Editor:

An article published February 26 indicated that the city of Pueblo has committed itself to using only clean energy by 2035, just as Aspen achieved in 2015. This is an admirable effort, which the city of Colorado Springs should look to emulate in order to contribute to a more sustainable future.

In 2014, the Colorado Springs City Council turned down the goal to be 30 percent powered by renewable energy by 2020. We currently have around 10.1 percent green energy capacity, and the Council has imposed a 1 percent annual rate cap on further green energy development. As it stands, our own goal is to produce 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources; unfortunately, our own goal is an impossibility if we the citizens don’t fight for cleaner energy. Solar energy is already the most accessible form of power production available to citizens.

Environment Colorado – an organization for which I’m working as an intern – is running Solarize the Springs, a project which aims to make solar installation and electric vehicles accessible to a wider range of Springs citizens. This and similar efforts help ensure the sanctity of our environment and offer monetary incentives to further simplify the transition to cleaner energy. Similar projects have worked wonders in Boulder, where an incentivized electric vehicle purchasing program resulted in a 300 percent increase in the EVs sold at the dealership offering the deal. We are looking to build public support for the project, so please read more about it and sign in to support our movement by using this link. It is time for Colorado Springs to take a greater interest in sustaining our environment, and Solarize the Springs intends to give citizens the power to do just that.

Tristan BohnenColorado Springs, Colo.