Sustainability Featured Projects

a walking path with grass on both sides and a blue sky above with a few clouds

We are always working on new and ongoing projects to make Lakewood healthier, safer, and greener for future generations. Click on any of the projects below to learn more about some of our sustainability projects.

 

Community Sustainability Update to City Council

See a video of the Sustainability Division 2024 Update for City Council. The video highlights and provides up-to-date details on all of our current projects.

Video

 

Free Home Energy Assessment ProgramMan walking up a front path to a home with his car parked in the distance

The City of Lakewood’s Community Sustainability, Climate, and Zero Waste division is collaborating with Xcel Energy and CLEAResult to provide free enhanced home energy assessments for qualifying Lakewood homeowners and renters. The program provides free Home Energy Squad Plus visits (a $600 value) performed by a certified technician to help make your home more efficient. In 2024, Home Energy Squad participants saved an average of $124 annually on their utility bills. After your assessment is complete, an energy advisor can help you navigate various Xcel Energy rebate opportunities to maximize savings. Quantities are limited so we encourage Lakewood residents to sign up quickly.

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Sustainable Development Standards row of townhomes with green grass in front

  • Lakewood has adopted standards in the Zoning Code and the Building Code to help implement the community’s vision for sustainability through new development projects.
  • These Sustainable Development Standards include an Enhanced Development Menu (EDM) of sustainable site design features, a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Performance Standard to mitigate emissions from new buildings, and Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste Recycling to divert used building materials from landfills.
  •  2025 Key Highlights:
    • To simplify the C&D review process, we have transitioned to online platform Green Halo for creating, reviewing, approving, and tracking waste management plans!
    •  Minor updates to the EDM and GHG standards are proposed as part of the 2025 Zoning Updates process.
  • This is an ongoing project dependent on staff review of development proposals and permits submitted to the City, and monitoring potential changes to consider in future code updates.

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Climate Hazard and Social Vulnerability Study

Person holding up sign that says There is No Planet B

  • In 2023, Lakewood was awarded a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning Grant to assess the impacts of anticipated climate change on the city’s natural hazards, with particular attention to the inequitable distribution of these impacts on socially vulnerable populations.
  • The final report was completed in April 2025. Key highlights from this study include spatial mapping of priority climate hazards and an equity index; community engagement through focus groups, workshops, and a public survey; and identification of potential adaptation actions to make Lakewood a more resilient community.

Read the Report

Comprehensive Plan Updatedecorative logo

  • After more than a year of extensive community engagement, the Envision Lakewood 2040 Comprehensive Plan was adopted unanimously by the Lakewood Planning Commission on April 23, 2025, and unanimously approved by City Council on July 28, 2025.
  • Staff from the Community Sustainability, Climate & Zero Waste Division actively participated in the planning process to integrate sustainability and climate action throughout the final plan.
  • The Comprehensive Plan is an important citywide document and tool that defines Lakewood’s vision, goals and priorities for the next 10-15 years. The Plan is used by staff, City Council, Planning Commission and other boards and commissions to inform decisions about land use, housing, transportation, climate action, parks, public health, equity and more.
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Electric Vehicle Work PlanElectric Vehicle plugged in to charging station

The City partnered with Xcel Energy to develop and implement an Electric Vehicle Work Plan that will help Lakewood prepare for the EV future and move us closer to our community and organizational goals. The EV Action Plan was developed collaboratively across all departments and focuses on municipal fleet electrification, public facility charging infrastructure, and integrating EVs into city plans and policies. 

 Lakewood has been awarded a $194,050 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to install publicly accessible electric vehicle chargers at the Carmody, Link, and Whitlock recreation centers. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.

Read the Plan(PDF, 2MB)

Energy Benchmarking and Building Performance StandardsRoof of a house with mountains in the distance during sunset

Buildings are the largest contributor of GHG emissions in Lakewood because of the energy required to operate their systems, like lighting and HVAC. City staff is developing recommendations, for City Council’s consideration, for a performance program for Lakewood’s largest buildings as part of an overall building emissions reduction strategy. The first phase of the project is to design a benchmarking policy that would require commercial, multifamily, and public building owners to track and report their energy use (electricity and natural gas) on an annual basis.

The second phase of the program would be to establish building performance standards to support increased efficiency and the transition to cleaner energy sources. To read more about the project and get involved, visit the project page.

The city has received a $5 million award from the United States Department of Energy to help develop an equitable and achievable program, support building owners with resources to improve their buildings, and invest in a local workforce that is needed to perform building efficiency and electrification retrofits.

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Water Conservation Program and Incentivestwo story grey house with two car garage

Save water and money with the city’s Outdoor Water Conservation Program! Several incentives are available to help reduce water use and transform your yard into a beautiful and vibrant Colorado landscape. Staff has created educational resources with outdoor water conservation strategies for single-family households and is developing a toolkit to help HOAs save water and money on water bills. 

 

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Municipal Renewable Energy Procurementdecorative logo

Lakewood has been awarded a $931,700 Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant to support installation of the city’s first onsite solar project at Whitlock Recreation Center. The project will offset 100% of anticipated electricity use at the Whitlock facility through a combination of rooftop and parking canopy solar systems. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2025.

The City participates in off-site solar garden programs which provide 2 million kWh of solar energy each year to power its facilities and operations, reducing emissions by over 2 million pounds of CO2. We are continuing to evaluate additional on-site solar options for our local facilities.

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Regional Climate Pollution and Reduction Grantdecorative logo

In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act created the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) to help with regional-scale climate action planning. The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Metropolitan Statistical Area has received a $1 million CPRG grant to develop climate action plans in coordination with stakeholders throughout the region. The project is being led by the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) with our division providing direct support as part of the project management team.   

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