Each year, nationally-recognized designers and artists are invited to select their favorites from hundreds of entries for the Awards Show, which celebrates design excellence in a variety of mediums and categories, including print advertising, public service & political advertising, radio & television commercials, identity design, interactive Web sites, photography, illustration, and more.

“There is such a breadth of creative talent in Denver; it was an honor just to be in the same room,” stated Betsy Kimak, Webmaster for Greenprint Denver. “I aimed to create a design that explores the intersection of nature and society, and I’m thrilled that it has resonated so well with the community. Designers have amazing power to touch people’s lives, and I hope the site inspires others to embrace sustainability in their own creative works in support of Mayor Hickenlooper’s initiative.”

The award was one of several presented at last Friday’s banquet. Kudos to the event committee and the Brown Palace Hotel for the nice green touches: potted flower centerpieces for attendees to take home after the show and reusable cloth towels in the restrooms.

April’s “7,000 Trees in 7 Days” kick-off was a huge success: 12,529 trees were planted by more than 3,000 volunteers in just one week. Since then, more than 500 individuals have registered trees planted on private property and 30 municipalities have planted trees in public spaces. Also, builders, landscapers and others have planted more than 41,000 trees throughout the metro area (view recent counts.)

We’d like to take a moment to thank all of the citizens, 7 in 7 volunteers, participating community organizations, member cities of the Metro Mayors Caucus, and surrounding counties who have lent their time, resources and energy to plant trees during the past year. We’d also like to thank our project sponsors: Suncor Energy, The Home Depot Foundation, Xcel Energy Foundation, and eSurance who have helped fund tree purchases, making the Mile High Million possible.

We have four good tree planting months ahead before winter sets in – let’s see if we can reach the 100,000 mark! As you plant trees, remember to register them with us so they can be counted.

In 2006, occupants used approximately 6,875,000 gallons of water. The new fixtures will reduce water waste by 13 percent, or nearly 900,000 gallons, and contribute toward our water conservation goals.

“Provide the opportunity to pay a small voluntary fee, at the time of air ticket purchase or motor vehicle registration, to offset the carbon emissions related to travel. Funds would be used for carbon-absorbing or carbon-reducing activities. Explore potential partnership with the Governor’s Energy Office to develop local offset investment opportunities.”

View excerpt from the climate plan (226K PDF)

Carbon offsets are a popular tool for individuals and businesses who are concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions that result from activities they can’t fully control, such as air travel. According to National Geographic Traveler, air travel is expected to double in 15 years and already accounts for 3.5 percent of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions.

Many airlines are already offering these programs. On June 18, Delta Air Lines became the first airline in the nation to launch a voluntary carbon offset program through their Web site, which lets customers contribute $5.50 for domestic round-trip flights and $11 for international round-trip flights. Funds from their program support tree planting efforts through The Conservation Fund. They have also expanded their onboard recycling program to include all aluminum, plastic and paper products on domestic flights into their Atlanta hub.

Other airlines are exploring similar programs, such as Air Canada’s partnership with Zerofootprint and Continential’s pending agreement with Sustainable Travel International.

Denver’s program would be unique, but could be easily replicable in other cities. It would include things like free-standing kiosks at Denver International Airport where travelers could buy carbon offsets, and ways for airline passengers to pay voluntary offset fees when they purchase their tickets. It might also be promoted through annual auto registration mailers.

The funds would be specifically earmarked for sustainable projects in Colorado that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Offsetting a 1,000-mile air trip is estimated to cost $2.50, while offsetting 1,200 vehicle miles (10 percent of an average resident’s annual auto travel) would be approximately $6 per car annually.

Overall, do you agree or disagree with this particular action item? If you disagree, what would you change? Would you go “carbon neutral” when you travel and buy offsets to help the city meet its greenhouse gas reduction goal? Are you confused about offsets? If so, David Suzuki offers a helpful carbon neutral guide.

We thought we’d take a closer look at each of the 10 recommended strategies here on the Greenprint blog, beginning with item #2: Incentivize Energy Conservation.

“Implement a tiered rate for electricity consumption for homes and businesses that consume above average amounts of electricity and natural gas and that are not already participating in Xcel Energy’s WindSource program.”

View excerpt from the climate plan (554K PDF)

The goal is to encourage energy efficiency among Denver residents, particularly electricity usage, by assessing a small fee (similar to water-use rate charges) on any usage over a standard base rate. On average, the tiered rate would be about 50 cents per home per month, or $6 per year for homeowners. The rate for businesses would be about $130 per year. These funds would be used to support energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction programs, especially for lower income neighborhoods.

Overall, do you agree or disagree with this particular action item? If you disagree, what would you change? What energy efficiency methods are you willing to adopt in your own home or business to help the city meet its greenhouse gas reduction goal?

Please take a moment to review the document and the associated citywide greenhouse gas inventory, and share your thoughts here. Do you agree or disagree with the recommendations? What areas do you think will be most successful in advancing Denver to its 2012 goal?