Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience (OSCAR)

“Our mission is to advance policies and programs that conserve resources, protect the environment, and safeguard our climate in order to build a sustainable, just, and resilient community.“

Colorado communities are already experiencing the impacts of a warming climate in the form of reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, high intensity wildfires, extreme weather events, and an increased number of “high heat” days. Boulder County is taking action on the climate crisis through bold initiatives that cut greenhouse gas emissions, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and help residents adapt and thrive in the face of climate change impacts. Read below to learn about OSCAR’s latest work, climate-related programming, and more.

What’s the Latest?

• September 20, 2023 | Keep it Clean Partnership is hosting the second annual Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest. All Kindergarten-12th grade students who live in and/or attend school in Boulder County are invited to participate in a free art contest with the chance to win art supplies and gift cards. The submission deadline is November 17. Learn more and review the full guidelines here.
• September 18, 2023 | In partnership with Solar United Neighbors (SUN), OSCAR is excited to announce the first county-wide solar co-op that will help residents and small businesses go solar, for less money and with less hassle. Join us for a virtual Solar 101 event on November 15, or learn more online and sign up here. The October 25 event has been cancelled.
• September 8, 2023 | A recently published report from the Boulder County Carbon Conscious Certification program shows significant progress towards reducing carbon pollution and increasing energy efficiency among program-certified cannabis cultivators. Read more in the full press release here.
• July 25, 2023 | A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Boulder County Board of Commissioners, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and National Parks Conservation Association by deciding to keep northern Weld County in the ‘nonattainment area’ for ground level ozone. This decision means that polluters in northern Weld County will continue to be held to the higher air quality standards required in the nonattainment area. Read more in the full press release here.

Our Programs

Newsroom

• New pollution rules for major manufacturers weighed – Denver Post
  • September 20, 2023 | Colorado’s air-quality regulators will consider a plan for the state’s 18 largest manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s running into sharp criticism about a loophole that could allow companies to buy their way out of making cuts. “If we can’t stand up against some very powerful companies, how are we going to solve climate change?” said Collin Tomb, Boulder County’s climate and health strategist. “We need to show that we have courage.”
• Local cannabis industry blazing towards carbon neutrality – Boulder Reporting Lab
  • September 13, 2023 | The Cannabis Conservancy and Boulder County started a program to reduce carbon emissions. A recent report shows these efforts are working … since its launch, 29% of cultivators in Boulder County have adopted energy-efficient practices and utilized renewable energy sources. In the Flow, an overachieving cannabis company, has reduced their emissions an impressive 70%.
• Can mushrooms prevent megafires? – Washington Post
  • July 10, 2023 | Slash piles, resulting from forest thinning efforts in the American West to reduce the risk of megafires caused by fire suppression practices, are being targeted by foresters in Colorado who are using native fungi, known as mycelium, to accelerate decomposition and create organic soil, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to mitigate wildfires and improve soil health.
• A Supreme Court Ruling the Fossil-Fuel Industry Doesn’t Like – New Yorker
  • May 10, 2023 | Communities can now sue in state courts for compensation for the costs of climate change—something oil companies have fought against for years. The Supreme Court recently declined to review a petition from ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to move a case from state to federal court. The results of the ruling could be significant.
• How Boulder County is pushing for Cleaner Concrete – KDVR
  • March 16, 2023 | The creation of concrete, which accounts for a significant portion of global carbon emissions, is being targeted for emissions reduction through innovative methods such as using calcium-rich waste materials and storing carbon dioxide within the concrete itself. Boulder County is spearheading the movement towards cleaner concrete, through partnership with CarbonBuilt to substitute cement in the concrete with calcium-rich waste material.

See more of our work at our press release and media archive here!