Climate Change & Sustainability

Climate Change & Sustainability

Climate Change & Sustainability 150 150 lisafordenver

As a 30-year public servant working both in and outside of government, I believe that every action that directly affects the people should originate with the people most impacted. Rather than the current administration’s top-down planning process, I will implement community- and resident-driven development which includes renters, homeowners and our unhoused neighbors.

A great city isn’t defined by its wealth, but by the way it treats its people, neighbors and the environment.

The next ten years are critical to the sustainability of our communities and our planet. It’s time that we treat climate change as the urgent threat that it is. My approach to environmental policy is holistic, and will link community health, the environment, and the economy.  

As mayor, I will appoint a cabinet-level Sustainability Director and will fully fund and scale up the Office of Sustainability to speed a carbon-neutral economy. I will make sustainability foundational to all planning, projects, and decision-making.  

As the first mayoral candidate to support the Green New Deal, I will work with all due haste to move Denver toward a carbon-free economy. I will implement equitable policies to include those who are most vulnerable to the catastrophic effects of climate change to close the racial and gender wealth divide.

As mayor, I will reject political contributions from the oil and gas industry, and I will divest City holdings in any lending institution or company engaged in the ownership, financing, extraction, production, refining, processing, distribution and/or direct sales of fossil fuels.

It’s time for Denver to be the nation’s leader in climate action, rather than consistently failing to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone standards. We must protect our most vulnerable residents like children and seniors, and those having chronic and short-term respiratory issues.

I will also make it a priority to work across municipalities and the State to meet environmental goals. Denver, as the state’s capital, will finally be a good neighbor and work with our regional partners to move forward together to do our part to save our planet.

In my vision for a Green New Denver, we will become leaders in:

  • Renewable energy and resource efficiency; and pioneering a 21st century energy grid powered by clean, renewable energy sources.  
  • Making health and community wellness foundational for all decision-making.
  • Authentic community engagement, social equity, and environmental justice.
  • Healing environmental damage, access to clean water and air, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and access to nutritious food.
  • Incentivizing responsible food management, allowing for the reallocation of restaurant and grocery supplies to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
  • Ensuring attainable housing for all.
  • Green and smart infrastructure and delivery of services.  
  • Clean, safe, and reliable transportation; and ensuring mobility and accessibility for all residents.

Together, we will make Denver a green city, a healthy city, and a sustainable city.