On the agenda: Golden Community Sustainability Advisory Board - Jul 22, 2026 — data center (Jul 22)
Past ⚠ Agenda Watch Golden, Colorado · Wednesday, July 22, 2026 — 3 months ago
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Agenda
Community Sustainability Advisory Board
City of Golden, Colorado
City Hall, 911 10th Street, Golden, CO 80401
Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m.
July 22, 2026
1. Roll Call & Sustainability Pledge
6:00 p.m.
The mission of the Community Sustainability Advisory Board is to assist the City of Golden in defining
and achieving its sustainability goals and to empower the community to live in a way that assures a
high quality of life for current and future generations.
2. Approval of the Agenda
3. Approval of the Minutes of June 26, 2026
4. Public Comment
a. Review of 2027 City Fleet Purchases
6:15 – 6:45 p.m.
The City’s Fleet Manager will discuss planned vehicle replacements for 2027 and the Board will
hear information on electrification efforts.
b. Drought Update
6:45 – 7:15 p.m.
A representative from the City’s Parks department will review water conservation efforts to date at
City park areas and the Fossil Trace Golf Course.
c. Summary of June CSAB Planning meeting
7:15 – 7:45 p.m.
The Board will review the results of the annual strategic meeting held in June and discuss priorities
and funding for 2027 projects.
5. Current Projects
7:45 – 8:15 p.m.
a. Staff & Board updates
6. Agenda topics for next meeting: August 26, 2026
8:15 – 8:30 p.m.
7. Adjourn
The City of Golden does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in the provision of services. For disabled persons
needing reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a City service, program or activity, call (303) 384-8000 as far in advance as possible. (Disabled access is
available from the north side of the building).
911 10th St. Golden, CO 80401
Tel: (303) 384-8000
Fax: (303) 384-8001
www.CityofGolden.gov
Community Sustainability Advisory Board
City of Golden, Colorado
Wednesday 24, 2026
Draft Minutes
Regular Business Meeting
The Community Sustainability Advisory Board met in regular session at 911 10 th Street, Golden,
Colorado at the hour of 3:03 p.m.
Present: Carrie Atiyeh, Claybourne Clarke, Todd Collins, Jill Engel-Cox, Martha Gerdes
Absent: Jillian Matheson, Adrienne Watts
Staff: Theresa Worsham, Samantha Neumeyer
Approval of Agenda
Motion to Approve Agenda: Carrie Atiyeh
Motion to Second: Jill Engel-Cox
Time Approved: 3:05 p.m.
Approval of Minutes from May 27, 2026
Motion to Approve Minutes: Jill Engel-Cox
Motion to Second: Carrie Atiyeh
Time Approved: 3:05 p.m.
Public Comment
Frank Biasi, founder of Go Good, shared information about this travel guide app that is being piloted in
Golden. The app is intended to highlight sustainable local experiences and help businesses identify
ways to improve their sustainability practices. He expressed interest in collaborating with the City and
aligning the pilot with Golden’s sustainability goals.
Public Comment Closed: 3:21 p.m.
Business and Action Items
A. General Updates
Staff provided updates on several current sustainability projects, including the residential Pay-As-YouThrow (PAYT) contract, Downtown Waste District, waste at special events, and the 2024 Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Inventory.
Residential PAYT Contract: Council approved 5280 Waste Solutions as the next residential waste hauler,
with the contract beginning September 1. Staff are finalizing the contract and will coordinate next steps
related to the transition between haulers, including cart exchange logistics and implementation of
extended producer responsibility reimbursements.
Downtown Waste District and Special Events: Staff shared an update on the proposed Downtown Waste
District following the June 9 electric truck demonstration and initial feedback from downtown
stakeholders. Next steps include continued program design, an RFP to gather pricing, and additional
engagement with downtown businesses and residents. Staff also shared that the City has contracted with
Tectonic to provide zero waste staffing at larger special events as budget allows.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory: Staff reviewed the updated draft of Golden’s 2024 Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Inventory, which is the City’s third inventory following the 2009 and 2019 inventories. The Board
discussed the cadence for future inventories, including the value of completing another inventory before
the 2030 goal renewal process. Board feedback also focused on how to clearly track comparable data over
time, document new data sources or methodology changes, and further review aviation, wastewater,
commercial energy, diesel emissions, and 2009 baseline data. Staff will continue working with ICLEI and
Board members to refine the inventory before it is brought forward.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m.
The City of Golden does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in the provision of services. For disabled persons
needing reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a City service, program or activity, call (303) 384-8000 as far in advance as possible. (Disabled access is
available from the north side of the building).
911 10th St. Golden, CO 80401
Tel: (303) 384-8000
Fax: (303) 384-8001
www.CityofGolden.gov
Memorandum
To:
Community Sustainability Advisory Board
From:
Theresa Worsham, Sustainability Manager
Samantha Neumeyer, Sustainability Coordinator
Date:
For July 22, 2026 meeting
Re:
Sustainability Updates from Staff
Enclosed are several items of note that relate to our sustainability efforts that have
occurred over the past few weeks. Items highlighted in yellow are of particular
importance.
Upcoming Meeting Information
•
No materials in advance are included for the Board’s first two action items
pertaining to updates from Parks staff about drought policies for parks and at
the Fossil Trace Golf Course and for the discussion about planned 2027 city
vehicles. City staff from Parks and Fleet divisions will present items during the
meeting.
•
Attached for review are the latest draft 2024 GHG inventory and summary of
the Board’s strategic meeting in June.
Administration
Air Quality. On June 30th, City Council approved to extend the City’s Intergovernmental
Agreement with Jefferson County Public Health for the Love My Air program, which
supports local air quality monitoring, public education, and data transparency. To view
real-time air quality data, visit the Jefferson County Love My Air Regional Dashboard.
GHG Inventory. ICLEI has revised the draft 2024 inventory (attached) based on feedback
from Board members and staff. ICLEI is currently undergoing making accessibility edits
before a final draft is provided to the City. Revisions in the current draft include:
•
Natural gas and electricity emissions now match the Xcel Energy Community
Energy reports (CER).
•
Emissions factors for these two categories have been changed to use Xcel’s
emissions factors instead of emissions used by ICLEI’s proprietary software
•
Categories of “new” emissions, those not included in previous inventories, are
separated out under the “Additional Sectors” table in order to show a consistent
comparison, per the Board’s direction.
•
Gas consumption of accounts excluded from Xcel’s CERs that fall under the
15/15 rule have been revised. A reminder for this item is that we’ve used 15% for
each of the three identified gas accounts, but this is a minimum and consumption
could be more, but is unknown.
Grants Update. The City has signed three of the four recently awarded grant agreements.
Staff have several kickoff meetings scheduled in late July with project planning and
implementation steps underway.
Contracts. Staff are advancing several procurement efforts that support sustainability
programs, grant-funded work, and upcoming service needs. Updates are organized
below by status.
Recently Closed / Awarded
•
•
•
•
•
Special events dumpsters (Republic Services)
Residential Wate Collection Services (5280 Waste)
Maintenance of City Solar Photovoltaic Systems. (Namaste Solar)
Zero Waste Services for Special Events (Tectonic)
Electrical Services (Southpaw Electrical)
In Progress
•
Extended Producer Responsibility reimbursements. Staff with assistance from the
Legal department are finalizing the agreement with Circular Action Alliance, the
State’s contractor to administer recycling reimbursements for the EPR program
that will be passed along to all customers in the City’s residential program.
•
Municipal Solar Photovoltaic projects. Two city-owned PV projects at the
Community Center and Fossil Trace Club House are budgeted for this year. An
RFP recently closed and staff are evaluating bid responses.
•
Appliance and Mattress Recycling Services. A new contract seeks to expand this
residential program into additional multi-family areas with potential to add
commercial businesses.
Forthcoming in 2026
•
Municipal dumpster services. The City periodically rebids the municipal building
dumpsters (29) for favorable pricing and service. Staff is evaluating the feasibility
of wrapping this program into the downtown waste district RFP.
•
Downtown Waste District. To get an idea of pricing for downtown residents and
businesses, staff will complete program design followed by a RFP to solicit
interest and pricing before sharing the results with the Board and downtown
stakeholders.
•
Recycling education. As part of grant funding, staff will issue a RFP to seek a
partnership with regional educational organizations to fulfill several education and
Page 2 of 5
outreach needs including: universal recycling ordinance, downtown waste district,
data collection for interest in a potential universal organics ordinance, and
recycling education for pay-as-you-throw customers.
Aluminum bottle project. Staff are meeting with potential suppliers of this project
to bottle Golden tap water for use in future events and in municipal operations to
consider a proposal to ban single use plastic water.
•
Sustainability Rebates
The 2026 Sustainability Rebate Program will close to new applications on July
22 due to strong participation and limited remaining funding. To date, the City
has disbursed $74,212, and pending applications are expected to utilize the
entire $100,000 annual budget. Staff have notified local installers and residents
who have recently contacted the City about the updated deadline. Projects
already submitted for application are required to be completed by December
31. Staff will continue to follow up with all pending applicants to confirm project
status and remaining funding needs. At the August meeting, staff will provide an
analysis of the 2026 program by type and expenditure.
Other News
•
GoFarm CSA has closed its doors after losing its location at the CoorsTek
property on 9th Street.
•
City Staff are working with its water resources consultant to review recent
temperature, flows and dissolved oxygen levels in Clear Creek to consider
impacts to aquatic life as the summer heat continues.
•
CoorsTek representatives are interested in scheduling time a future Board
meeting to provide updates and ask for Board feedback on proposed
modifications to their next phases of development. Staff will work with our Chair
and Vice Chair on scheduling.
Energy
New EV stations. Planning and installation of new EV charging continues to be a multidepartment effort across Sustainability, Fleet, Facilities, and Public Works/Engineering.
Southpaw has been selected as a contracted electrician for the City and will support
upcoming charger installations.
•
Four dual-port L2 fleet chargers funded through an existing Charge Ahead Colorado
grant are scheduled for installation at the Shops by the end of 2026.
•
Nine public dual-port L2 chargers were also included in the existing Charge Ahead
grant. Five stations have been completed and four remain in progress.
•
Additional fleet charging funded through the 2026 Fleet-ZERO grant is scheduled for
installation in late 2026 and 2027. Planned installations include four dual-port Level
2 chargers and one dual-port DC fast charger at the new City Hall for fleet and
Police Department use, one dual-port DC fast charger at the Shops, and one dualport Level 2 charger at Fire Station 24.
Page 3 of 5
EV Street Sweeper. Due to ongoing manufacturer delays and the length of time since the
original order, staff are beginning to explore alternative options and will be reviewing
another electric street sweeper model that is currently in use in Colorado. While the State
has been understanding of the delays, the project is grant-funded and staff will need to
identify a path forward soon.
Xcel Energy meetings. Staff are pursing a microgrid study through the National
Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL) with the intent to schedule meetings with
Xcel. In a parallel effort, staff is inquiring about Xcel’s Partners In Energy (PIE) program
as a route to establish quarterly meetings.
Waste
Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program. City Council has decided to award the next contract
to 5280 Waste Solutions, which will begin September 1, 2026.
•
In May, the PAYT program collected approximately 387.4 tons of material,
achieving a diversion rate of 34.33% through 59.4 tons of recycling and 73.6
tons of organics.
•
Staff has been working to finalize the contract with 5280 Waste Solutions and is
planning for a kick-off meeting in late July.
Extended Producer Responsibility
•
Staff continue to meet with Circular Action Alliance to discuss Golden’s
participation in the EPR program, including contract requirements, program
guidance, and the reimbursement process. Golden is nearing contract
execution, which will allow staff to begin submitting eligible costs for
reimbursement soon.
Appliance and Mattress Recycling
•
267 items have been collected and recycled so far in 2026. Demand for the
program remains consistently strong, with weekly collection schedules fully or
nearly fully booked.
Community Cleanup Days
•
The annual Community Cleanup Days are scheduled for September 19 and 20,
2026.
Glass Recycling
•
Since re-establishing the program in 2024, the Coors Lot glass-only dumpster
has collected 44 tons (88,000 lbs) of glass, saving an estimated 1,849 kWh of
energy, avoiding 13,859 lbs of CO₂ emissions, conserving more than 91,000 lbs
of raw materials, and diverting the equivalent weight of about 22 cars from
landfills.
Slash
•
The JeffCo Tincup Slash site recently opened May 15 for the season. This site
will remain open Friday – Sunday through October 25.
Municipal Solid Waste
Page 4 of 5
•
Annual municipal solid waste volumes collected from City buildings show a
diversion rate of 19.2% over the past year, consisting of 181 tons of recycling
and 944 tons of trash.
Special Events
•
Waste diversion at special events has started strong this year with successes
at ArtsWeek and the 4th of July events and increasing rates of diversion at the
Farmers Markets. Preliminary diversion results from ArtsWeek show that 132
pounds of material were diverted from the landfill out of 280 pounds of total
waste, for a diversion rate of approximately 47%.
Water Conservation
Drought Status
•
Amended Stage 1. Golden continues to face drought-driven water supply
pressures, including critically low statewide water supplies and historically low
flows in Clear Creek. The City is issuing an Amended Stage 1 Drought Order
to provide clearer guidance, reduce outdoor water use, protect Golden’s water
supply, and potentially help avoid more restrictive measures, including a Stage
2 Drought declaration. The amended order is effective July 19 through October
31, 2026, unless rescinded earlier. Effective July 19th, an amendment to the
City’s Stage 1 Drought Order further clarifies and limits watering to:
o Outdoor irrigation is limited to two irrigation events per calendar week
(Sunday at 12:00 a.m. to Saturday at 11:59 p.m.) per property.
o An irrigation event is defined as the overnight time period from 6:00 p.m.
until 10:00 a.m. the following day.
o The two-event limit applies to the entire property, not separately by
landscape area, irrigation zone, irrigation system (including drip
irrigation), or plant type.
o The limit applies to lawns, turfgrass, trees, shrubs, and perennials.
o No outdoor irrigation is permitted between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Garden in a Box Program
•
The spring Garden In A Box pickup event was held on May 2, with more than
600 gardens distributed across Golden and neighboring communities. Golden
residents claimed 70 program discounts this spring. A fall sale is open now with
an additional 35–70 discounts available.
Slow the Flow Program/Lawn Replacement
•
The sprinkler evaluations are underway; however, demand is lower than
targeted so far
Thank you to each of our board members for your participation. Please email me with
any questions.
Page 5 of 5
2026 CSAB Annual Strategy Meeting Notes
June 24, 2026
The following list of projects is ranked in order of priority based on the number of dots
***** voted by Board members. Ideas are grouped where Board members identified
similar projects.
ENERGY
1. Downtown microgrid w/backup power & PV *****
• Design microgrid w/Xcel for downtown Golden businesses
• Solar over parking lots/roofs
• Backup batteries
Grants & policy/RFP
• Fund & build
• Impact: high. Effort: high.
Support downtown backup PV & storage
• Resiliency
2. Existing buildings (residential & commercial) ***
• Alterations & remodels regulations
• Policy & incentives
• Impact: high. Effort: Medium
Benchmarking data
• Use it to develop consumption reduction programs & policy & incentives
• Leverage Mines & new Energy Manager
Commercial energy benchmark
• Implementation and commercial support to consider upgrades
consultant
• Impact: high. Effort: Medium
3. Residential & commercial rebates for electrification **
• New rebates
• More rebates
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
4. Commercial solar **
• Make progress
Survey businesses
Create incentives
Pass policy
Implement
Impact: high. Effort: med.
5. Better incentive promotions **
• Educate homeowners & contractors
• Use Travis
• Impact: Med. Effort: Low.
6. E-bike incentive rebate **
• Income tiered
• Stackable with state and other programs
• Impact: med. Effort: low+
E-bike trail regulation & safety
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
7. Dark sky initiative **
“star parties” for community lights out
• Impact: low. Effort: low.
8. Xcel quarterly meetings to collab on energy goals *
• Impact: Med+. Effort: low.
9. Implement docked & shared bike program *
• Apply to CAMP @ CEO
• Impact: med. Effort: Med+
10. EV incentive rebate *
• Preferred parking/other incentives
• Income tiered
• New + used EVs
• Stackable with other programs
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
11. Track developments in IECC 2027 and DRCOG/NW Cohort overlays *
• Impact: high. Effort: low/med.
12. Bring light rail train to Golden by extending G-line from Wheat Ridge + mountain
line. *
•
•
•
Advocate for funding for train line
Also train to mountains stop north of Golden
Impact: high. Effort: high.
13. Review bike paths & influence *
• & bike racks to lock bikes
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
14. Electrify ORE cart
• Apply for CAMP @ CEO
• ORE carts w/in City fleet EV program
• Impact: med. Effort: med+
15. Energy awareness bike/run engagement
• Impact: low. Effort: low
16. Sound ordinance to ban int com eng. Downtown
• Impact: high. Effort: high+
17. Micro-hyrdo & pumped hydro
• Complete updated study of micro hydro (canals) & pumped hydro storage
• Bath water power & heat recovery
• Student
• Impact: ???. effort: low.
WATER
18. Study water use to understand drivers of use ****
• What are residents using water for?
Eat our own dog food = aggressive golf course & cemetery reduction
Municipal water use
• Accountability & aggressive turf replacement
Water budget action/policy
• Hire a consultant
• Impact: ???. effort: med.
19. Accelerate waste water fix **
Study on:
• A. methane recovery at waste water treatment facility
• B. put in place if feasible/beneficial
• Impact: high. Effort: high.
20. Assess recycling water *
• Toilet 2 Tap
• Greywater/code update
• Impact: low. Effort: low.
21. Plan/strategy
• Assess sustainability certification
• Impact: high. Effort: med.
22. Policy recommendation to Council:
• Stage 1 drought @ all times. (2x/wk watering year round, not just May –
Oct)
• Impact: high. Effort: med.
23. Make easier & more aggressive turf replacement rebates
• Double & education help.
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
24. Water wise home tour
• Partnership w/ Sustainable Golden or other (home & commercial)
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
25. Water quality
• Last study on risk was 2004
• Microplastics
• Other (CEC)
• Impact: med. Effort: med.
26. Policy recommendations on data centers & other new industries w/ high water &
energy use
• Restrict commercial growth? Based on water use
• Impact: high. Effort: med.
WASTE
1. Construction waste diversion/recycle ****
•
Impact: high. Effort: med/high.
2. Expand waste diversion @/to multifamily & commercial locations **
• Recycling and compost
• Impact: high. Effort: med.
3. Reuse program **
• Collaborate with Wheat Ridge Maker Space?
Tool library
• Find maker space (city subsidized)
• Only electrified tools
• Impact: med. Effort: med/high
4. Bear proof trash bins *
• Install bear proof bins (trash, recycling) at suburban parks & near open
space
• Education for private owners
• Replace all municipal trash bins w/ bear proof trash & recycling
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
5. HOA outreach
• get more to join PAYT!
• Attend community event to education
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
Comms/marketing re: recycling and compost to increase waste diversion and
decrease waste emissions
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
6. Ridwell ambassador
• Can city offer an incentive to join?
More frequent free drop-off for hard-to-recycle items
• Impact: med. Effort: med+
7. More directed donation program accessible
• Swap/thrift sale event
• Impact: low. Effort: low/med
8. Food rescue program (grocery stores, restaurants)
• Partnership with org (like Denver Food Rescue)
•
•
Impact: med. Effort: med.
Impact: low. Effort: low.
OTHER 2027 IDEAS
9. Wildlife corridors & crossings *
• Identify & preserve w/ easements key wildlife corridors
• Study & build improved elk & wildlife crossing on hwy 6
• Impact: ?. effort: med.
10. Clear creek clean ups following busy weekends
• Comms & advertising
• Impact: low. Effort: low.
11. Resiliency plan/strategy all encompassing
• Impact: ???. effort: med/high
12. Incentives for residential (and commercial) fire mitigation & ed & comms
• Tree removal near house w/ rebate for new tree
• Other
• Defensible space
• Impact: med. Effort: low.
13. Increase awareness & value of sustainability awards
• More applicants
• Financial award?
• Case studies
GOLDEN, CO
2024 Inventory of
Community-Wide
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Prepared For:
Produced By:
Golden, CO
ICLEI – Local Governments
for Sustainability USA
July 2026
Table of Contents
03
Tables and Figures
04
04
05
05
05
06
08
09
12
13
14
16
17
17
18
19
19
20
Introduction
Key Findings
Inventory Methodology
Understanding a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Community Emissions Protocol
Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Note on Commercial and Industrial Energy
Community Emissions Inventory Results
Comparison of 2019 and 2024 Inventories
Comparison Discussion
Conclusion
Looking Ahead
Appendix: Methodology Details
Stationary Energy
Transportation
Wastewater
Waste
Fugitive Emissions
Inventory Calculations
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA
This template was updated by ICLEI USA in 2026.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Tables and Figures
List of Tables
06
06
09
11
17
17
12
18
18
19
19
Table 1: Scope of GPC Emmisions
Table 1: Operations vs. Work for Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
Table 3: Table 4: Energy Consumption - Business Accounts
Table 4: Community-Wide Emissions Inventory
Table 5: 2019 and 2024 Community-Wide Emissions Comparison
Table 6: Stationary Energy Data Sources
Table 7: Emissions Factors for Electricity Consumption
Table 8: Transportation Data Sources
Table 9: VMT Percentage By Vehicle Type
Table 10: Wastewater Data Sources
Table 11: Waste Data Sources
19
Table 12: Waste Charecterization
20
Table 13: Fugitive Emissions Data Sources
List of Figures
05
06
10
Figure 1: Community-Wide Emissions by Sector
Figure 2: Relationship of Community and Government Operations Inventories
Figure 3: Community-Wide Emissions by Sector
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It
may not be used for any commercial purpose. Any non-commercial use of this material must provide attribution to ICLEI
Local Governments for Sustainability USA.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Introduction
This report includes an updated Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) for the City of Golden, CO.
Golden has previously completed two inventories, using 2007 and 2019 data. This report directly
builds upon the foundations laid in the previous GHGI reports and allows us to measure changes in
emmisions across the years.
Data is our most powerful tool for accountability. By analyzing these numbers against previous
inventory years, city leaders, business owners, and community members can evaluate which
policies succeeded and where we must pivot. This update ensures Golden’s local policy aligns with
national and global environmental standards, transforming long-term climate data into immediate
community action.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Key Findings
Figure 1 shows community-wide emissions in 2024 by sector. The largest contributor to emmisions
is the Commercial Energy sector, accounting for 45 of emissions. The next largest contributor was
the Transportation sector accounting for 39% of emmisions, followed by Residential energy at 12%
of emmisions. Actions to reduce emissions in all of these sectors will be a key part of a climate
action plan. Solid Waste, Water & Wastewater, and Fugitive Emmisions were responsible for the
remaining (~4%) emissions.
The Inventory Results section of this report provides a detailed profile of emissions sources within
Golden; information that is key to guiding local reduction efforts. These data will also provide a
baseline against which the city will be able to compare future performance and demonstrate
progress in reducing emissions.
2024 EMISSIONS
AT A GLANCE
1
2
3
Commercial
Energy
45%
Transportation
39%
Residential
Energy
12%
Transportation & Mobile Sources (39%)
Commercial Energy (45%)
Residential Energy (12%)
Solid Waste (2%)
Water & Wastewater (0.75%)
Fugitive Emmisions (0.85%)
Figure 1: 2024 Community-Wide Emissions by Sector
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Inventory
Methodology
Understanding a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
The first step toward achieving tangible greenhouse gas
(GHG) emission reductions requires identifying baseline
emissions levels and sources and activities generating
emissions in the community. This report presents emissions
from the Golden community as a whole. The government
operations inventory is mostly a subset of the community
inventory, as shown in Figure 3. For example, data on
commercial energy use by the community include energy
consumed by municipal buildings, and community vehiclemiles-traveled estimates include miles driven by municipal
fleet vehicles.
As local governments continue to join the climate protection
movement, the need for a standardized approach to quantify
GHG emissions has proven essential. This inventory uses the
approach and methods provided by the Global Protocol for
Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GPC).
COMMUNITY
EMISSIONS
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
EMISSIONS
Figure 2: Relationship of Community and
Government Operations Inventories
Community Emissions Protocol
This community inventory meets the requirements of the GPC Protocol. Version 1.1 of the GPC [1]
was released by a partnership of ICLEI, World Resources Institute, and C40 Cities Climate Leadership
Group in 2019, and represents a robust framework for accounting for and reporting communitywide
GHG emissions. The GPC Protocol offers two reporting levels: BASIC or BASIC+. The BASIC level
covers scope 1 and scope 2 emissions from stationary energy and transportation, as well as scope 1
and scope 3 emissions from waste. Types of emission scopes are defined further in Table 1. BASIC+
involves more challenging data collection and calculation processes, and additionally includes
emissions from IPPU and AFOLU and transboundary transportation. The community inventory in
this report includes emissions required by the GPC Protocol BASIC sectors with limited BASIC+
sectors, including emmisions from:
Use of electricity by the community
Use of fuel in residential and commercial stationary combustion equipment
On-road passenger and freight motor vehicle travel
Public transit and Rail
Off Road transport
Aviation
Generation of solid waste by the community
Biologic treatment of waste
Wastewater treatment processes
[1] WRI, C40 Climate Cities Group, & ICLEI. 2014. Global Protocol for Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Retrieved from
https://ghgprotocol.org/ghg-protocol-cities
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Table 1: Scopes of GPC Emissions
Emissions Type
Definition
Scope 1
Emissions produced directly by an activity such as CO2 emitted by a
vehicle or N2O produced at a wastewater plant.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with electricity or heat generation.
Scope 3
Indirect emissions produced by local government operations.
Note on Data Centers
Energy use from regional data centers was not included since the scope of this inventory only
covered Scope 1 and Scope 2, emmisions from energy use, which only captures emmisions from
energy consumed within the City of Golden’s boundaries. Energy use from data centers in the
region would fall under Scope 3 emmisions and would require additional data to be collected, which
is can be proprietary and difficult to be reported.
Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Operations and Work
In ClearPath 2.0, the GPC framework is operationalized by structuring activity data into:
Table 2: Operations vs. Work for Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
Operations
Work
The purpose of energy or resource use
(e.g., heating buildings, moving
freight, treating wastewater, or
disposing of waste).
The fuels and energy consumed to
carry out certain operations (e.g.,
natural gas for heating, diesel fuel
for freight, electricity for wastewater
treatment).
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Quantification Methods
Some activities, such as waste disposal, do not involve direct energy consumption. In these cases,
only Operations is required (e.g., tons of waste landfilled), and emissions are estimated directly
through process-based emission factors rather than a Work calculation.
Operations x Work Intensity = Work X Emission Factor = Emissions
The following examples use arbitrary, simplified numbers to make the math easy to follow.
Example 1: Stationary energy (heating buildings)
1. Operations: 100,000 square feet
2. Work intensity: 40 kBtu per square foot
3. Work: 100,000 x 40 kBtu = 4,000,000 kBtu = 4,000 MMBtu
4. Emission factor: 50 kg CO2e per MMBtu
5. Emissions: 4,000 x 50 kg = 200,000 kg CO2e = 200 metric tons CO2
Example 2: Transportation (freight movement)
1. Operations: 1,000,000 ton-miles
2. Work intensity: 0.003 gallons diesel per ton-mile
3. Work: 1,000,000 x 0.003 = 3,000 gallons diesel
4. Emission factor: 10 kg CO2e per gallon diesel
5. Emissions: 3,000 x 10 kg = 30,000 kg CO2e = 30 metric tons CO2e
Example 3: Waste (landfilling, no Work entry)
1. Operations: 10,000 tons of solid waste landfilled
2. Process emission factor: 2.0 metric ton CO2e per ton waste
3. Emissions: 10,000 x 2.0 = 20,000 metric tons CO2e
This approach operationalizes the GPC within a data system designed for consistent reporting,
streamlined analysis, and alignment with regional, national, and global inventories.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Note on Commercial/Industrial Natural
Gas
The 2024 Community Energy Report provided by Xcel Energy combines Commercial and Industrial
customers into one “Business” class and also excludes certain accounts from the dataset to meet
Regulatory Privacy Requirements. This regulatory requirement is referred to as the “15x15 Rule.”
The 15x15 rule is applied to data that is provided by the utility and will remove an entire data set if
there are not at least 15 individual records. The utility will also not include any individual data point
if it represents more than 15% of the total data set.
Based on past outreach, the City of Golden is aware of 3 accounts that have been removed from the
dataset. In an effort to provide a more complete inventory and analysis, we have estimated the
amount of additional consumption and emmisions from the excluded entities. For these estimations
it was assumed that each of the 3 excluded accounts represented 15% of the total business
consumption for natural gas. The estimated amounts were included in the 2024 inventory. Refer to
table 3 for the estimations.
Table 3: Natural Gas Consumption - Business Accounts
Number of
Customers
Energy
Consumption
(MMBtu)
2024 Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
Business
1,219
769,336
40,863
Estimated Excluded
Accounts
3
629,457
32,732
Estimated Total
1,222
1,398,793
72,737
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Community Emissions
Inventory Results
The total community-wide emissions for the 2024 inventory are shown in Table 4 and Figure 5. For
the 2024 inventory additional sectors were included that had not been included in the 2019
inventory due to increased data availability. These additional sectors are included at the end of
Table 3 as additional information.
Table 4: Community-Wide Emissions Inventory
Sector
Residential Energy
Fuel or Source
2024 Usage
Usage Unit
2024 Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
Electricity
50,896,122
kWh
19,748
Natural Gas
384,129
MMBtu
19,975
Distillate Fuel Oil No. 2
3,216
MMBtu
262
Propane
3,090
MMBtu
195
40,179
Residential Energy Total
Commercial Energy
Electricity
203,306,164
kWh
78,883
Natural Gas
769,336
MMBtu
40,006
Natural Gas -Estimated
629,457
Excluded Accounts
MMBtu
32,732
Commercial Energy Total
Transportation &
Mobile Sources
151,620
On Road Passenger Gasoline
218,345,802
vehicle mile
71,398
On Road Passenger Diesel
3,389,520
vehicle mile
1,120
On Road Freight Gasoline
6,642,860
ton mile
1,003
On Road Freight Diesel
168,728,639
ton mile
44,652
Railways - Diesel
1,092
MMBtu
81
Off-Road - Gasoline
54,641
MMBtu
3,850
Off-Road - Diesel
60,987
MMBtu
4,527
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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2
Table 4: Community-Wide Emissions Inventory (continued)
Sector
Transportation &
Mobile Sources
(continued)
Fuel or Source
2024 Usage
Off-Road - CNG
1,587
MMBtu
83
Off-Road - LPG
13,811
MMBtu
856
Transportation & Mobile Sources Total
Solid Waste
127,570
Waste Sent to Landfill 17,879
Tons
6,171
Composting
696
Tons
95
Flaring of landfill gas
1,318,115
Cubic ft / Day
62
Solid Waste Total
Water & Wastewater
6,328
Wastewater Electricity 6,381,942
kWh
2,476
Wastewater Natural
Gas
MMbtu
2
30
Water & Wastewater Total
Process & Fugitive
Emissions
2024 Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
Usage Unit
Natural Gas
Distribution
2,478
1,782,952
MMBtu
2,820
Process & Fugitive Emissions Total
2,820
Total Emissions
330,995
Additional sectors
On Road Passenger Electric
4,502,497
vehicle mile
647
Public Transit - Diesel
Bus
389,222
vehicle mile
536
Public Transit Electric Light Rail
160,239
vehicle mile
421
Aviation - Passenger
Transport
458,911
MMBtu
31,898
Solid Waste
Recycling
1,363
Tons
26
Water & Wastewater
Wastewater
Treatment
20,151
people
1,359
Transportation &
Mobile Sources
Total Emmisions from Additional Sectors
34,887
Total Emmisions with Additional Sectors
365,882
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Figure 5 shows the distribution of community-wide emissions by sector without the additional
sectors. Commercial Energy is the largest contributor, followed by Transportation and Residential
Energy.
Transportation & Mobile Sources (39%)
Commercial Energy (45%)
Residential Energy (12%)
Solid Waste (1.9%)
Water & Wastewater (0.75%)
Fugitive Emmisions (0.85%)
Figure 5: Community-Wide Emissions by Sector
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Comparison of 2019
and 2024 Inventories
Table 5: 2019 and 2024 Community-Wide Emissions Comparison2
Sector
Fuel or Source
2019 Usage
Electricity
50,572,914
Natural Gas
Residential
Energy
2024 Usage
Usage
Unit
2019
Emissions
(MT CO2e)
50,896,122 kWh
24,994
19,975
Distillate Fuel Oil
No. 2, Kerosene,
etc
1,480
3,216 MMBtu
112
262
Propane
3,726
3,090 MMBtu
237
195
51,516
40,179
118,370
78,883
69,856
72,738
188,226
151,620
vehicle
mile
120,235
118,708
131,026 MMBtu
8,924
9,317
104
81
129,263
127,571
Electricity
228,720,987
Natural Gas
1,313,409
203,306,164 kWh
1,398,793 MMBtu
On-Road
(Gasoline and
Diesel)
449,775,450
Off-Road - All
Fuels
-
Railways3 Diesel
-
397,106,821
1,092
ton
mile
Transportation & Mobile Sources Total
Waste Sent to
Landfill
Solid Waste
Composting
Flaring of
Landfill gas
19,078
17,879
Tons
6,600
6,171
254
696
Tons
18
95
1,512,000
1,318,115
Cubic ft
68
/ Day
62
Solid Waste Total
Water and
Wastewater
19,748
384,129 MMBtu
Commercial Energy Total
Transportation
& Mobile
Sources
26,173
469,926
Residential Energy Total
Commercial
Energy1
2024 Emissions
(Mt CO2e)
Wastewater
Energy
Water & Wastewater Total
-
-
-
6,686
6,355
3,586
2,478
3,586
2,478
*Blank cells are a result of variability in the format of available data by sector and fuel or source type.
[2] This table shows 2024 emissions without the additional sectors that were not included in the 2019 inventory.
[3] The data source used in 2019 (U.S. EPA Eastern Regional Technical Advisory Committee) was not able to be
reproduced, so the 2024 inventory used 2020 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) Data.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Table 5: 2019 and 2024 Community-Wide Emissions Comparison (continued)
Sector
Process &
Fugitive
Emissions
Fuel or Source
2019 Usage
2024 Usage
Natural Gas
Distribution
1,395,267
1,782,952
Usage
Unit
MMBtu
2019
2024
Emissions
Emissions
(MT
(Mt CO2e)
CO2e)
2,421
2,820
Process & Fugitive Emissions Total
2,421
2,820
Total Gross Emissions
381,698
330,995
Difference
-50,703
*Blank cells are a result of variability in the format of available data by sector and fuel or source type.
Comparison Discussion
Table 5 compares 2019 and 2024 activity data and
emissions (MT CO2e). When comparing
inventories four years apart, it must be recognized
that the data collection and the inventory process
have been conducted differently. Most notably,
data collection methodologies have become more
accurate or changed due to data availability of
past data sources. The various patterns and
outliers displayed in the above table might be
partly based on the aforementioned inventory
changes. In addition, due to additional data
availability additional sectors were included in
Table 4 as information but we’re not included in
comparison in Table 5.
As shown in Table 5, total emissions declined from
2019 to 2024 by 50,703 MT CO2e, which
represents around a 13.28% decrease in
community emissions. Overall, emmisions across
every sector experienced a decline in 2024 when
compared to 2019.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Conclusion
Drawing definitive conclusions regarding emission trends between Golden’s 2019 and 2024
inventories remains difficult due to several variables. These variables include changes in data
availability and external socio-economic changes that are difficult to account for—including the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation and commercial activity—making a direct
comparison challenging. Consequently, changes in these inventories may reflect improvements in
tracking accuracy or temporary societal shifts rather than permanent progress toward long-term
sustainability goals.
Despite these challenges, the City of Golden has made substantial progress towards their climate
action goals through various policies and programs that have been implemented in recent years.
Some of the most impactful actions are highlighted by sector:
Golden’s Sustainability Goals:
Energy
Achieve 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2030 and 100%
renewable for heating by 2050. To align Greenhouse Gas Emission
reductions with the Paris Accord by 2050.
Reduce consumption of electricity by 15% by 2030 and reduce
consumption of natural gas by 15% by 2030.
Transportation
Achieve 20% fossil fuel-free transportation sector by 2030 and 100%
fossil fuel-free transportation sector by 2050.
Waste
Reduce total landfill contribution by 40% by 2030.
Recycle 80% of recyclables by 2030.
Compost 80% of compostables by 2030.
Reduce total trash by 20% by 2030.
Strive for zero waste in municipal operations by 2030.
Water
To reduce per capita total water use in Golden by at least 15% by 2030.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Stationary Energy
Municipal Building Decarbonization and Electrification
Golden partnered with McKinstry to complete a building decarbonization study of two City
buildings to identify opportunities to reduce emissions.
Golden has been working to electrify existing municipal buildings as opportunities arise,
especially when equipment reaches the end of its useful life or when replacement projects
are already planned.
Examples of this work include: converting rooftop units from gas to electric where feasible,
replacing gas water heaters with electric alternatives, installing electric appliances,
including induction cooktops, in city-owned affordable housing units and at a fire station.
Community Sustainability Rebates
Golden continues to offer a sustainability rebate program to help residents make energy
efficiency and electrification improvements in their homes. Eligible upgrades include heat
pump systems, electrical panel or service upgrades, insulation, induction cooktops, and
other efficiency or electrification measures.
Between 2021 and 2024, the City provided more than $180,000 in rebates to residents for
energy efficiency and electrification upgrades. These incentives help reduce barriers to
household-level emissions reductions and support broader community progress toward
Golden’s climate goals.
The rebate program has continued to expand, with the budget in 2026 increasing to
$100,000 from $75,000 in 2025 and now includes new incentives for solar PV and battery
backup.
Streetlight LED conversion
To date, Golden has converted more than 1,000 streetlights to LEDs. This project reduces
electricity use associated with municipal lighting and provides a visible example of the City’s
continued investment in energy efficiency.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Transportation
Municipal Fleet Electric Vehicle Master Plan
To date, 17 of the City’s approximately 140 fleet
vehicles are fully electric. These include a mix of
light-duty trucks and SUVS.
Golden has also begun converting lawn
maintenance and handheld equipment to
electric alternatives, reducing fuel use and
emissions from smaller municipal operations
where electric equipment is feasible.
Fleet transition is expected to continue over
time through planned vehicle replacement
cycles, operational evaluation, and feasible
available options.
Mobility Initiatives
City of Golden and Schools of Mines launched
the Ore Cart shuttle service to support local
mobility and provide an alternative to some
personal vehicle trips. Although the current Ore
Cart vehicles are gas-powered, the City and
School of Mines work together to review
opportunities each year to identify whether
grant funding or other resources may support a
future transition to electric vehicles.
Waste
Residential Waste Diversion
Beginning in 2021, Golden’s residential
Pay-As-You-Throw waste collection
program was expanded to include all
three waste streams (trash, recycle,
compost). Following this change, the
City’s average annual diversion rate
increased from approximately 29% to
35%. This program offers an extra yard
waste collection twice per year and in
those months the diversion rate is 40%.
This program supports emissions
reduction by encouraging waste
reduction, recycling, and composting
while reducing the amount of material
sent to landfill.
To view more current intiatives visit the City of Golden’s Sustainability website.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
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Looking Ahead
Although this inventory update shows that emissions have decreased over the years, there is still
much work remaining for Golden to meet its sustainability goals. This will require additional actions
beyond the implementation of existing plans and projects. To address this, Golden has already
identified a pipeline of ongoing and future projects that are expected to continue to reduce future
emissions over the next few years. A few of these projects include:
Stationary Energy
A new all-electric, Police and Municipal building, planned for completion in 2027. This
includes a net-zero design, solar PV, geothermal, passive solar, highly efficient envelope.
Commercial Energy Benchmarking Program
New Solar Photovoltaic installations planned for two existing City buildings.
Continued exploration of community solar opportunities.
A study of a potential geothermal district / underground thermal energy network for the
East 10th neighborhood.
Golden adopted Resolution 3143, which created a Green Building Policy for municipally
owned buildings. This will help guide future City building projects toward higher energy
performance and lower emissions. Because this policy was adopted after the 2024
inventory period, its impacts are expected to appear in future inventories rather than the
current 2024 results. The policy complements Golden’s broader efforts on building
electrification, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and net zero construction.
Building energy codes and new construction. In 2025, Golden adopted updated building
energy code requirements that are significantly above base code for energy efficiency.
While these changes occurred after the 2024 inventory year, they are expected to
influence emissions from future new construction. Golden’s ongoing work on net zero
buildings and building energy codes is summarized on the Guiding Golden Net Zero
Buildings page.
Transportation
Secured grant funding for an electric street sweeper and a mid-sized electric waste
collection truck.
This inventory should be used to focus and prioritize future actions to reduce emissions.
Completion of another GHG inventory in two to five years is recommended to assess progress
resulting from any actions implemented. Regular inventories also allow for “rolling averages” to
provide insight into sustained changes and can help reduce the change of an anomalous year being
incorrectly interpreted. The detailed methodology section of this report, as well as notes and
attached data files provided to the City of Golden will be helpful to complete a future inventory
consistent with this one. Through these efforts and others, Golden can achieve environmental,
economic, and social benefits beyond reducing emissions.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Appendix:
Methodology Details
Stationary Energy
Table 6: Stationary Energy Data Sources
Activity
Data Source
Residential Electricity
Xcel Energy
2024 Data
Residential Natural Gas
Xcel Energy
2024 Data. Provided in Therms and converted to
MMbtu for data entry into Clearpath 2.0.
Residential Distillate Fuel Oil and
Propane
U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA)
and US Census Bureau;
U.S. Department of
Energy
Utilized ICLEI USA’s Data Playbook to downscale
data from the US Census 2024 ACS 1-Year
Estimates for “Table B25040 Household Heating
Fuel” and “Table B25024 - Units in Structure”. Used
the U.S. Department of Energy Residential Climate
Zones to determine heating and cooling needs.
Xcel Energy
2024 Data - Xcel Energy reported electricity from
street lighting seperately. In the inventory it was
entered under Commercial/Insititunial stationary
energy.
Xcel Energy
2024 Data - Xcel Energy combined Commercial
and Industrial customers into one "Business"
category due to minimum aggregation standards.
Commercial energy includes electricity from
streetlights. The three known excluded accounts
were estimated assuming each account
represented 15% of the total business
consumption.
Xcel Energy
2024 Data - Xcel Energy combined Commercial
and Industrial customers into one "Business"
category due to minimum aggregation standards.
4Commercial energy includes electricity from
streetlights. The three known excluded accounts
were estimated assuming each account
represented 15% of the total business
consumption.. Data was provided in Therms and
converted to MMbtu for data entry into Clearpath
2.0
Commercial Electricity (Street
Lighting)
Commercial Electricity
Commercial Natural Gas
Data Gaps/Assumptions
2
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Table 7: Xcel Energy (2024) Emissions Factors for Energy
Type
Emmision Factor
Data Gaps and Assumptions
Electricity
855 CO2e lbs/MWh
Converted from 0.388 MT CO2e/MWh
Natural Gas
52,000 g CO2e / MMBtu
Converted from 0.0052 MT CO2e/Therms
Transportation
Table 8: Transportation Data Sources
Activity
On-road Transportation
Public Transportation
Aviation
Data Source
DRCOG provided 2023 VMT and utilized
Denver Regional Council of DRCOG’s suggested annual growth factor of
Governments (DRCOG)
0.5% to calculate 2024 VMT. VMT provided did
not include public transit vehichles.
Regional Transportation
District (RTD)
2024 Data - Diesel Buses VMT calculations
included all trips that depart from Golden. The
estimate also includes trips that start in
Golden and end outside of Golden. However it
does not include trips originated outside of
Golden that ended in Golden. RTD assumed
that the two trips would average out. For
4
2
electric light rail RTD included mileage from
W-Line from Red Rock Station and GoldenJefferson County County Government Station.
It was determined that 75.52% of the light rail
segement was in the City of Golden. This is the
first year that public transportation data was
included seperately, so emmisions included as
info only.
Denver International
Airport (DIA)
2024 Data - DIA provided annual fuel usage
for entire airport. Used ratio of Golden
population and Denver Metro Area
population to calculate Golden's share. This is
the first year that aviation data was included,
so emmisions included as information only.
EPA NEI 2020
Using 2020 data calculated using ICLEI’s data
retrieval tool built on the Environmental
Protection Agency’s National Emmisions
Inventory Tool. Scaled down data from
Jefferson County to Golden based on
population,
Off Road Transportation
Rail
Data Gaps/Assumptions
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Table 9: VMT Percentage By Vehichle Type
Vehicle Type
% of Total VMT
Source
Electric - Passenger
1.78%
2024 U.S. Department of Energy- Alternative Fuels
Data Center’s Vehichle Registration Countys by
State. Assumes that 50% of plug-in hybrid VMT are
electric. First inventory year that total VMT was
broken down to include electric vehicles.
Gasoline - Passenger
85.69%
Diesel - Passenger
1.34%
Gasoline - Motorcycle
0.63%
Gasoline - Freight
0.40%
Diesel Freight
10.16%
2023 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State
Inventory and Projection Tool. Assumes that 50%
of plug-in hybrid VMT is gasoline passenger.
2023 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State
Inventory and Projection Tool. 2022 U.S.
Departmetn of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administrations’s Highway Statistics for conversion
of VMT to ton miles.
Wastewater
Table 10: Wastewater Data Sources
Activity
Wastewater Treatment
Data Source
Metro Wastewater
Reclamation District
Data Gaps/Assumptions
Used ICLEI USA’s Data Playbook "Wastewater
2
Processes Tool"4to estimate wastewater
usage
based on population. Data provided by the
Metro Wastewater Reclamation District was
used to determine that watewaster treatment
includes nitrification and anaerobic digestion.
No response from Molson Coors received.
Both waste water treatment plants are located
outside of Golden’s city limits. This is the first
year that wastewater process data was
included, so emmisions included as
information only.
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Waste
Table 11: Waste Data Sources
Activity
Data Source
Data Gaps/Assumptions
City of Golden; Census
Bureau, EPA
Residential waste generation
includes data from Pay-As-youThrow (PAYT) program and
estimated waste generation per
person based on household
counts. Non-residential waste
was estimate using Golden Job
counts, EPA's average waste
generation per person per day
and average workdays.
Recycling
City of Golden
Includes data from PAYT
Program + estimated the
remaining residential households
usage using the recylcing rate for
the PAYT program (20.21%). This
is the first year that recycling
data was included, so emmisions
included as information only.
Composting
City of Golden
Only includes data from PAYT
program
Flaring of Landfill Gas
Foothills Landfill
Includes emmisions from the
entire landfill since data was not
able to be disagregated.
Landfilled Waste
4
2
Table 12: Waste Characterization Sources
Activity
Landfilled Waste Characterization
Data Source
Data Gaps/Assumptions
Colorado Department of
Public Health and
Environment (CDPHE)
2018 MSW Waste Composition
Study. Used characterization for
"Urban County Average"
Golden, CO 2024 Inventory of Community-Wide GHG Emissions
02
Fugitive Emissions
Table 13: Fugitive Emissions Data Sources
Activity
Fugitive Emissions from Oil and Gas Systems
Data Source
Xcel Energy
Data Gaps/Assumptions
2024 total natural gas
consumption
Inventory Calculations
The 2024 inventory was calculated following the GPC and the ICLEI USA-ClimateView ClearPath 2.0
software. ClearPath 2.0’s inventory calculators allow for input of the sector activity (i.e. operations
or work), work intensity, and emission factor to calculate the final carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
emissions. To be able some units were also converted, for example natural gas data was provided in
Therms and was convered to MMBtu using standard thermal energy conversions when entered into
Clearpath 2.0. For example, 1 MMBtu = Therms / 10
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It
may not be used for any commercial purpose. Any non-commercial use of this material must provide attribution to ICLEI
Local Governments for Sustainability USA.
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