Heat, cooling and nature-based climate solutions

integrating nature-based solutions into public projects, and creating opportunities for environmental education.

And just to clarify, you're looking specifically for the nature-based solutions work related to wildfire that and the circular economy.

I do have some concerns of an extreme heat and that corridor in particular

There um is information also included in policy 41 for nature-based urban cooling and heat management

specifically the extreme heat component and the street c the street uh trees and the tree can comp uh canopy

These include 15-minute neighborhoods, urban natural infrastructure, nature-based urban cooling and heat management.

But in a maybe not so worst-case scenario, you've just got a really bad smoke day, and it's super hot

a new policy on nature-based urban cooling and heat management

on the positives, I love all the different nature-based solutions. It's been really exciting, to hear about.

there might be a value to have a very healthy tree canopy in the city to, reduce urban heat island

did you consider the idea of green rooftops, planting some things up there to help with urban heat island effect and aesthetics?

This is being led out of our Nature-Based Solutions group.

Really interesting data that is going to be incredibly helpful as we talk about our nature-based solutions

it certainly is a part of the, um, nature-based solutions, uh, work plan this year

we have urban heat island effect that we're concerned about um with cool boulder goals

that holds moisture and doesn't add to urban heat island effect

the heat island effect of losing this percentage

that is because, by nature, it's affecting the heat island impact of the whole site

As it relates to heat island effect of this massive building and roof.

Maybe put in, like, what we think should be A focus under the nature-based. Yeah. Solutions, right?

For me, nature-based solutions. Yeah. And the 5 square miles, that was very powerful, I thought.

How closely do you guys work with the nature-based team?

It reduces heat island um and it also helps uh create water infiltration for root systems

the urban heat island effect and cool boulder goals

what that might do um in the sense of urban heat island effect

in developing strategies for managing our lands, both urban, natural, and working, that will enhance the resilience of these landscapes

our Cool Boulder partners are a bunch of people who do this kind of work within the City of Boulder

along with Cool Boulder Partners, we helped realize that design

climate initiative is emerging, which involves things like heat islands

We know climate change is going to get worse, and it's going to be more extreme heat, more extreme weather

You know, more 100 extreme heat days, like 100 degree or overheat days

Addressing wildfire threats and urban heat island effect, overall durability of landscaping and use of native species

a lot of work with the nature-based climate solutions teams around tree canopy

So shocks are things like, a fire or a flood, extreme heat

And a lot of homes not having AC, what are best practices for indoor air quality?

mitigating for urban heat island effect come into play, and then there's any number of ways that you can meet that

get more shadow to mitigate the urban heat island effect. There's a lot of support for that

with climate change and things of that nature, urban heat island effect

about 25% of housing in Boulder is at risk to extreme heat right now

and then again to try and mitigate the Heat Island effect, you know, up on the roof.

expanding tree canopy to lower temperatures and mitigate that urban heat island effect

a lot more attention of the urban heat island effect

the biodiversity goals and in like cool boulder goals things climate action type things

a board member introduced the concept of urban Heat Islands.

yeah, 25% of our resident potential buildings are in urban heat risk areas.

I'm the senior division manager for the nature based Solutions team, which is a part of the Climate Initiatives Department

And a lot of the reason that we created cool boulder was to engage the community in that discussion

provide space for large maturing trees in the landscape. Setbacks and rights of way to better address urban heat, island effects

you need to provide those outdoor spaces for people to um to thrive and also nature-based climate solutions

as you go east where we already have so many heat islands has always felt like a possible

I talked a bit about our nature based solutions work already cool boulder is our keystone program.

there's not enough research to prove that that 0 to 5 foot around a home actually creates a heat island.

is there one that has um uh a smaller heat island impact

start to speak to heat island impact or embodied carbon so that when people are making their choices

urban trees are not just aesthetic. I'm sure you know they're critical for cooling our streets

I don't see anything that's kind of about like urban heat island effect

you talk about the or electric or energy codes recycling materials nature based climate solutions, circular economy

I was definitely glad to see talk of rooftop gardens, and specifically how to manage.

I appreciate cool Boulder and um I'm just curious where that work is

in key initiatives around our community heat strategy uh to have the city and partners work to cool the areas of the city most impacted by extreme heat

extreme heat we have many water conservation programs you heard a little bit about that this evening

trees can help cool they can help mitigate that urban heat, the Urban Heat Island.

It's 1 of the 3 main focuses of the cool boulder program.

We're still working on doing storytelling through cool boulder we've had a lot of community engagement.

things like tree canopy and how we're measuring heat Islands

we're working closely right now and actually helping to to establish the first uh Center for nature-based Solutions

I'm curious, does that include heat island impact

I would wonder whether requiring mitigation of the Heat Island impact would go beyond what code would require

I was speaking about the Heat Island effect

deeply rooted in our discussions around cool Boulder obviously connected canopies and pollin corridors

what can be used in place of turf grass that can achieve some of those uh climate benefits

since Turf has some cooling impacts and especially when we think about areas that are multi-story buildings that might be in heat Islands already

I'm a program manager on the nature based climate solutions, team of climate initiatives

attempted to write an impact report for cool boulder last year it was very, very hard

one way we're thinking about cool boulder is in the context of systems change and systems drivers

To provide this high functioning, low maintenance stream, nature based. Design has been shown to be the best sustainable solution to flood control.

The Cool Boulder campaign was really built out of this notion that we don't have a sandbox

But I'll be working with the cool Boulder campaign

the true biggest argument is is the heat mitigation, extreme heat mitigation

it has issues with environmental issues as far as drainage as far as raising the urban Heat Island effect.

we launched cool Boulder which is a um a project through the climate initiatives department where we have 51 Community Partners

We're not designing our land use policies and our buildings to address more extreme heat.

There was to a lesser extent, another priority was extreme heat.

Obviously water and air pollution, heat islands. It encourages car travel, more air pollution, more carbon.

around nature based solutions. So he was there to do a number of kind of conversations and building some energy

Their approach is really driving action. Around nature based solutions around equity, around resilience and a certain economy.

I'm hopeful that we can really innovate around biodiversity how is this how are we innovating

this Nature-based Solutions work is really, I think, I wouldn't call it its infancy anymore

Most of you hopefully know about the Cool Boulder initiative, which is over 35 partner organizations in the community

that's part of what we're now trying to work on is these nature-based solutions

that's the work that we're doing through Cole Boulder and the nature-based climate Solutions team

particularly with your nature-based climate solutions that moving towards a landscaping approach that does not require you

we also need to do our work on um Community perceptions and understanding about better and more holistic Landscaping practices

I just went to a really fantastic session by the climate um team on uh the nature-based solutions

our climate initiatives department has evolved their work into three key action areas Energy Systems circular economy and the nature-based climate Solutions

we have to think about increased cooling loads for public facilities. Where will people go during times of extreme heat?

How often do we pave what happens with extreme heat? How do? How do asphalt roads, crown and buckle.

How does cost change with an increase in temperature? What happens to asphalt with 2 degrees rise and temperature on average

We know as the temperature warms, it's gonna have impacts on impacts on our community and on our ecosystem extreme heat drought

And then finally, just cool boulder. Is the whole campaign that's engineered out of the climate initiatives department.

So it's, how do we think about heat? Both from a technology standpoint. But through an equity focus through a nature based solutions focus.

I think there's a contrast between multifamily housing those avs, which is versus you know what we have been discussing for the last few years, or my Heat Islands.

particularly as it relates to resiliency or, nature-based climate solutions, tree canopy, you know, a highland effect.

There's a cool boulder project, but that's I think that was kind of like independent from our letters.

we talk about um the nature-based climate Solutions program and a lot of the work that they're doing

pedestrian paving. and you know that has the heat island impact

people need a roof over their heads protection from the extreme heat heat and Winters

But then, how does that balance with cool boulder like wanting to have more trees.

But as climate change and extreme heat worsen, they're taking an urgent public health role.

I'm happy to answer questions about cool boulder, and we're all happy to answer your questions about the topic.

a cool holder has potential to be a huge part of this cool boulder is our community arm.

the first thing we are starting with this trees is a nature-based solution

also increasing the tree canopy and reducing the Heat Island effect

we really focus on nature based solutions for flood mitigation

and the Heat Island effect or reducing the Heat Island effect

the urban Heat Island effect has a huge impact on electricity or energy use. Because if you if you don't have shade

to support a high quality public realm. and reduce the urban Heat Island effect as much as possible.

I think that's certainly something we're flagging as part of our nature-based on climate Solutions

trying to focus spending on Street trees for heat island issues

where we're looking at trying to reduce heat island effect

are cool Boulder campaign and our natural cooling strategy which is really starting to take shape right now

Xerxes is a partner in the cool Boulder campaign focusing on natural climate Solutions and collaborating on establishing

One would be that urban Heat island that I don't see a lot of previous ground on this.

So tonight is really a part of the nature based climate solutions team giving you an update on the work that we've been involved in

This cool boulder is a network coolable. There's a collaboration

And so it was in that, say last year that we announced the formation of the cool boulder initiative.

remove the heat risks that people have to be in Dwellings, especially dwellings that don't have access or adequate cooling

You mentioned a few things. The heat, islands, um colors, materials uh reflectivity

looking at urban heat on an effect, and tree canopy and other kinds of things more sort of natural climate systems

it's actually quite a new idea to take a nature based climate solution

we have urban heat, management and air quality electrification of buildings

We heard from the community that shade wasn't a was an important thing to incorporate out at the playground

in terms of mitigating climate risk of wildfire and extreme heat through Forest race Solutions so whether it's planting trees

the idea behind the nature-based solutions is how can you get nature to help you do what you need to do

the plan is recommending to use nature-based Solutions like the one described there as much as possible

since we were talking about heat islands and tree canopies

build partnerships through like the cool boulder initiative and others that support planting in those areas

given tree canopy for heat island effect and air quality

mean greater heat island effect and more stormwater runoff I think that's completely unnecessary

you could very likely have 10 degrees warmer so definitely enough to make a difference

it's seen as one of the most impactful ways that local governments can address the extreme heat that we are facing

which will help with the heat island effect help with aesthetics and help with place making

the Denver area has the third highest Urban heat index in the US

creating shade is a crucial strategy for addressing the growing growing urban heat challenges

and you know i guess the the urban heat island and the regen regenerative were forced

relative to urban heat islands and land use codes so we're not just talking about it

so that we can pick up this urban heat island topic with him

I talk about soil quality so quality and uh Urban heat island

heat island is really an earth it's a land use issue to a large extent and codes

vegetation which can reduce the urban heat island

Urban heat is an issue that you believe is very significant and going to be more and more significant

Urban heat islands is one of the things we want to work on and this project looks like one giant urban heat island to me

When we start to get into these convergences of extreme heat plus fire we're going to have really, really toxic conditions because people need to stay in their homes

the use of cool materials such as roofing tree planting reducing the amount of impervious surfaces

and then finally another issue that is the urban heat island and this is a topic again that we expect to get more

being a home to our urban tree canopy that mitigates heat island effects and promotes carbon sequestration

the vital role that urban forests play in urban heat island management and the need to Expand Our Efforts

the city continues to invest in development plan for the urban heat island

Invest in formulating a decade old scale urban heat island plan

the urban heat island like we can all feel that locally and we can address that in a very local matter

I'm happy to do anything with sales and urban heat island

Urban urban heat island. Yeah, and the soil. And seek restoration

urban heat um is a big one for me i think it there's still a lot of interesting stuff to do there

i think what we've been doing on urban heat islands is interesting and there's still lots of work we can do

I like this whole idea about developing a urban heat island strategy and and they may want

second they would like the city to address the heat island effect and they had several