for our city.

Doug will work with waste management companies and local businesses to create incentives for multi-family and commercial establishments to use recycling and composting.

Scot Kersgaard has been managing editor of a political newspaper, editor and co-owner of a ski town newspaper, executive editor of eight high-tech magazines (where he worked with current Apple CEO Tim Cook), deputy press secretary to a U.S. Senator, and an outdoors columnist at the Rocky Mountain News. He has an English degree from the University of Washington. He was awarded a fellowship to study internet journalism at the University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. He was student body president in college. He spends his free time hiking and skiing.

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