11-04-26 Environmental Advisory Board Meeting

The City of Boulder Environmental Advisory Board met on November 4, 2026. The main discussion was a presentation on a sustainability assessment framework being developed by the City, CU Boulder, and the Sundance Institute for the Sundance Film Festival. The framework will establish a repeatable baseline for environmental impacts, including energy, transportation, water, food, waste, and procurement. The presenters described direct festival operations and broader attendee-related impacts as separate tiers, and said they are identifying data sources and gaps before finalizing metrics and methods. Board members suggested tracking plant-forward food, attendee education, and multimodal transportation, including transit and biking; staff described planned transportation services and said a follow-up discussion after the festival could be scheduled.

The City noted that its agreement with Sundance includes donating renewable energy credits generated by municipal hydroelectric facilities; because the credits have monetary value, the City needs measured festival data to determine how many to retire on the festival’s behalf. Procurement was included as a measurement area, but no contract award, purchase, budget allocation, or procurement vote was identified. A resident also raised concerns about an unresolved heating retrofit described as a $55,000 project. The board reviewed feedback on the deconstruction ordinance for transmission to City Council, but the transcript records no new ordinance decision or spending action.