May 2025
Welcome New Lotus Team Members!
New season, new beginnings
Lotus news
Website Refresh
Lotus is excited to launch our refreshed website! Our new website helps us tell stories better—both our own and our clients’. It is also now available in five languages. Check out our refreshed website and learn more about who we are, our story, and our history!
1% for the Planet
Lotus is excited to announce our membership to 1% for the Planet, a nonprofit organization where members donate 1% of annual sales directly to environmental organizations.
Colorado Supplier Diversity Directory (CSDD)
Lotus is proud to join the Colorado Supplier Diversity Directory (CSDD). The directory is an incredible tool for businesses to find and contact small, diverse-owned, and veteran-owned businesses.
Project Highlights
Communications and design for Cleveland’s Climate Action Plans
Lotus, in partnership with ALH Design, led the development and design of several communication tools for the City of Cleveland’s Climate Action Plan and Municipal Action Plan, as well as the design of the two plans themselves. Lotus and ALH crafted two series of social media posts, a staff engagement workshop and a community toolkit to encourage community-based organizations and individuals to take action. Check out the Community Climate Action Toolkit here!
Maui County Council approves comprehensive plan for climate action
Lotus developed Maui County’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, which was approved by Maui County Council earlier this year. The plan includes four greenhouse gas inventories that informs how to achieve Maui’s goal of zero emissions and a carbon-neutral economy by 2045. The project was heavily focused on engaging community voices and integrating Hawaiian cultural values. Our team worked with staff from the County and community leaders to create strategies that would have an impact on the climate and align with indigenous ways of knowing.
Urban Villages and APARIUM Hotel Group, Populus Hotel GHG Emissions Dashboard
Lotus worked with Urban Villages and the APARIUM Hotel Group to create a public greenhouse gas emissions tracking dashboard in Microsoft PowerBI for the recently constructed Populus Hotel in downtown Denver. The dashboard tracks real and predicted greenhouse gas emissions and offset activities from the construction and operations of the hotel over time. The dashboard includes functionality that allows for easy data updates, transparency for specific operations (waste diversion, water, energy, etc.), and tracks whether Populus has achieved their carbon positive goal. Explore the live dashboard.
Fort Collins Under Resourced Buildings (URB) Engagement
Lotus worked with the City of Fort Collins to engage under-resourced building (URB) stakeholders. The core purpose of the engagement was to gather insight into specific tools, resources, and other support mechanisms that Fort Collins could deploy to support commercial and multifamily building owners and tenants in achieving greater energy efficiency. Read more about the project here.
Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction
Lotus worked with 15 jurisdictions in the Denver metropolitan region to develop a Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction. Zero emissions buildings reduce carbon pollution and are safer, more comfortable for occupants, and more resilient to changes in climate. The Roadmap recommends a phased approach to energy code policies for new construction and major remodels to achieve zero emissions by 2030. Implementing consistent energy policies across the region ensures that no one - residents, businesses, tenants, and workforce - is left behind in the transition towards clean electric technologies.
Learn with us!
LOTUS EQUITY PRESENTATIONS OCCUR MONTHLY TO EXPAND OUR LEARNING AND GROWTH. BELOW ARE RESOURCES WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE.
Culture Mapping
The Lotus team utilized Erin Meyer’s Country Mapping Tool to learn cultural differences that exist across all cultures. The tool allows users to select countries and receive a cultural mapping of countries and cultures.
Welcome to the Team!
Ashlee Patacsil-Hardin, Research Associate I
Ashlee grew up in Southern California, surrounded by desert, the Colorado River, and alfalfa. She left for Utah to pursue her B.S. in Biology from Southern Utah University, where she fell in love with research in conservation and sustainability. She then traveled to Colorado to pursue a Professional Science Masters in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability with a focus in Carbon Management at Colorado State University. During her masters and through various internships, Ashlee developed her skills in GHG accounting, data analysis, and sustainable ecosystem management. She is excited to join Lotus to work on GHG inventories and is committed to helping clients implement more sustainable practices.
Jenna Decker Sherry, Associate II
Jenna joins Lotus with a passion for collaborating with communities to create well-informed, strategic climate action plans and emissions reduction roadmaps to foster sustainable communities. She uses her expertise in greenhouse gas analysis and emissions forecast modeling to co-develop unique plans that are solutions-focused to drive down emissions for a low-carbon future while enhancing equity and community resilience at every stage. Outside of work, Jenna enjoys hiking the many trails Colorado has to offer with her two adventure dogs, curling up with a good book beside her two sleepy cats, or popping some popcorn to watch a scary movie.
Savannah Masters, Associate I
Originally hailing from Dallas, Texas, Savannah grew up loving National Geographic documentaries, camping, and anything to do with nature. In learning about sustainability and climate change outside of school, she wondered why humans weren’t doing more to combat these issues. This led her to pursue her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California, earning both in just 4 years. Savannah’s varied background has equipped her with skills in policy analysis, spatial mapping, public engagement, graphic design, technical writing, and more, allowing her to take on diverse projects. She is excited to contribute both her technical and creative skills to the Lotus team, bringing about positive social and environmental change.
