Metropolitan Regional Building Policy Cohort
Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction and Metro Cohort Model Code
Colorado’s local governments are in a unique position to address their greatest source of carbon emissions: the built environment. In the Denver metropolitan region, buildings are responsible for 52% of regional greenhouse gas emissions and jurisdictions have set goals to reduce pollution from buildings to protect health and safety. Building energy codes in Colorado are adopted and enforced at the local level, usually based on International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC), but these are not sufficient to meet local and state goals intended to protect residents from the impacts of air pollution and climate change.
Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction
A Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction was developed in 2025 by a cohort of 15 jurisdictions in the Denver metropolitan region that recommends a phased approach to energy codes for new construction and major remodels to achieve zero emissions by 2030. By implementing these policies consistently across the region, we can standardize construction of healthy buildings that ensure no one — residents, businesses, tenants, and workforce — is left behind in the transition towards clean electric technologies.
Metro Cohort Model Code
The cohort is striving for regional consistency, and while jurisdictions are starting at various points along the pathway towards zero emissions new construction, they are increasingly converging towards all-electric or electric-preferred codes. A key point along the path is a code amendment package based on the 2024 IECC that exceeds Colorado’s Model Low Energy and Carbon Code in terms of emissions in several areas.
Additional Resources
Roadmap Appendix A: Collaborative Members and Background. Includes background on the cohort’s work in Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Roadmap Appendix B: Additional Code Elements. Includes additional policy mechanisms beyond energy codes, such as embodied carbon, waste, and water use, that jurisdictions can consider adopting.
Roadmap Fact Sheet. A three page, highly visual, executive summary of the Roadmap.
Cohort Amendment Package Fact Sheet. A two page easily digestible summary of the cohort amendments.
Metro Cohort Model Code (MCMC) - Custom ICC Code: coming soon!
Contact Info
The Roadmap and Metro Cohort Model Code are available for any community to customize and adopt. If you are interested in these or if you need access to any of the adoption support materials please get in touch with us!
Cohort Background
The cohort began in 2021 when a group of eight communities in the Denver metropolitan region convened to collaborate on adopting the 2021 IECC with supporting amendments that better prepare a building for future installations of rooftop solar, electric vehicles (EVs), electric appliances, and electric space and water heating systems. A regional code amendment package was developed and adopted by most of the eight communities with support from Lotus, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and Shums Coda Associates. This work was funded by a Department of Local Affairs grant and created a framework in the state for regional collaboration on building codes which has been deployed in other areas of Colorado.
Phase 2 of the project began in 2022 with an expanded cohort of ten communities with a goal of creating a roadmap of ranked local, achievable, affordable, and equitable policies and strategies to reach the goal of net zero new construction by 2030 for the region. The roadmap was written and designed by Lotus, with support from SWEEP and Shums Coda. This roadmap laid a foundation for the Roadmap to Zero Emissions New Construction.
A Regional Roadmap for a New Net Zero: Eagle River and Roaring Fork Valleys
Redefining Net Zero and Aligning New Construction Codes in the Eagle River and Roaring Fork Valleys
Lotus provided project management and facilitation for the Eagle County Code Cohort in two phases. The first phase was focused on engaging with jurisdictions within Eagle County to align on consistent above building code amendments. The second phase, expanded our regional scope and focused on developing a region-wide Net Zero Roadmap for building decarbonization with communities within Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties.
Phase 1
Phase 1 of this project included facilitation of three meetings with representatives from each Eagle County jurisdiction to create a set of above code standards, including solar-readiness, EV-readiness, and electric-readiness, that jurisdictions could adopt alongside the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Energy affordability, GHG reductions, and the needs of individual communities were discussed within the cohort meetings, and the consensus was reached for the recommended code package.
The scope of work included code package development along with individualized community support to help each partner community with their code adoption process. Lotus worked with consultant partners SWEEP and Mozingo Code Group throughout the project to develop the code package for the region along with supporting materials such as fact sheets, customized presentations, training materials, and other individualized support requested by each community. Lotus and the consultant team attended council meetings and study sessions with staff to ensure the code package was understood and could be adopted by each leadership council. Finally, Lotus facilitated a public engagement process for the new code package which included an informational webinar and community survey to understand community concerns and support for the new code package.
After completion of Phase 1, Lotus received positive feedback from participating local governments and the local workforce that this effort was successful and useful. This feedback inspired the regional partners to continue the collaboration to build a Roadmap to achieve net zero new construction by 2030—a shared Climate Action Plan goal of most of the Eagle County communities. Recognizing that Eagle County and neighboring communities like those in the Roaring Fork Valley share a workforce, the scope of the Cohort collaboration was expanded from Eagle County to include communities in the Roaring Fork Valley (in both Pitkin and Garfield Counties) that were interested in aligning on future energy code updates and a regional definition for net zero.
Phase 2
For Phase 2, Lotus convened a Cohort of building department and sustainability staff, sustainability and building code experts, and local utility company representatives from communities within the Roaring Fork and Eagle River Valleys through a series of collaborative meetings to develop a Net Zero New Construction Roadmap (Roadmap) for residential and commercial buildings. Lotus worked within the Cohort meetings and through individual community meetings to ensure the approaches outlined in the Roadmap met the needs of each community, and felt achievable for each staff team. The driving force for this work is to support the mountain regions in reducing and eliminating carbon emissions from new buildings to achieve climate goals, as well as strive towards a regionally-consistent building code that supports the local green building workforce as well as overall housing affordability and resiliency.
Phase 2 included the creation of a consensus-based Roadmap to net zero new construction, facilitation of key stakeholders in the region, and support of local government staff in adopting the Roadmap, which will guide the next six years of new construction code standards to achieve local climate goals. Lotus is currently working with each local government to adopt the Roadmap by resolution and apply for funding to support the ongoing implementation of the Roadmap from now until 2030.
A highlight of Phase 2 was our industry engagement. We hosted six regional Listen & Learn events with over 100 attendees that represented contractors, mechanical engineers, architects, home builders, utility representatives, energy efficiency service companies, building code officials, plan reviewers, and inspectors, and more. These sessions provided key insights that were passed along to the local government staff and presented to each council that shared a desire from the private sector to see regionally aligned building energy codes. Attendees also shared key insights into ongoing challenges for electrification and workforce availability. These insights proved invaluable during elected leadership discussions and provided elected officials confidence in their ability to adopt and implement the Roadmap in partnership with the building industry.
City and County of Denver | Refrigerants Impact Study
Refrigerants Impact Study
Lotus conducted detailed policy and emissions impacts analyses to better understand the impacts of increased refrigerant use in residential settings as a result of replacing fossil-based heating and the replacement of existing cooling systems or installation of new cooling systems. Lotus worked with the CASR team to identify potential scenarios of changing fossil fuel and heat pump technology for both existing and future residential buildings. Deliverables included a final model that could be adjusted to account for future changes, documentation of methods and assumptions, and a final report. The project was completed on-time and within budget.
City and County of Denver | E-Bike and Home Energy Rebate Program
E-Bike and Home Energy Rebate Program
Lotus contracted with Aptim and the City and County of Denver to conduct an impact analysis of the City’s e-bike and home energy rebate programs. Lotus conducted a series of stakeholder interviews to understand perspectives on program success, education, outreach strategies, and program challenges. Additionally, Lotus developed a series of surveys for each program targeted at program participants, rebate non-redeemers, and members of the community who had not engaged with the program. The purpose of these surveys was to identify key challenges, barriers, and opportunities from the programs. Lotus launched and analyzed the results of these surveys, developing digestible data visualizations that reported key findings. A slide deck was developed that included the survey results and maps tracking the spatial distribution of rebate program participation and key equity considerations. Finally, an impact summary report was developed highlighting findings from the interviews, surveys, and data analysis.
In 2024, Aptim contracted with Lotus to update the analysis completed in 2023. This update included developing a new series of maps tracking e-bike and home energy rebates using program data from 2023. Lotus developed a slide deck mapping rebate recipients by neighborhood, council district, and census tract. Maps showing the change in rebate recipients over time and maps overlaying rebate uptake with key equity data (language, income, heat vulnerability, etc.) were developed. Additionally, contractor participation in the e-bike and home energy rebate programs was mapped, highlighting areas with gaps in participation or contractors with limited participation. Finally, Lotus conducted a series of interviews with contractors identified as diverse suppliers. These interviews were conducted to understand any barriers or challenges that contractors face in the program and any opportunities to engage additional diverse suppliers.
Fort Collins, Colorado | One Water Facilitation
One Water Facilitation
Lotus has partnered with Fort Collins for two distinct projects with broad scope of engagement. The first project was for the Water Efficiency Plan Engagement and the Under-Resourced Buildings Engagement. For the former The City of Fort Collins partnered with Lotus to engage stakeholders during the development of the municipal utility’s Water Efficiency Plan. The purpose of engagement was to 1) understand which water conservation goals and strategies are most appropriate for the community and 2) understand the community’s needs and priorities, particularly those of equity-priority communities. The project team developed and executed a multifaceted engagement plan that included facilitating workshops with City staff, hiring community consultants to reach equity-priority communities, attending or creating community meetings and events, and developing a community-wide survey that was translated into Spanish.
In addition to utilizing a similar process outlined for Denver above, Lotus focused on engaging the pre-existing Climate Equity Committee, established from the City’s foundational climate action plan, Our Climate Future. The Committee agreed to hear from Utilities staff three times throughout the process and provided feedback on the engagement process. Lotus deployed this engagement best-practice to reduce the burden of participation on equity-priority communities, working instead with the set of citizens who had already agreed to serve the City.
Some of this group was tapped to provide feedback on an equity evaluation process to assess the strategies for their potential equity impacts that Lotus co-created. To create the evaluation, Lotus shared the draft process with eight community leaders and sought initial feedback to shape the final tool. Then, based on the feedback from these community leaders, Lotus updated the evaluation process to encourage the City to score the strategies in collaboration with community stakeholders. The Lotus team met with the Climate Equity Committee to score key Water Efficiency Plan strategies, per this best practice, to ensure the final analysis foregrounded the Fort Collins community’s priorities.
The equity evaluation methodology analyzes strategies based on the overall benefit to equity, assigning each strategy a score on a high-medium-low scale. The overall score estimates each strategy’s benefit to equity based on the assessment of potential impact on the five desired equity outcomes, including resilience and co-benefits, accessible participation, partnerships and investment, water burden, and community priority. These priorities were drawn directly from feedback from engagement, notably the informational interviews with community leaders and the community survey. A “high” score indicated the strategy had the potential to improve equity or serve equity-priority communities; a “low” score meant the strategy was unlikely to lead to better equity outcomes or does not serve equity-priority communities. This methodology is a pioneering example of a municipal utility’s efforts to incorporate equity into their strategic planning. In crafting the initial draft, Lotus could not find a similar evaluation process deployed elsewhere.
Boulder, Colorado | Open Space & Mountain Parks Department
Greenhouse gas inventories
Lotus worked with the OSMP department to create department-specific greenhouse gas emissions inventories, a business-as-usual GHG model, and a GHG reduction strategy model for 10 top strategies. In addition to the data work, Lotus also created a dashboard and storymap in ArcGIS online to communicate the results of the data work and to highlight the sustainability work that the department is undertaking. A final report was also written to provide more detail on results of the data work and to expand on the top GHG reduction strategies that were recommended to the department.
Trailhead Materials Embodied Carbon and Visitor Behavior Analysis
Lotus worked with the OSMP department to complete a two-phase analysis. The first phase analyzed the embodied carbon of frequently used materials at the department’s trailheads. Lotus also developed a matrix with metrics such as durability, resilience to fires and floods, and other qualities to help the department make well-informed decisions on material choices when doing maintenance and construction at trailheads. The second phase analyzed strategies that are available to help reduce the emissions associated with visitor travel and waste production. A matrix was developed that rates strategies on metrics including cost, greenhouse gas impact, success of implementation, etc. One strategy that OSMP implemented was to install cameras at high traffic trailheads in order to reduce the high amount of vehicular transportation emissions during trailhead commuting and prevent trail deterioration. Trailhead cameras allow the public to view parking space availability at trailheads ahead of time and plan accordingly.
The trailhead cameras are publicly available here.
“Lotus’ work was essential in creating an approach for Climate Ready Trailheads. Their work has helped us to reconsider how we design trailheads, how we get visitors to the trailhead, and how we maintain our trailheads and access points.”
Urban Villages and APARIUM Hotel Group | Populus Hotel GHG Emissions Dashboard
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 Populus Hotel. 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. Lotus also developed back-end calculations for the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions and documenting methods and assumptions for all calculations in a user guide.
preview of the Populus Hotel GHG Emissions Dashboard
City of Fort Collins | Under-Resourced Buildings Engagement
under-resourced buildings 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. Lotus delivered a final report to the client that compiled current stakeholder challenges in pursuing energy efficiency and provided research-backed recommendations for programs that could overcome those challenges. The team successfully engaged all stakeholder types, including, but not limited to, affordable housing providers and nonprofits supporting affordable housing providers, multifamily tenants, business tenants and commercial developers, collecting critical data and program or policy recommendations specific to these building types.
The team applied community-centered principles throughout the engagement process to ensure reach with key URBs. Lotus developed a context guide that documented the factors and processes for the City to consider when developing the engagement strategy, resources, and support services to help URB communities make building improvements. The context guide served as the foundation for fair and defensible engagement throughout the project.
Lotus also developed a stakeholder map of URBs based on the City’s specific, data-driven definition. Our team spearheaded the creation of the matrix of data criteria defining and categorizing URBs. Following that, buildings were specifically identified and targeted for engagement based on their criteria score.
Lotus facilitated a number of engagements, including in-person focus groups, virtual focus groups, informational interviews, and listening sessions. All engagements were planned with a focus on bringing the community together, including providing participant stipends, food, and childcare while ensuring all materials and presentations were translated and interpreted into languages most appropriate for the audiences. Lotus conducted all Spanish written translations in-house. We contracted with the Community Language Cooperative (CLC) to provide interpretation services for in-person meetings in Spanish and for translation services in Vietnamese, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese.
In addition to engagement, Lotus created a scoring methodology to categorize buildings as URBs. Lotus used building data provided by Fort Collins, affordable housing information, building condition information, energy use, demographic data, and a variety of other datasets to develop a list of URB criteria. Points were assigned to each criteria and buildings were assigned a point total based on the number and type of criteria they meet. URBs were identified based on a point threshold. Additionally, URBs were categorized into tiers to further highlight buildings with the greatest need for assistance. The scoring methodology was vetted through the engagement process and refined to ensure the scoring mechanism reflected Fort Collin’s unique context.
Once URBs were identified through the scoring methodology, Lotus developed a web mapping tool displaying all URBs. The mapping tool included filters and a data update workflow to enable Fort Collins to update the URB list and visualize URBs by tier, building type, or building size.
Wheat Ridge, Colorado | Climate Action Plan Update
Climate action plan update
Lotus worked with the City of Wheat Ridge to update and formally adopt their Sustainability Action Plan. The community was the impetus for the first Plan, which was created in 2018. Lotus led the strategic analysis of the 2018 plan, which involved a comprehensive review of relevant City plans, as well as regional, state, and federal plans and initiatives. This review allowed the client to utilize existing collaborations and funding to force-multiply their sustainability efforts. Lotus also engaged City staff and key stakeholders to contextualize the 2024 plan update and identify critical opportunities, and guided community engagement to garner community input on sustainability priorities and strategies. Lotus sought to capture the grassroots, community-driven spirit of the plan and ground the plan update in the key implementation details that City staff would champion.
Commerce City, Colorado | Climate Action Grants Consultant
Climate Action Grants Consultant
In 2024, Lotus and One Small Step (OSS) worked with the City of Commerce City (C3) to support their sustainability-focused grant writing projects. Lotus has worked with C3 in the past to create their Sustainability Action Plan and support their Environmental Policy Advisory Committee. The grant writing services are a rewarding extension of this multi-year partnership, as we work to fund their sustainability goals. We work collaboratively with the city’s grants coordinator to identify opportunities aligned with the city’s goals and drive applications to completion. Lotus and OSS have helped to coordinate stakeholders to create coalitions that will improve the competitiveness of the application. Our grant writing team has also created streamlined processes to expedite the grant writing processes and has helped to create a prioritization methodology to identify strategies that will win funding. To date, we have applied for the EPA Community Change Grant, CDPHE Environmental Justice Grant, and Great Outdoors Colorado Community Impact Grant.
Boulder Housing Partners Behavioral Change Program
In concert with two other consulting firms, Lotus helped Boulder Housing Partners reach their goal of becoming the nation's first net-zero energy housing authority through an innovative occupant engagement program. The project involved outreach and education to BHP residents regarding energy consumption and energy efficiency and included in-depth work on behavioral change models that can be effective to reduce energy use.
“Hillary and Emily were amazing to work with. They jumped into a project that had been delayed several times due to a number of obstacles. They were able to resurrect the project and get it done on time and under budget. They were thoughtful, efficient and helpful on all phases of our project. I would highly recommend their services for any sustainability project.”
City and County of Denver | Home Energy Score Program Evaluation
Home Energy Score Program Evaluation
Lotus worked with the City and County of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency to conduct a program evaluation of the city’s Home Energy Score pilot program. The purpose of this program was to spur investment in energy efficiency at the point of sale of a home. Lotus analyzed survey data, home energy score data, qualitative interviews, and other data points to develop an analysis of the Home Energy Score program, an assessment of how it can support Denver’s energy reduction goals and recommendations for furthering that impact, and other ways Denver may compel homeowners to invest in efficiency at or around the point of sale. The results were delivered in a comprehensive program evaluation with a full report.
City and County of Denver | Energize Denver Equity Priority Buildings Facilitation Services
Energize Denver Equity Priority Buildings Facilitation Services
First, the City and County of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resilience (CASR) Energize Denver program partnered with Lotus to inform equity priority building (EPB) owners about forthcoming building performance standards (BPS) for small buildings and gather insight into specific tools, resources, and other supports Denver may be able to offer to support these building owners in meeting the requirements. This project offers an overview of Lotus’s core steps and deliverables designed to foreground equity in the stakeholder engagement process: equity guide, stakeholder map, engagement plan, and final report.
First, the equity guide identifies the factors and processes to consider when developing the engagement strategy, resources, and support services to help Denver’s EPB community meet the City’s BPS. The guide (1) contextualizes the need for an equity-first approach to community engagement and program development, (2) explores existing equity-first approaches that the City has undertaken, and (3) outlines equity-first best practices and processes for use in this current relationship-building phase and for consideration in future equity-focused engagement work by CASR. The equity guide served as the foundation for equitable engagement throughout the project, as well as offered insights into potential strategies and programs that may work well for the project.
Next, Lotus developed a stakeholder map of buildings that were between 5,000-24,999 square feet. The stakeholder map forms the basis for targeting engagement efforts, ensuring the project team is aligned on who to engage and when, how, and why. All data was run through a series of filters, including the percentage of affordable housing units in the building, whether the buildings were in Neighborhood Equity & Stabilization (NEST) neighborhoods (neighborhoods identified by the City that are facing rapid change and increased cost of living, rent, labor, and materials), and building location compared to census tract. Following that, buildings were specifically pulled out based on their Equity Index.
From the research conducted for the equity guide and the stakeholder map, Lotus crafted and facilitated a number of engagements, including in-person and virtual focus groups, informational interviews, and listening sessions. All engagements were planned with a focus on equity, including providing participant stipends, food, and childcare while ensuring all materials and presentations were translated and interpreted into languages most appropriate for the audiences. Lotus also conducted all Spanish translation in house, contracted the Community Language Cooperative (CLC) to provide interpretation services for in-person meetings in Spanish, and contracted CLC for translation and interpretation services to Vietnamese.
As evidence of Lotus’s flexibility and responsiveness to the community, we focused on deploying informational interviews with key community connectors and convening or attending community meetings led by trusted community partners, such as BuCu West, DEDO, Little Saigon Business District, and Vecinos Unidos. This adaptive approach opened the doors to facilitating informational interviews with stakeholders from business improvement districts, property management, brokers, industrial contractors, and HOA boards. All engagements held space to listen to concerns and co-create solutions.
Finally, Lotus drafted a report summarizing engagements and providing recommendations and guidance to Denver on opportunities to improve services and resources for EPB owners to better compel compliance with Energize Denver requirements. The final report was written in English and translated into Spanish to reach a broader audience and continue equitable practices during the project process.
City and County of Denver | 80 x 50 Climate Action Plan & Annual GHG Inventory
80 x 50 Climate Action Plan & Annual GHG Inventory
The City and County of Denver’s 80x50 Climate Goal: Stakeholder Report establishes a path to reduce community-wide GHG emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. Lotus led the development of Denver’s 80x50 Plan by conducting a review of processes and plans already established by the City; conducting a needs assessment; working with a diverse network of over 80 stakeholders and community experts in the fields of energy and transportation to identify the most relevant and impactful strategies for Denver to pursue; modeling the impacts of stakeholder-identified emissions reduction strategies; and drafting a CAP that will support the City in achieving its goals. Additionally, Lotus completed Denver’s community GHG inventories for calendar years 2018-2022.
City and County of Denver | Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan (Building Electrification)
Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan (Building Electrification)
Lotus led the development of the City and County of Denver’s Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan, a roadmap for beneficial electrification in existing buildings. As part of this process, Lotus convened stakeholders from across the metro area and the State to understand the impacts of electrification on the workforce, disproportionately impacted communities, building owners of all sizes, homeowners, equipment manufacturers, and other stakeholders.
Lotus managed a variety of engagement activities ranging from surveys and one-on-one interviews, to large focus groups and workshops. In addition to the public input that helped to shape the plan, Lotus worked with subcontractors to complete a building stock and technology transition analysis and a grid and cost impact analysis. The final plan includes not only details on the technical components of electrification, but also the various levers (i.e., policy, financial, incentive, programmatic, and communications) that can be triggered to support full electrification of Denver’s applicable building stock over the coming decades.
Lotus has been lucky enough to consistently work with the City and County of Denver since 2016. Other work Lotus has completed for the City and County of Denver includes:
-Completed GPC-compliant GHG emissions inventories every year since 2017, CDP Reporting, and developed Denver’s first municipal operations inventory (2020).
-Completed a life-cycle GHG analysis for waste.
-Completed an embodied carbon analysis for buildings. (see below)
Lotus developed the maps below to use data to inform Denver’s Electrification plan. The maps showed inequities and helped identify vulnerable populations.
“Lotus partnered with Denver to create our Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan. The plan was practical and achievable yet pushed the boundary of what is possible. They excelled at project management, keeping the project partners on task. They led fun, engaging discussions with a variety of stakeholders whose insight helped shape the plan. Once all the quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed, they synthesized the findings into a plan that could be understood by the public, and not just limited to those with an electrification background. We are thrilled with their work and would recommend them for future projects!”
“Lotus has been an exceptional partner in the development of a key technical roadmap that will lead to strong policy implementation. They are helping us address all the challenges and opportunities regarding building electrification in existing buildings.”
Adams 12 Five Star Schools | GHG Inventory And Related Work
GHG Inventory And Related Work
Lotus developed the first GHG emissions inventory for Adams 12 Five Star Schools for activities in 2017, which included a measurement of emissions generated from energy use, fleet activities, industrial product use (i.e., refrigerants), waste, wastewater treatment, and consumption-based sources (i.e., paper, food, and fertilizer). Lotus developed the tool to align with the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) so that the district could compare its emissions with other school districts using SIMAP. Along with the GHG inventory, Lotus provided a summary report and an Inventory Management Plan (IMP) so that Adams 12 staff could complete this work in-house in future years. Following the completion of the GHG inventory, Lotus assisted Adams 12 in auditing the district's 2018 inventory (completed in-house with the guidance set forth in the IMP) and also created a modeling tool to measure the impact of the district's sustainability goals on GHG emissions.
Lafayette, Colorado | Sustainability Report
2021 Sustainability Report
Lotus wrote Lafayette’s 2021 Sustainability Report, communicating the progress Lafayette has made on the goals laid out in the City’s 2021 Sustainability Plan. This work included informational interviews with several Lafayette community members involved in sustainability work. Additionally data to track the progress toward each goal were collected, organized, and analyzed. The final report was designed to be data visualization and graphic heavy to effectively communicate results.
Lafayette, Colorado | GHG Inventory
2019 GHG Inventory and infographic
Lotus developed Lafayette’s 2019 community GHG inventory, wrote a final report, and created an infographic to communicate the results of the inventory and highlight progress toward the City’s climate goals. Lotus also created an Inventory Management Plan (IMP) to document all data sources and methodology used in the inventory.
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) | Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
Lotus is currently working with DRCOG to fulfill the requirements of the agency’s $1 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As part of this process, Lotus supported data collection, emissions calculations, modeling, stakeholder engagement, and strategy development and prioritization for DRCOG’s Priority Climate Action Plan. Currently, Lotus is supporting stakeholder engagement and related tasks to develop the regional Comprehensive Climate Action Plan.
To date, Lotus has led and facilitated multiple community and stakeholder engagements, and facilitated an equity subcommittee. Lotus conducted an all-day workshop that brought together representatives from communities across the 12-county region to organize implementation details for the eight PCAP strategies. The stakeholder engagement process that was deployed for the PCAP and will continue for the CCAP, has ensured that a broad constituency of community members from across the DRCOG region are engaged in, and empowered to participate in the resulting PCAP strategy implementation process. The creation and participation of the equity subcommittee as part of the PCAP process helped to ensure that the final implementation details for the PCAP strategies are informed by the communities that will be most impacted by this work.
DRCOG’s Priority Climate Action Plan was submitted to the EPA with the corresponding grant application for CPRG Implementation Funds. DRCOG secured grants funds for the Decarbonize DRCOG Program, the funding mechanism for the program related to this RFP and proposal.
Larimer County | Climate Smart and Future Ready Implementation Plan
Climate Smart and Future Ready implementation plan
Lotus supported the development of the Larimer County Climate Smart and Future Ready implementation plan. This detailed roadmap defines how the County and its partners across the region will work towards climate mitigation and resiliency over the coming years. The implementation planning process included collaboration with entities across Larimer County through topical working groups, the completion of a series of GHG inventories to ensure that decisions were backed by data, and public outreach through a website, videos, and other channels. Lotus also conducted emissions and cost modeling to help Larimer county understand the implementation costs and anticipated carbon reduction impact for proposed strategies. The final roadmap and progress dashboard serves as a jumping off point to make significant progress to reduce GHG emissions, improve resiliency, and enhance the quality of life across Larimer County.
View the Social Pinpoint Site HERE.
“The Lotus Engineering & Sustainability team has been one of the most professional, most responsive, most flexible, and most positive consulting firms I have worked with. Sustainability and climate related projects are some of the most controversial and problematic to work on. Lotus was able to combine their proactive approach, really listening to me, the client, and the community partners, with technical expertise to make our project successful.”