Sustainability Program

About Us

Jefferson County is dedicated to sustainability in the management of our facilities, our internal operations, and the delivery of our services. We define sustainability as striving to minimize our environmental impact while simultaneously considering cost-containment and the social good.

In 2017, Jefferson County formalized years of past sustainability-related efforts by creating a dedicated sustainability coordinator position within Facilities Management. The Sustainability program was subsequently launched with the primary goal of addressing county facilities and internal operations.

The sustainability coordinator collaborates with the Jefferson County Sustainability Commission, a citizen volunteer board/commission serving in an advisory role to the Board of County Commissioners on primarily external county sustainability matters (e.g. residential, commercial, and industrial sectors).

The county has won multiple awards for our improvements in sustainable practices and is dedicated to continuing to reduce our environmental impact while simultaneously containing costs.

The Sustainability program currently focuses on the following major topic areas in county facilities and operations: Energy Management, Renewable Energy, Transportation, Water, and Waste Diversion.

Annual Sustainability Reports

2020 Report Image Page 001 Opens in new window

In an effort to monitor and report on progress made towards our long-term sustainability goals, we began benchmarking our performance in 2017 and released our inaugural Sustainability Report shortly thereafter in 2018. Below you will find a list of PDFs of each annual report beginning with 2018 to present day.


Awards & Accomplishments

2017 Colorado Communities Award

Given by the state of Colorado and Compact of Colorado Communities at the 2017 Colorado Communities Symposium, this award recognizes innovative programs and initiatives in the public and private sectors that demonstrate a bold vision for a clean, resilient, and prosperous Colorado. Facilities Management was awarded based on our Energy Performance Contracting work with McKinstry, in which we implemented lighting upgrades, water-saving measures, HVAC improvements, and installation of solar photovoltaic systems at several sites. These facilities improvements are saving approximately $477,780 annually, a shining example of how environmental responsibility goes hand-in-hand with cost-containment.

Solsmart Designation – Gold

SolSmart, a U.S. Department of Energy program aimed at helping communities increase use of solar power, awarded Jefferson County a Gold designation  in 2017 as a national leader in advancing the development of solar energy. Jefferson County is one of only 40 counties across the nation to receive designation at the Gold level, the highest level awarded in the program.

Colorado Environmental Leadership Program – Bronze Achiever

Facilities Management was recognized in 2017 as an organization that goes above and beyond compliance with state and federal regulations, and as committed to continual environmental improvement. Through performance contracting, Facilities Management has implemented a variety of initiatives throughout Jefferson County facilities designed to save energy, save water, and generate renewable energy.

Xcel Energy® Partners in Energy

The sustainability coordinator is assisting the Jefferson County Sustainability Commission with the implementation of the Jeffco Energy Action Plan created through the Xcel Energy Partners in Energy offering, a community collaboration approved by the Board of County Commissioners in April 2017. The Energy Action Plan aims to help residents, commercial businesses, and county facilities save money on utility bills through energy and water efficiency and conservation measures. Jefferson County and Xcel Energy are pleased to work together to achieve our community goals. Check out the Sustainability Commission page for more information and recent developments of Partners in Energy.