From Seattle to Copenhagen: 10 Years of Environmental Activism

JC Martel in Copenhagen: From International Treaties to Program Delivery

Here, in Boulder County, I am a key member of the CRC team, partnering with local governments to help residents make efficiency improvements in their homes. I wanted to gain perspective on how what we do in residential energy here in Boulder fits into the bigger picture, so I decided to attend the climate conference in Copenhagen as an observer. I wanted to connect with the global community and bring back the lessons learned to our community, where we think globally and act locally. I was also hoping to attend the many side events that would give concrete and cutting-edge examples on ways to reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions.

It is important to note that I was also hoping to compare the current environmental movement to my experience 10 years ago in Seattle for the World Trade Organization Summit. That was the most inspiring expression of political activism that I have ever experienced, and I held Copenhagen to high expectations for a similar type of action.

Were my objectives met? The experience, education, people I met, and the literature I’ve read since I have been back have brought me pretty close to fulfilling my objectives. I think it is important to launch programs that promote innovative technology, financing mechanisms, market transformation and advances in policy that pushes our infrastructure towards carbon neutrality.

Before I went to Copenhagen, I knew US emissions were high compared to the other countries. I look at Boulder County homeowners’ energy data every day. I see homes in this County that use up to 40 metric tons per year! And that’s not their whole carbon footprint; that’s just their home! The “low energy users” use as low as 2 metric tons. What really hit me the hardest from Copenhagen was that 130 countries use only 1 metric ton per capita as their entire carbon footprint. We are nowhere close to being carbon competitive.

During the Copenhagen summit, US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, Steven Chu, talked about several programs coming down from the federal level. One of them is what called Retrofit Ramp Up; or what we in Boulder have been calling “Two Techs in a Truck.” It is encouraging to see that in our community, we continue to be leading the way, and are aligned with the goals of the US DOE as well.

There are 120,000,000 existing housing units in the United States. How quickly can we retrofit every one of them to current building standards while we have stimulus funding available to make the retrofits? The weatherization programs that started in 1976, has retrofitted over 5.5 million homes, achieving average energy reductions of 30%. In one of the side events of Copenhagen, Paul Waide from Navigant Consulting, presented on the topic of “how buildings can be a fast track to a climate accord.” Paul stressed that end use energy efficiency improvements are the most important thing that we can focus on right now. Of course, I agreed, that home performance is one of the best ways to solve our current dilemma, however slow and complicated the process may be when it comes to retrofitting homes.

Ken Mentzer of the Energy Efficiency Policy Group, followed Waide and shared his experiences with net-zero homes. He told the group about a net-zero energy home coalition in Canada. He shared a number of facets of the programs and some of the outcomes. Yet to date, I still have not seen a true net zero home program for retrofitted homes, only for new builds. Except, of course, for Boulder’s own ClimateSmart Loan Program (CSLP). The CSLP has allowed homeowners to make all of their retrofits at once, potentially reaching near zero emissions. Ken Mentzer actually mentioned Boulder and the CSLP as a net-zero energy program in his presentation in Copenhagen. He suggested that other developed countries should look at Boulder as a leader on this initiative.

Back to the original question, how can we retrofit the existing housing stock? Steven Chu said very clearly, “Science and technology have given us solutions in the past. With the right government policies, we can accelerate the invention and deployment of future solutions.” There was a study released in 2004 by the Resources for the Future. It cross-examined existing energy efficiency programs that were in effect in 2000. Achieving the greatest energy savings at that time was appliance standards, followed by utility demand-side management programs, Energy Star, DOE Rebuild America, and then Weatherization Programs. It recommends connecting with people at trigger points, such as when a property changes hands, replacement of equipment, refinancing, remodeling, or renovations. In the REAP program, it is at those trigger points when I try to catch the homeowner and guide their purchase decisions towards the most innovative and efficient technology.

Aside from the science, technology and policy, the other leg on the stool upon which we need to focus is how people perceive and value carbon neutrality and ways to get us there. This effort is executed through education and social mobilization strategies. This messaging and education to the community is a large focus of what I do at the CRC, and what all the programs at the CRC strive to accomplish.

Again, what are my perceived differences between the WTO and Copenhagen? Ironically, one of the most notable differences between what is going on now and what went on 10 years ago in the environmental movement is that now there is a lot more media coverage on our issues. People now are very aware of environmental issues. In Seattle, we organized elaborate protests to gain media attention to our cause. We wanted to reveal the environmental and labor implications of globalization at a time when not many people were talking about those issues. Now, even Wal-Mart talks green. To me that seems to be the biggest difference.

I would like to invite any of you to come down to the Center for ReSource Conservation office to talk about Copenhagen and solutions I can help you with in making your home more energy efficient, saving money, and helping make Boulder a leader in the global quest to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The CRC is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm and located at 2639 Spruce Street, Boulder. Our website is: www.ConservationCenter.org and I can be reached at: JCMartel@ConservationCenter.org or 303-999-3820 x224.