Tonight, Boulder’s ClimateSmart team will be hosting a community dialogue on the city’s response to climate change (get the details here). Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker plans to be at the event, which appears aimed at generating some grassroots support, using volunteers to leverage community action and help change behaviors that contribute to Boulder’s carbon footprint.

The city plans to document the ideas that come up and share them with those who attend, or who take an online survey. That sounds like a great way to encourage dialogue about the effort by, as ClimateSmart’s Beth Powell suggested in a comment on our site last week, bringing people together both in virtual terms and in real, physical ones.

Another way to encourage dialogue is to provide as much information about the scope of the program as possible, to help the community understand how well it has succeeded. So, for instance, we’ll be asking the city to provide up-to-date data about how much revenue Xcel Energy has raised for the city so far through the carbon tax, as well as request an account of how this money has been spent so far.

Another important question: Now that Gov. Ritter has proposed a climate action plan for state, we’re wondering how the city’s existing plan might fit in with the one being developed for Colorado as a whole?

While tonight’s gathering might not be able to get deeply, if at all, into these questions, we think they’re ones that need to be asked, and answered, in order for the community to understand and participate in the program more fully.

Violator3, via Flickr (CC license)

How do you really make decisions about your energy use? We want to know.

As we’re ramping this project up, I’m spending a lot of time talking to just about anyone around town about energy use, climate change, and what Boulderites can (or will) do about it.

Something’s struck me about the role of human nature here. Repeatedly, Boulderites have expressed a desire to know how they currently “stack up” compared to their neighbors, other businesses, etc. in terms of carbon emissions. It seems that for many people, this context significantly influences their motivation and priorities — especially when it comes to investing extra money, time, or attention to save energy.

A man I recently chatted with at the supermarket probably put it best: “I really don’t know if how I live is a big problem compared to other people around here… I guess if I thought that I personally was a real bad guy, it’d be easier to buy those pricey light bulbs.”

Contrast that with this…

(more…)