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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Architect aims for carbon neutrality across building sector

Courtesy of CLEER

Ed Mazria founded the organization Architecture 2030, with the goal that all new buildings will be carbon-neutral by 2030. Last week, he spoke at a symposium in Carbondale that was hosted by local energy efficiency organizations.

 

Buildings account for nearly half of all energy consumed in the United States, and Mazria's goal is to eliminate carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels in the building sector. He said it’s within reach, especially because energy codes now require highly efficient buildings.

“Buildings are always going to use energy, so how do you get from a very efficient building all the way down to carbon neutral?” Mazria said.

Mazria unveiled his latest idea to a crowd of local architects, builders, real estate agents and government officials. He calls it the “zero code” and it involves requiring including both on and off-site renewable energy.

Mazria said it’s up to local governments and the building industry to move the needle on climate action. Architects can use the best design practices and materials to reduce consumption by up to 70 percent, he said. Then it’s up to local government.

 

“The cities have a critical role to play in terms of setting targets and then having policies to actually meet the targets," Mazria said.

Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs have all set targets to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.