City of Arvada
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory
What is the impact of homes, businesses, industries, government and visitors in Arvada?
0
0
0
0
0
Energy use accounts for the total energy used in homes, businesses, institutions and industry within the community, including heating fuels such as natural gas, and fuels used in electricity generation such as natural gas, coal, fuel oil and biomass.
Transportation accounts for the fuels burned for on-road transportation, off-road operations, aviation, commuter and freight rail, and waterborne transit. Fuels include motor gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, biodiesel and electricity. Energy to produce these fuels is included in the Materials Use sector.
Materials Use includes the embedded emissions from the production of fuels, cement, food, and clean water. Most of these materials are produced outside the community and then transported into the community to support the economic activities of homes, businesses, institutions and industry. Therefore, these emissions often occur outside the community but are induced through materials use within community boundaries.
Waste accounts for the total solid waste and wastewater generated by our community's homes, businesses, institutions and industry. Waste is categorized by the method of management, including landfill and the amount of diversion to recycling, compost, anaerobic digestion, and incineration.
The AFOLU sector accounts for the emissions occurring from fertilizer use, livestock production, and land changes affecting total stocks of carbon present on the land in the form of biomass.
About
Despite rapid growth over the last two decades, the City of Arvada has been able to balance small-town charm with strong commercial and industrial development. This was made possible in part by the commitment of our citizens and city leadership to preserving our resources and fostering economic growth.
The City of Arvada recognizes the importance of sustainability for maintaining and enhancing the health of the community for present and future generations. In order to track our progress over time and set goals, the City of Arvada recently completed its second city-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. So what is a greenhouse gas inventory? Greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories are an important step towards reducing GHG emissions into the atmosphere. Globally, cities are responsible for two-thirds of the world’s energy use and 70% of global carbon emissions, representing a major opportunity for tackling climate change. Used as a tool for tracking a community’s emissions trends over time, GHG inventories help focus strategies to achieve the city’s GHG emissions reductions targets and goals.
GHG inventories identify different activities that contribute to GHG emissions and map the activities to the sources where emissions occur. Some emissions occur within our community boundaries while others are induced by our communities activities and can occur outside our boundaries.
Where do Greenhouse Gasses Come From – Emissions by Source
Most GHG Inventories are organized into emissions “sectors” that show the sources of emitted gasses. The City of Arvada’s GHG inventory includes seven emissions sectors: energy, transportation, waste, agriculture, forestry and other land uses, industrial processes, and materials consumption. Studying these sectors and how they change over time will help us identify the greatest opportunities for emissions reductions.
Results
Energy use in residential, commercial and industrial buildings have the largest contribution to total City emissions, about 54%. Arvada’s biggest success in stabilizing emissions has been in the areas of per capita residential energy use—an area targeted by the city’s climate programs and related initiatives between 2009 and 2016.
Transportation from on-road vehicles and aviation is the second largest source of emissions, followed by emissions from materials consumption, which includes food, cement for construction, and water use.
Learn More
Arvada values sustainability, and is currently working on a number of sustainability initiatives—from alternative transportation and energy conservation to forestry/agriculture and waste management.
It’s our future, our community. Learn more about how you can get involved with Arvada’s sustainability initiatives.