Mayor John Hickenlooper, Governor Bill Ritter and local business leaders have launched
Cool Biz, a new summer energy-saving program that will cut energy use in
Denver government office buildings by raising thermostats.
Businesses throughout Denver and Colorado are also invited to participate in Cool Biz, which was initiated by Greenprint Denver to help reduce the amount of energy needed to cool Denver's buildings during the summer.
"Denver is proud to lead by example," Hickenlooper said. "Cool Biz is a simple, effective way to save energy and money and promote sustainability. It's good for the environment and good for the bottom line. It's a natural complement to all we're accomplishing with our community through Greenprint Denver."
"Congratulations to Mayor Hickenlooper and the Greenprint Denver team for another great contribution to Colorado's New Energy Economy," Gov. Ritter said. "Local and state governments must demonstrate every day that we are serious about conserving energy, saving taxpayer dollars and protecting Colorado's environment. Being more energy efficient and energy smart is something we all can do together."
The City's seven government office buildings are taking the lead by raising thermostats four degrees this summer. The buildings are: the City and County Building, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building, Castro Building, Family Crisis Center, Arie P. Taylor Municipal Center, McNichols Civic Center Building and Minoru Yasui Plaza.
City employees are invited to remain cool and comfortable throughout the summer by removing their ties, sweaters and suit jackets whenever possible and wearing short-sleeved shirts and blouses and open-collared shirts instead.
Hickenlooper invited area businesses to join the Cool Biz movement. He noted two of the state's largest employers, Coors Brewing Co. and Qwest Communications, have already signed on. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Denver Partnership have also encouraged their member businesses to participate in Cool Biz this summer.
Greenprint Denver has set up a web site for participating businesses to register and help capture the amount of energy collectively saved this summer. For more information, please visit www.greenprintdenver.org.