BFC is excited at the invitation to be part of the Phase 3 Implementation Planning Team that has convened as part of Larimer County’s Climate Smart and Future Ready Approach and Planning Process to address climate change through mitigation and adaptation strategies intended to lessen impacts on our community members and the county’s identified priorities and aspirations.
The Background
In 2020, and on the heels of the county’s adoption of its 2019 Strategic Plan, and at the request and leadership of Commissioner John Kefalas, Phase 1 of the Climate Smart Future Ready Approach kicked-off via the formation of a working group of county employees and agency partners who baselined the county’s policies and practices related to environmental responsibility, sustainability, and climate action. The goal was to form a Climate Smart Framework that incorporated climate change research that had been conducted at the County and State level, and utilize it as well as technology, innovation, and community input to chart a future course.
Phase 2 then commenced in 2021 running into mid-2022 focused heavily on community outreach and engagement to help understand how the community prioritizes strategies that will help ensure a safe, sustainable, and prosperous future for the county. The outreach and engagement resulted in a formal Community Outreach Report, as well as a Recommendations Report that set the stage for Phase 3: Implementation Plan development.
Which brings us to now and our invitation to be part of Phase 3. Per the Recommendation Report, Phase 3 includes a larger cross-functional group of community members from government, advisory bodies, business groups, academia, and community-based organizations. 
The intent of Phase 3 is to cast an even wider net than the first two phases and determine the top-level goals that the implementation plan should seek to achieve. It especially includes entities and individuals who may likely be collaborators and partners with the County in executing The Plan in the near and long term. Phase 3 participants have been divided into the following four Focus Areas that have ultimately evolved from the Framework established in Phase 1 and the initial findings in Phase 2.
- Built Environment, Waste, and Economy
- Mobility, Delivery of Goods, and Digital Services
- Natural Environment, Wildlife, and Agriculture
- Wellbeing and Resilience
BFC is participating on the team assigned to the Mobility, Delivery of Goods, and Digital Services Focus Area. Phase 3 launched with all-participant kick-off meeting back in October of 2022 and the broader group (all four focus areas) had a subsequent meeting last week. Several more sessions are planned through the first half of the year, and we’ll continue to keep you posted as Implementation Plan development progresses. In the meantime, we invite and encourage you to read and explore more via the webpage and document links in this post.