Climate

Boulder needs to braid three kinds of climate commitments together: cut the emissions driving the crisis and ongoing risks, prepare for a changing climate already reshaping fire seasons and storms, and make everyday life better, healthier, and more affordable along the way. Managing these commitments together is how Boulder gets the most out of climate action, in a way that is timely and durable.

What I'm Working On

I've focused on making sure climate action shows up where residents actually feel it, in daily life, in city decisions, and in the energy running through their homes.

✓ Driving concrete improvements to quality of life. Focused on transitions that deliver the most co-benefits at once, cutting emissions while solving problems residents feel every day, like housing costs, air quality, and heat. Helped commission an update to Boulder's climate action plan, integrating compact land use and transportation choices into it for the first time. Championed 15-minute neighborhoods so more residents can meet daily needs close to home, and pushed for nature-based solutions like restored wetlands, permeable streets, and expanded tree canopy that cool neighborhoods, absorb stormwater, and buffer heat, flood, and wildfire smoke.

✓ Making climate part of how the city plans. Championed making the city's sustainability, equity, and resilience (SER) framework a routine part of every proposal that comes to council, and pushed to align climate priorities directly with the budget so funding follows through on commitments. Worked to integrate and automate climate thinking into everyday decisions, catching tradeoffs early and building in routines that hold up even when times get tough. This same approach carries through the campaign platform itself, with climate running through every priority here.

✓ Strengthening our energy systems. Championed the all-electric energy code for new construction (ordinance 8629) and got plug-in solar devices exempted from permits and utility fees, building a stronger, more reliable grid and more affordable energy that residents and neighborhoods control more directly. Focused on strategic efficiency, using compact land use and urbanism to lower the energy that transportation and buildings need in the first place, stretching electrification dollars further and keeping bills lower. Kept pushing the transition to renewables and away from the price swings and supply risk of natural gas, while expanding the right of residents and neighborhoods to produce their own renewable energy and control electrification at home.

What's Next

I'm working to:

☐ Expand nature-based infrastructure, including bioswales, wetland restoration, and fire- and drought-resilient shade trees

☐ Grow neighborhood-scale clean energy, including underground thermal networks and geoexchange

☐ Build a clear playbook for how climate commitments move through budgeting, planning, and staff proposals

☐ Keep pressing Xcel for a faster, fairer transition that benefits ratepayers as much as investors

☐ Advocate at the state level for policy that speeds electrification, housing, land use, and regional environmental quality

What We Stand to Gain

Cut the costs of living. Efficient buildings, compact neighborhoods, and local clean energy save money directly and reduce dependence on one utility's pricing.

Adapting to a changing world. Climate change is why Boulder has to adapt in the first place, and building that into how we plan and deliver services makes every other priority durable.

Creating a trustworthy, effective government. Aligning climate work with the budget and treating it as routine practice, tracked and reported, is what real follow-through looks like.

Climate-aligned decisions. A changing climate touches every part of life in Boulder, from housing costs to how safe our streets feel to whether the power stays on. Building a community that's ready for it, efficient, electrified, and full of nature-based buffers, is the foundation that makes every other priority here work.