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Despite Pledge, Emissions Continue To Rise

EcoAction Partners

Four years ago, Telluride, Mountain Village, and San Miguel County all looked at their greenhouse gas emissions and set the goal of reducing them by 20 percent by the year 2020. 

Those governments helped form EcoAction Partners.  They calculate and track the emissions for the area. 

"Unfortunately our greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise," says Heather Rommel, the EcoAction Partners Executive Director.  "What we see is that it's in line directly with increasing population and visitors.  Our full time residents as well as our visitors definitely play a factor, and weather plays a factor.  When we have cold and high snowfall years, our greenhouse gas emissions are higher."

She attributes a lot of the rise to the increase in activity in Telluride and Mountain Village, and says that snow melt systems and hot tubs attached to wealthier properties can add a lot of extra electrical use.  With greenhouse emissions increasing despite programs and efforts to put them in decline, Heather says it can be discouraging.

"Climate change is terrifying, and people feel powerless.  Our organization really is charged with doing something about it, but we have limited power and ability to do it," she says.  "When we were formed, the organization was not asked to be political, so we weren't asked to create legislation or those things that can really affect greenhouse gas emissions. 

"We are trying to re-look at that and come up with a way we can lead the charge, but it's absolutely the community that has to embrace it."

Heather says she is still hopeful for 2020, and with everyone’s effort, they can still meet the goal.

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