Sustainable City Operations

Recognitions

SolSmart Gold Designated Community: SolSmart recognizes cities, counties, and regional organizations for making it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar. Read about the recognition!

"Clean Air Champion" Award, Winter 2022: Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) recognized the City of Westminster as a “Clean Air Champion” for its work in reducing emissions by supporting electrification efforts and promoting low/no emission transit options.

Colorado Solar Friendly Communities, Platinum-level Certification: Recognition for resident and installer friendly solar permitting and review processes 

Colorado Clean Commute Approved: The Sustainability Office worked with our local transportation management agencies, Smart Commute and Commuting Solutions, to become Colorado Clean Commute Approved! The City completed an assessment about our workforce, conducted employee surveys, and were presented with a trip reduction plan that outlines clean commute suggestions.

Sustainability Examples 

• The city's reclaimed water system treats waste water for use in landscape irrigation. By build out, the system will save 3,500 acre feet of water, enough to supply 8,150 single family homes with all of the water they would need for a year.
   
• The city purchases over 4.2 mega watts of energy from community solar gardens for city facilities, saving the city $30,000 per year in energy costs and reducing the city's green house gas emissions. By the end of 2022, over 60% of the electricity sourced for City facilities will be from community solar. 
   
• Westminster in a Platinum Level Solar Friendly Community and a SolSmart Gold designated community, and we have the numbers to prove it. As of 2017, 1,632 single-family homes have solar installed, which represents 6 percent of all homes. And those homes generate 8.9 megawatts of power.
   
• The City has set a goal that 20% of housing units in Downtown Westminster would be workforce housing, targeting families earning 80 percent of the Area Median Income.
   
• Westminster's golf courses-Legacy Ridge and Walnut Creek are dedicated to environmental stewardship and sustainability. Both of our award-winning golf courses follow the sustainability principles set forth by the Audubon International program and GCSAA's Best Management Practices, taking a proactive environmental approach to make sure we keep the "green" in golf. Find out more here.