It’s not the fertilizer, and it’s not a reference to annual runoff or the residential watering restrictions. Think green, as in environmental, and take another look at Denver homes, where green living is a time-honored commitment.

What’s the Green Story?

At one time Denver was infamous for its poor air quality, a condition that had to do with a combination of factors, including geography and climate, road de-icing practices, car emissions, and industrial smokestacks. “The brown cloud” had become Denver’s black eye until the 1970s, when a bipartisan effort to clean up the air snowballed into other, more whole, approaches to keeping the capital city clean and green.

Denver Green Residential Neighborhoods

Solar homes are becoming quite the rage in green Denver homes these days in all neighborhoods. More geo-specifically, however, bicycle lanes have been installed along 18th, 19th, Wynkoop, Lawrence, Arapahoe, and Glenarm Streets in downtown Denver. Also:

• The pedestrian-bicycle bridge over the Platte River at 3rd Avenue was completed, easing safe travel along the Platte River Trail.
• A ped-bike bridge over I-25 connects North Denver’s Highlands neighborhood and downtown Denver.
• Nearly 30 percent of what used to be Stapelton International Airport is now dedicated to parks and open space–over 4,700 acres. Energy Star® certified homes, access to public transportation, and other features have made the residential development a model for smart growth.

Denver Green Construction

Denver has 17 LEED-certified buildings, with 73 more in the certification process. That includes Aardex’s Signature Center in the Denver West Office Park, perhaps the greenest private office building in the country. And:

• The EPA building in LoDo has been awarded LEED Gold level certification, meaning it has been built and designed to be one of the nation’s most environmentally friendly buildings.
• The former Mile High Stadium, demolished in 2002 to make way for the construction of Invesco Field, still lives on in the form of steel reused in tracks for the metro area’s T-REX light rail expansion.

Denver Green Transportation

Denver leads the nation in terms of new rail projects in dollars per capita. Despite highly-publicized opposition, the public overwhelmingly voted for light rail long before the phrase “carbon footprint” ever made the headlines.

Now that environmental considerations are topping the list of things that make a city great, Denver continues to deliver on its reputation of going the distance. From its incorporation in 1861 to the 21st century, Denver’s come a long way, baby.