Aspen has recently become the third city in the U.S. that relies on 100 percent renewable energy to power all of its facilities.
It follows in the footsteps of Vermont's Burlington and Kansas' Greensburg, the first two cities that were able achieve pure renewable energy portfolios, Eco Watch reported.
Located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Aspen is known as a winter vacation sport due to its ski resorts and snow-covered mountains. But now, the city has gained another reputation as en environmentally-friendly region.
The city's renewable energy resource reached 100 percent on September 10 after its local government finalized a deal with Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, which supplies wholesale electric energy.
Before this, Aspen was running on 75 percent renewable energy. The city's efforts in utilizing this form of energy began in 1885 after it started using hydroelectric power. However, the city only became really active in its efforts to reverse the effects of climate change in 2005 after setting goal's regarding its greenhouse gas emissions.
It began to explore other alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind to reduce the city's carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020. Aside from these, the city also uses hydropower which comes from Ruedi Reservoir, Ridgeway Reservoir and Maroon Creek.
In addition, part of the city's overall goal is to push Aspen's renewable energy resource to 100 percent by 2015.
"It was a very forward-thinking goal and truly a remarkable achievement," David Hornbacher, the director of Aspen's Utilities and Environmental Initiatives told the Aspen Times.
"This means we are powered by the forces of nature, predominately water and wind, with a touch of solar and landfill gas," he added.
Aside from reducing the city's carbon footprint, Hornbacher is hoping that Aspen's achievement will inspire other local governments and cities to adopt the same plan and methods. By transforming other cities' energy resource into renewable ones, the entire country will surely be able to make a huge impact in cutting down its greenhouse gas emissions.
Although the city is small and home to less than 7,000 individuals, Hornbacher noted that Aspen was still able to achieve its goal to pursuing a truly environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
"We've demonstrated that it is possible," Hornbacher said. "Realistically, we hope we can inspire others to achieve these higher goals."
To celebrate its achievement, the city is planning to hold a party to demonstrate its pride in using 100 percent renewable energy.
