It's safe to say that a significant proportion of Wood River Valley residents are concerned about energy efficiency.
A look at the building projects in the valley—the few that there are, given the recent recession—reveals an emphasis on solar power, better insulation and overall energy efficiency.
For example, Northwood Place, a new affordable housing development on Saddle Road in Ketchum, recently installed 247 solar panels on the roofs of the units, meant to offset the power costs. In an effort to save energy, Blaine County switched to a four-day workweek, and organic local produce is hawked twice a week in farmers markets in Hailey and Ketchum.
But how green is the Wood River Valley, really?
"We've got room to improve," said Craig Barry, executive director for the Ketchum-based Environmental Resource Center.
In 2007, the last year for which data is available, Blaine County dumped about 525,000 tons of carbon emissions into the air.
According to the Community Carbon Emissions baseline Inventory Community Analysis, compiled by Kyle Livingston of the ERC in 2008, the average American annually emits 20 tons of carbon emissions, which include gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Blaine County residents emitted an average of 24.6 tons per person in 2007, while Ketchum residents emitted 35 and Sun Valley residents 45. These numbers are often referred to as Blaine County residents' "carbon footprint," which is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as the impact of the everyday activities of residents and businesses on greenhouse gas emissions.
While factors such as how much red meat someone consumes and how often the tire pressure on his or her car is checked can contribute to carbon emissions, the ERC's report states that 76 percent of a Blaine County resident's emissions come from electricity use and gasoline and diesel consumption.
Overall, Barry said, the valley is a slightly mixed bag when it comes to being green. Recycling, he said, has held steady since last year, and recycling at summer events has become the norm.
"What had been somewhat challenging is now old hat," Barry said.
Local governments are also pitching in, with Blaine County's four-day workweek. Char Nelson, the county's director of operations, said the four-day, 10-hour model reduces heating and lighting needs and limits the number of trips that employees drive to work. Thanks to these efforts, the county has saved just under $17,600 in energy costs from last year.
The city of Hailey is also working to increase energy efficiency and decrease carbon emissions by working to change the building code.
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According to Hailey Planner Mariel Platt, the new building code would require new starts and remodels to be 10 percent more efficient than current requirements.
There are a few exemptions—attached garages, for example, would be excluded, as is anything that doesn't require a building permit—but Platt said the requirements are meant to increase efficiency while minimizing cost to the consumer.
"We want to make sure people can afford to heat their houses, just like they can afford to gas up their cars," Platt said. "It's a growing trend."
If approved by the Hailey City Council, the code will go into effect in January.
"They're trying to set the bar a little higher," Barry said. "The goal is to increase the energy efficiency of the building stock, to make us a lot more competitive."
But while local governments and residents are making efforts to cut energy costs and their carbon emissions, second-home owners and tourists are consistently cited as emissions offenders in the ERC's report.
Though Sun Valley has only 6.7 percent of the county's population, it accounts for 19 percent of the county's residential carbon emissions.
Barry said these numbers are skewed, as Sun Valley has a lot of people who come in and produce emissions without living here full-time.
"Being a tourist-based community, I think we have some challenges," Barry said.
Snowmaking machines and chairlifts, for example, are huge consumers of energy, and the private planes flown into Friedman Memorial Airport naturally have a greater carbon footprint than if the same number of people took commercial flights.
Other major emissions and energy violators are hot tubs and faucets that are left on all winter, Barry said.
"Water conservation and carbon emissions are linked," he said.
Any water used in the valley's municipalities has to be treated by a wastewater treatment, which uses electricity.
Barry said that both residents and tourists should keep in mind that water equals energy.
"We live in a high-altitude desert," Barry said. "We have some big challenges."
Despite the county's obstacles, Barry said, the future of the Wood River Valley looks greener than it did a few years ago. There's no easy solution, he said, but he suspects that carbon emissions in the valley have already dropped since the 2007 study.
"They have probably gone down, but primarily because of the economy," he said.
New building is down, so waste is down.
But whatever the reason, Barry said he hopes the county and its residents will continue to make the effort to go green.
"This is a great opportunity to instigate some changes, so when things pick up, we can start on a new path," he said.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants from the Idaho Office of Energy Resources, totaling $700,000, are meant to fund building retrofits. They are just one program Barry said he hopes will motivate valley residents to reduce their carbon emissions even further.
Barry said recycling, being mindful of water use and replacing incandecent light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones are still the easiest ways to keep our valley green.
"There's not a magic bullet," Barry said. "Whether we're living in a 1,000-square-foot house or a 10,000-square-foot house, we need to be responsible."
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Traffic backs up in Ketchum last weekend. Photo by Willy Cook
