BY: SWIKAR OLI
Sustainable energy, that is power generated from non-exhaustible resources such as wind, hydro or solar, has always seemed a little power-weak and a bit too rooted in science-fiction to truly satisfy our energy-hungry needs, but recent stories show that renewable energy is actually a viable alternative. Advancements in solar and wind have made it cheaper, not to mention much cleaner than relying on fossil fuels.
Aspen, CO, the gentle, chilly tourist hub is now the third city in America to consider itself fully powered by sustainable juice. And the move is certainly a step in the right direction, if its dizzying peaks are to remain snow tipped.
Aspen, CO, the gentle, chilly tourist hub is now the third city in America to consider itself fully powered by sustainable juice.
According to Go 100% Renewable Energy, the city will be running on 100 per cent sustainable energy after 2015, up from 84 per cent in 2014. The city mostly draws from hydro for energy, but its newly-inked deal with wind farms in Nebraska and South Dakota finally made their full-sustainability dreams a reality.
Aspen’s efforts to go renewable stem from its 2005 Canary Initiative, which saw the mountainous city as especially vulnerable to rising global temperatures. The initiative sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the hopes of maintaining its flakes and flurries to be a city that remains a vibrant tourist draw.
The city will be running on 100 percent sustainable energy after 2015, up from 84 per cent in 2014.
“It was a very forward-thinking goal and truly remarkable achievement,” said David Hornbacher, director of the city’s Utilities and Environmental Initiatives. “This means we are powered by the forces of nature, predominantly water and wind with a touch of solar and landfill gas.”
Aspen is now the third city in the US to make the switch to sustainable, with Burlington, VT and Greensburg, KS.
Besides the reduction in greenhouse gasses and providing a more stable electricity rate for its consumers, spokespeople for Aspen’s Sustainability and Utility department told Go the biggest benefit to their residents was “setting an example for other communities to follow suit and do right by the environment.”
Sources: snowbrains.com, vox-cdn.com, wikimedia.org
