Communities must be able to match funds; awarded up to $15,000

Boulder County, Colo. - On Feb. 23 the
Boulder County Commissioners announced the recipients of 2016 Sustainability
Grants in the following Boulder County communities: Boulder,
Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, Superior, and Ward.

Boulder County’s Environmental
Sustainability Matching Grant Program provides an opportunity for governments
within the county to undertake environmental sustainability projects within
their communities. In addition to supporting local efforts, the grants will help
support a coordinated, countywide approach to environmental sustainability.

The county’s Sustainability Grant
recipients are pursuing diverse projects including innovative technology to
conserve water, green business recognition, development of comprehensive solar
strategies, and partnerships with the EnergySmart energy efficiency service.

“These awards are an excellent way for
us to recognize and encourage the great work done in each of our communities
around sustainability,” said Susie Strife, Boulder County Sustainability
Coordinator. “It is a way to celebrate the remarkable leadership within each
individual community, and move forward on elements of community sustainability
plans.”

Any municipality located within Boulder County that can
provide a cash match for their request was eligible to apply for up to $15,000.

List of recipients and their
proposed projects:

• City of
  Boulder will be awarded funding to develop a comprehensive solar strategy
  to inform city decisions and resource allocation for increased uptake of solar
  energy. This project will result in a strategy with clear goals, targets, and
  metrics of success that will guide the city’s future work in this area.
• Town of
  Jamestown will be awarded funding to develop designs and/or incentives for
  solar power systems for the mountain town community. Solar power supports
  fiscal and energy sustainability, through the use of renewable energy and
  reductions in electric utility costs.
• City
  of Lafayette will be awarded funding
  to work with the city planning department
  on developing sustainable practices to be incorporated into planning processes.
  Some of the funds will go towards Lafayette’s continuation of their successful
  Green Business Recognition Program and incentivizing residential participation
  in the EnergySmart home efficiency service.
• City
  of Longmont will be
  awarded funding to develop an outreach plan that will outline a variety of
  methods for gathering community input on the development of Longmont’s sustainability
  plan, helping to identify key priority areas and inform strategy
  recommendations.
• City of
  Louisville will be awarded funding to pilot a water conservation program to
  install smart irrigation water controllers in partnership with the Center for
  ReSource Conservation. Some of the funds will go towards the launch of a business
  sustainability recognition program in partnership with Partners for a Clean
  Environment (PACE).
• Town
  of Lyons will be awarded funding
  to support a part-time sustainability
  coordinator hired in 2015. The sustainability
  coordinator will implement recommendations identified in the Lyons
  Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (LESAP), set goals, help administer
  existing programs, and measure impacts.
• Town
  of Nederland will be awarded
  funding to encourage residents to avoid single use water bottles and switch to
  more sustainable reusable water bottles. The town will replace old water
  fountains throughout town with energy efficient fountains designed to fill
  water bottles and institute a town policy to discourage single use water
  bottles by staff and town leaders.
• Town of
  Superior will be awarded funding to encourage residents to transition organic
  yard waste material into reusable compost. The town will add staff for onsite
  monitoring at the existing yard waste drop-off to increase the site’s
  availability for residents and reduce the amount of trash that gets mixed in
  with the organic material.
• Town of Ward will be awarded funding to establish a food storage resource building
  to store food for both short- and long-term community resource availability and
  resiliency. Some of the funds will be used to support a consultant to research
  septic systems solutions, as well as a sustainability coordinator and an intern
  for community coordination.

Boulder County is proud to have so many
communities with progressive ideas for sustainability, and the county looks
forward to seeing these grant-winning projects come to fruition. For more
information about Boulder County’s sustainability mission, visit www.BoulderCountySustainability.org.