FortZED Community Energy Challenge
Through the FortZED Community Energy Challenge, The Atmosphere Conservancy is collaborating with UniverCity Connections and other FortZED partners and supporters – including local residents, community groups, government departments, other non-profits and companies – to connect the residents of the FortZED district with resources, incentives and rebates to help reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy. FortZED is a community initiative that is working to transform Fort Collins’ UniverCity area into a Net Zero Energy District. A Zero Energy District (ZED) is about using less energy and producing and managing our energy differently. It’s not going to be easy – it’s going to require deploying new technology, policy changes, and action from you! The FortZED Challenge is made possible by TAC’s private donors, the Bohemian Foundation, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, UniverCity Connections, The Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Fort Collins.
“By taking part in the FortZED Challenge you will get connected to the resources that can make energy reductions easy and affordable and be part of building the momentum that will make this dream a reality!” – Ariana Friedlander, Director of Outreach
The Pledge and the Competition
The FortZED district, which encompasses an estimated 15,000 residents, is divided into 31 habitats, each with a different animal mascot. Visit our website to find out which pack you are a part of! Residents are encouraged to take the pledge, download the checklist, and take simple steps to reduce their energy use. We encourage residents to complete the suggested actions for energy use reduction measures on their checklists and to come up with more! Individual behavioral changes in combination with Smart Grid Technologies make huge energy use reductions possible, and thanks to our tremendous potential for renewable energy sources here in Fort Collins we are well positioned to achieve a Zero Energy District. Residents in the Greater Fort Collins area are also encouraged to participate in the FortZED Challenge – you need not live in the district to contribute to this initiative!
In our first phase of competition, the neighborhood Pack that gets the most residents to sign the pledge wins a neighborhood block party. (The first phase of competition wrapped up on May 31, 2011 with a tie declared between the Muskrats and Peregrine Falcons, with each Pack gathering 36 pledges!).
The second phase of competition will focus on which Pack can reduce the most energy use by completing items from the FortZED Challenge checklist. Packs are encouraged to track their progress via a self-reporting feature on the FortZED Challenge website (available early Fall, 2011!). The winning Pack will be awarded another block party. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting contest!
We are also continuing to gather pledges to reach a total of 1,800 by the end of the year. We currently have a little over 1,000, so we need your help to reach our goal! Take the pledge here!
How you can get involved:
Take the pledge and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. Completing the pledge only takes a couple minutes. Click here to pledge and “Help Take it to Zero!”. Then download the checklist and get connected to energy saving resources, including the Governor Energy Office’s “My Energy Action Planner”.
Once you have completed the pledge, help us to get the word out by posting a note on Facebook or sending an email to your friends! Feel free to use this content: “I am helping to support the creation of net-zero energy district in Fort Collins, and you can get involved too by pledging to Help take it to Zero! Visit www.FortZEDChallenge.com to find out what pack you run with and sign up.” If you’re sending this out as an email feel free to copy and paste the above text after your note to include more information about this initiative for your friends.
We are also recruiting volunteer Rangers that will help in this outreach effort by connecting with their neighbors, encouraging their participation in this program, and providing assistance to residents to navigate the resources and incentives available for completing their checklists. We will train volunteer Rangers so that they have the skills and knowledge needed to effectively complete their volunteer role. If you are interested in becoming a Ranger, click here.
What we’ve accomplished so far:
- We held our first Public Forum on September 13th, 2010, where we presented a sneak peak of the launch of the FortZED Community Energy Challenge and signed up our first twenty Pack Members.
- We officially launched the FortZED Challenge at the Sustainable Living Fair on September 18th and 19th, 2010.
- On May 4th, 2011, the first ever Energy, Behavior & the Environment CSU Student Research Expo was held at the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University campus. Students were invited to submit proposals that focused on multidisciplinary topics related to energy efficiency, behavioral changes for conservation, and renewable energy technology.
- During Spring, 2011, the Junior Energy Ranger Pilot Program was launched with the 8th grade class at Lincoln Junior High IB School. The goal of this inter-disciplinary, service-learning program was to engage students through hands-on and inquiry-based learning focused on resource use in our community and actions they can take to create solutions and promote conservation. The Junior Energy Ranger Program is looking to expand to other Fort Collins schools during Fall, 2011, so stay tuned for more updates on this exciting program! Click here for more information on the Junior Energy Ranger Program.
- On May 20, 2011, the first ever ZEDFest occurred in neighborhoods throughout Fort Collins. This pilot program encouraged friends and neighbors to come together to learn about ways to reduce home energy use with the FortZED Community Energy Challenge. Volunteer Rangers hosted nine parties throughout Old Town (and beyond!), and with over 50 new pledges and 120+ attendees, the first ZEDFest was deemed a success! Some parties hosted energy-saving contractors giving advice about options to lower energy bills and save money, while other hosts discussed energy-saving improvements made to their homes and the trends in their utility bills since the improvements. ZEDFest 2 is scheduled for Friday, October 7th, and hopes to continue the momentum from the first ZEDFest!
- At the end of May, 2011, we accomplished our first major milestone: more than 1,000 Pack Members have taken the FortZED Challenge pledge!
- We also have nearly 60 trained volunteer Rangers, and they continue to spread the FortZED Challenge message throughout their neighborhoods and community.
- We are constantly adding to the links and resources page on the FortZED Challenge website – your one stop shopping for energy-saving tips and information about city, state, and federal rebates and incentives available to Fort Collins residents!
Next Steps:
Our second competition between neighborhood Packs will focus on what Pack can reduce the most energy usage through completing items on the FortZED Challenge checklist. Pack members will report their completed checklist items via a self-reporting feature on our website, and an ongoing tally of energy savings for all Packs will continue until June, 2012, when we will announce the winner. The winning Pack receives a block party!
On Friday, October 7th, 2011, ZEDFest 2 will occur in neighborhoods throughout Fort Collins. We listened to your feedback, and are incorporating small workshops and informational lectures into the format, along with more house parties! We are hoping to double the number of events to 20, so we need your help to host a party! Click here to learn more about event information and host responsibilities.
This Fall, the Junior Energy Ranger Program is seeking to expand into more schools. The Program will provide Fort Collins teachers with a unique opportunity to connect their students’ coursework with a service learning program focused on energy conservation, as part of a community initiative to create a Zero Energy District in Fort Collins. If you are a teacher, energy professional, or parent interested in volunteering for this program, please click here to learn how to get involved!
We are continuing to have a presence on the Colorado State University campus for Fall semester, where we will be hosting two tours and three events relating to energy efficiency and conservation.
- Our first event is a Meet and Greet with incoming students to get them involved in the FortZED Challenge. We will have a booth at the CSU Student Involvement Fair on August 31 and September 1st from 10:00 am-3:00 pm, and then host a Meet and Greet from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Ramskeller in the Lory Student Center for CSU students interested in volunteering with the FortZED Challenge.
- Our second event is a film series focusing on energy-related themes. The following films will be shown at in the Behavioral Sciences Room 131 on the following dates. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the movie starts at 7:30 pm, so get there early to enjoy some free popcorn and to get a good seat!
- September 13: Wasteland
- October 11: Life and Debt
- November 8: Gasland
- December 6: Blind Spot
- Our first tour is a biodiesel bus tour of the the CSU Foothills campus on September 22, from 3:00-5:00 pm. The tour will visit the 5.3 MW solar plant, the commercial-sized composter that digests food waste from several locations on the main campus, and the biomass boiler that burns beetle kill wood to heat water for nearby labs! If interested in going, please contact John Long at JLong@AtmosphereConservancy.org.
We are finalizing our last event and tour, and will post details here once they are confirmed!
About FortZED
FortZED is the name of Fort Collins’ Zero Energy District. A Zero Energy District is a distinct geographic area that has zero net fossil energy use. The FortZED boundaries include the Downtown area, Colorado State University’s Fort Collins campus and the Poudre River area near Downtown. The combined area is served by two electric substations and acts as a distinct area for demonstration and testing.
FortZED is a set of active projects and initiatives, created by public-private partnerships, which uses smart grid and renewable energy technologies to achieve local power generation and energy demand management. FortZED, as conceived, will be one of the largest active net zero energy districts in the world. The initial idea for a zero energy district in Fort Collins came from conversations between the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster (CCEC), UniverCity Connections, and Fort Collins Utilities. FortZED is unique in that it is a community effort working to achieve net zero on an existing grid system. Learn more at www.fortzed.com.
FortZED Community Energy Challenge in the News:
Press Release:
FortZED Launches New Efforts to Educate and Engage Community
FortZED lauded for education initiatives
Fort Collins Zero Energy District makes immediate economic sense
