Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Rocky Mountain Greener Venues Partnership (RMGVP) for Sustainable Communities
Partnership Details
The Charter document outlines specific aspects and commitments associated with the RMGVP.
View the Rocky Mountain Greener Venues Partnership Charter (PDF)
Program Basis
The Sponsors and Charter Members have developed a set of nine (9) principles or areas in which participating venues expect to improve the sustainability for their facilities and the community:
1. Energy Conservation and Efficiency
2. Water Conservation and Efficiency
3. Responsible Materials and Waste Management
4. Transportation and Air Quality
5. Green Buildings
6. Local Food and Agriculture
7. Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
8. Green Economy
9. Community Connections
RMGVP Charter Members pledge to achieve expectations in the following areas during the first pilot year of participating in the partnership.
Each Venue pledges to join or commit to the activities of at least three (3) of the following five (5) national partnership programs:
- Green Power Partnership – Venues join this program to encourage the development of new, domestic renewable energy capacity. This program includes a commitment to purchase a certain percent of green power based on the amount of energy used at the venue.
- EnergyStar Commercial Buildings – Venues join this program to become more energy efficient and reduce the amount of emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels. This program includes a commitment to establish a baseline for energy use and set energy reduction goals and design energy reduction plans tailored to the venue.
- WasteWise – Venues join this program to promote responsible materials and waste management. The program includes a commitment to establish a baseline and set waste reduction goals and design waste reduction plans tailored to the facility.
- Best Workplace for Commuters – Venues join this program to help improve air quality and improve employee job satisfaction. This includes a commitment to offer employees traffic-reducing commuter benefits such as free or discounted passes, vanpool services, or telework programs/options.
- Smartway Transport Partnership – This program helps improve air quality and improve energy efficiency. Venues choosing to join will commit to use all or a certain percentage of freight industry customers who are SmartWay partners.
Establish an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy.
Under such a policy, the participating venues will pledge to buy only or a certain percentage of EnergyStar-labeled energy efficient products, WaterSense-labeled water efficient products, Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool green electronic products, vehicles listed in EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide, and other products that are made with recycled content or from renewable resources and that can easily be recycled or composted.
Participate in at least four (4) of the following ten (10) State and local initiatives:
- Join the Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) Greener Denver Business Program.
- Work with Greenprint Denver to establish a community-wide bicycle sharing program.
- Commit to buying a certain percent of locally grown agricultural products with the Colorado Proud Logo through the State Agricultural Program.
- Recruit and mentor another venue as part of the RMGVP.
- Work with the Denver Office of Environmental Health to implement the Denver County/Local Anti-Idling Program at the participating venue.
- Contribute to a community tree planting project, e.g. the Denver Parks and Recreation Mile High Tree Planting Project.
- Help to establish a community garden on-site or nearby with Denver Urban Gardens.
- Join the Colorado Association for Recycling (CAFR) and partner with them to strengthen materials management related programs and infrastructure.
- Offset the carbon emissions from your organization’s energy consumption through the Colorado Carbon Fund.
- Propose and implement your own local projects for implementation.
Participate in at least two (2) of the following five (5) activities
- Help develop and implement a partnership branding and communication strategy.
- Help develop group and individual public messaging events and capabilities in support of sustainable practices using methods such as signage, special events, Jumbotron messages, etc.
- Work with local agencies, e.g. Visit Denver, to make Denver a green convention and tourism destination.
- Develop, promote, and broadcast success stories individually and for the partnership through the Internet and recognition events.
- Offer tours of your green building or sustainability efforts.