Click this link to optimize Virtual City Hall for screen readers Skip to Content
Virtual City Hall
Opengov
Durango Sustainability Plan Update Survey

What are your priorities and concerns surrounding issues of sustainability and climate change in Durango?

This topic is closed

91 registered responses


Prior to completing this survey, were you already aware that:

City Council adopted renewable electricity and greenhouse gas emissions goals?
Response Percent Response Count
Yes 71.4% 65
No 28.6% 26
The City of Durango has a Sustainability program?
Response Percent Response Count
Yes 82.4% 75
No 17.6% 16

How concerned are you about the following within our Durango community? (1=not concerned at all, 5=very concerned)

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Response Percent Response Count
1 7.7% 7
2 3.3% 3
3 3.3% 3
4 13.2% 12
5 72.5% 66
Preparing for climate change impacts
Response Percent Response Count
1 6.6% 6
2 3.3% 3
3 3.3% 3
4 7.7% 7
5 79.1% 72
Reducing Durango's reliance on fossil fuels
Response Percent Response Count
1 9.9% 9
2 1.1% 1
3 4.4% 4
4 11.0% 10
5 73.6% 67

How concerned are you about the following within our Durango community? (1 = not concerned at all, 5 = very concerned)

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Response Percent Response Count
1 8.0% 7
2 3.4% 3
3 3.4% 3
4 11.5% 10
5 73.6% 64
Preparing for climate change impacts
Response Percent Response Count
1 6.9% 6
2 3.4% 3
3 3.4% 3
4 8.0% 7
5 78.2% 68
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels
Response Percent Response Count
1 10.3% 9
2 1.1% 1
3 4.6% 4
4 10.3% 9
5 73.6% 64

How concerned are you about climate change impacts affecting the following: (1 = not concerned at all, 5 = very concerned)

Economic vitality
Response Percent Response Count
1 8.8% 8
2 7.7% 7
3 12.1% 11
4 29.7% 27
5 41.8% 38
Public health
Response Percent Response Count
1 7.7% 7
2 4.4% 4
3 7.7% 7
4 20.9% 19
5 59.3% 54
Social equity
Response Percent Response Count
1 12.1% 11
2 6.6% 6
3 9.9% 9
4 19.8% 18
5 50.5% 46
Environmental/ecological health
Response Percent Response Count
1 6.6% 6
2 3.3% 3
3 1.1% 1
4 8.8% 8
5 79.1% 72
Other - elaborate below
Response Percent Response Count
1 2.2% 2
3 1.1% 1
4 2.2% 2
5 16.5% 15

If you chose other, please elaborate.

Answered
21
Skipped
70

Based on your amount of concern for the above items, do you think the City Council’s 2019 sustainability goals are not stringent enough, about right or too stringent?

An 80% reduction in community-wide and municipal greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of a 30% reduction by 2030
Response Percent Response Count
Not stringent enough 52.2% 47
About right 35.6% 32
Too stringent 12.2% 11
100% renewable electricity by 2050, with an interim goal of 50% renewable electricity by 2030
Response Percent Response Count
Not stringent enough 52.2% 47
About right 32.2% 29
Too stringent 14.4% 13

Please elaborate.

Answered
56
Skipped
35

The Sustainability Plan Working Group holds equity as a core value of the plan process. What is your understanding of how Climate Change/Sustainability Planning and equity intersect?

Answered
56
Skipped
35

Are there any sectors or subsectors missing from this list that you think should be included in Durango’s Sustainability Plan?

Answered
55
Skipped
36

Are there any sectors or subsectors on this list you don’t think need to be addressed in Durango’s Sustainability Plan?

Answered
37
Skipped
54

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Answered
50
Skipped
41
Name not shown inside Durango
July 10, 2020, 1:00 PM
  • Prior to completing this survey, were you already aware that:
    • City Council adopted renewable electricity and greenhouse gas emissions goals? - No
    • The City of Durango has a Sustainability program? - Yes
  • How concerned are you about the following within our Durango community? (1=not concerned at all, 5=very concerned)
    • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions - 5
    • Preparing for climate change impacts - 5
    • Reducing Durango's reliance on fossil fuels - 5
  • How concerned are you about the following within our Durango community? (1 = not concerned at all, 5 = very concerned)
    • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions - 5
    • Preparing for climate change impacts - 5
    • Reducing reliance on fossil fuels - 5
  • How concerned are you about climate change impacts affecting the following: (1 = not concerned at all, 5 = very concerned)
    • Economic vitality - 5
    • Public health - 4
    • Social equity - 5
    • Environmental/ecological health - 5
    • Other - elaborate below - 5
  • If you chose other, please elaborate.
    The sense of place of Durango. Many of us are here because of the surrounding environment. If that environment becomes more threatened we will not only loose economic vitality and take major hits to our public health, social equity, and environmental health, we will loose a huge piece of why Durango is home for us. That piece of our identity will be incredibly damaged.
  • Based on your amount of concern for the above items, do you think the City Council’s 2019 sustainability goals are not stringent enough, about right or too stringent?
    • An 80% reduction in community-wide and municipal greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of a 30% reduction by 2030 - Not stringent enough
    • 100% renewable electricity by 2050, with an interim goal of 50% renewable electricity by 2030 - Not stringent enough
  • Please elaborate.
    Durango appears to be a very forward-thinking community. We need to set the model for how to become a sustainable community. I believe that we live in an area, with a population, that could lead the way for progressive environmental protections and sustainability plans.
  • The Sustainability Plan Working Group holds equity as a core value of the plan process. What is your understanding of how Climate Change/Sustainability Planning and equity intersect?
    BIPOC populations are often the most impacted when it comes to climate change. They live closer to landfills, experience more pollution, don't have access to the same kinds of resources that white folks do to pay for more sustainable utility services and the like. I believe whatever steps Durango takes to make the city more sustainable, they need to keep BIPOC populations in mind, as well as how they can make sustainable choices a real opportunity for all Durango citizens - not just white wealthy ones.
  • Are there any sectors or subsectors missing from this list that you think should be included in Durango’s Sustainability Plan?
    I believe that Food Systems should be a much stronger focus when it comes to sustainability. Food waste is the 8th largest contributor to greenhouse gasses. We live in such a geographically isolated area, most of our food is shipped in. We have an opportunity to implement larger-scale composting options and requirements, as well as places to invest in organizations working to create health intact regional food systems. I believe closing the loop and switching to more local agriculture is one of the biggest things communities can do to increase their sustainability overall. Along with that, it provides great opportunities to focus on folks in Durango who are food insecure...
  • Are there any sectors or subsectors on this list you don’t think need to be addressed in Durango’s Sustainability Plan?
    No response.
  • Is there anything else that you would like to add?
    I know this is a harsh statement, but I want to see Durango on more of a no-growth or low-growth model. I don't want to keep seeing new hotels pop up everywhere when our citizens struggle beyond belief to find secure and affordable housing. This town already has a reputation for being a white wonder-land, totally out of reach for many folks, or requiring more than one job to afford to live in. I believe sustainability isn't just measured by our greenhouse gas emissions or where we source our energy from, it includes how sustainable we are as a community overall. This heavy dependence on tourism and hospitality is not something I find sustainable, lease we become a place for vacationers and second home owners like Telluride. To sustain a happy and healthy community, we need to focus on full-time citizens and what they need far more than we need to worry about having enough hotel rooms for tourists. I'd really love to see the Durango government re-prioritize what they think this community should be doing and working on.
Virtual City Hall is not a certified voting system or ballot box. As with any public comment process, participation in Virtual City Hall is voluntary. The responses in this record are not necessarily representative of the whole population, nor do they reflect the opinions of any government agency or elected officials.

Your answers will NOT be saved

This is the form that was used to collect responses. It's here so you can try it and see how it worked when the topic was open.

The topic is now closed, and anything you enter into this form will not be saved.

Sign in and be yourself

Sign in and let others know who you are and what you think. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.

Read more about privacy >

Sign in and be someone

Sign in and let others know what you think. Only OpenGov will know who you are. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.

Read more about privacy >
* required

Be anonymous

Even though your response will be shared with staff, it won’t be shown on this public website so other community members won’t have the opportunity to see it.

Concerned about sharing your contact information with OpenGov?

Read more about privacy >

Read more about privacy >

What are my options to participate?

Virtual City Hall has two participation channels:

  • The Registered Channel: Sign in before or just after you submit your response. Either way, Community Feedback will show your response on this website.
  • The Unregistered Channel: Don't sign in and remain anonymous. Community Feedback will just share your response with Durango staff.

Note: The first time you sign in, you'll need to register (establish an account on Virtual City Hall). Registration is free.

Why do I need to sign in to show my response on this website?

The City of Durango has contracted with Community Feedback to monitor responses shown on this website.

  • To prevent any single user from dominating the forum, the City of Durango restricts the number of responses any one user can post on selected topics. Registration helps Community Feedback enforce this restriction.
  • Users, staff and government leaders often want to know the neighborhood from which a response is posted. Community Feedback uses registration to show the neighborhood next to each response (not the address).
  • If a user posts a response that does not meet the City of Durango guidelines for civility, Community Feedback uses the user's email address to invite the user to resolve the issue.
I'm concerned about privacy. Who will get my contact information and what will they use it for?

Community Feedback will get your contact information. The company is under contract with the City of Durango to hold it in strict confidence per their privacy policy.

What other benefits do I get from signing in?
  • Since you'll see your own response on Virtual City Hall, you'll be able to confirm that your response was posted as you intended.
  • You'll be able to change and/or delete your response as long as the topic is open.
I'm still very concerned about privacy. Is there a way for me to submit a response without registering?

Yes. Sign out, then set your privacy preference to be "No - just show it without my name to staff". You won't need to register.

What prevents an unregistered user from submitting multiple anonymous responses?

While no authentication procedure can perfectly detect every fraudulent registration, Community Feedback is able to secure the registered channel against systematic fraud: cases where users submit enough statements with fraudulent registrations to sway the overall interpretation of the feedback.

Community Feedback is unable to secure the unregistered channel against systematic fraud, because unregistered users are anonymous.

Neither the registered nor the unregistered channel represent a certified voting system or ballot box - and that caveat is footnoted on every page of feedback. Instead, both are additional channels for feedback to government.

Why are there two participation channels?

Users can participate on the registered channel (by signing in) or on the unregistered channel (by remaining anonymous). The City of Durango offers both channels in order to broaden participation and maximize decision makers' insights.

The registered channel enables users to assure decision makers that their feedback comes from a real person in a specific neighborhood. It also enables users to participate in a public discussion on the website, as well as manage their own response after posting it.

The unregistered channel is for users who want to provide quick feedback without registering, and/or whose privacy concerns would prevent them from participating if required to register. Because many users with valuable insights will only share them anonymously, this channel gives decision makers the option to consider those insights in their deliberations.

What is OpenGov?

OpenGov is a non-partisan company whose mission is to broaden civic engagement and build public trust in government. The City of Durango has contracted with OpenGov to administer Virtual City Hall.

Yes
No
City Council adopted renewable electricity and greenhouse gas emissions goals?
The City of Durango has a Sustainability program?
1
2
3
4
5
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Preparing for climate change impacts
Reducing Durango's reliance on fossil fuels
1
2
3
4
5
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Preparing for climate change impacts
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels

Climate change is expected to impact Durango and Southwest Colorado in a variety of ways, for example:
•    Increased frequency and severity of drought 
•    Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events 
•    Increase in average temperature and frequency of extreme heat events
•    Decreased snowpack and earlier spring melt
•    Increased wildfire risk

1
2
3
4
5
Economic vitality
Public health
Social equity
Environmental/ecological health
Other - elaborate below
Not stringent enough
About right
Too stringent
An 80% reduction in community-wide and municipal greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of a 30% reduction by 2030
100% renewable electricity by 2050, with an interim goal of 50% renewable electricity by 2030
Check out our guidelines for civility
Back to Intro  
  Page 1 of 2