ASPEN, CO – Pitkin County is crafting its own energy action plan (EAP). Currently in draft form, the plan was unveiled by energy program manager Dylan Hoffman recently during the county commissioners’ work session, according to www.aspentimes.com.

Hoffman, who began working for the county in early March, has drafted a 16-page document that is meant to “promote a sustainable future in Pitkin County by improving energy efficiency and reducing resource consumption,” according the Energy Management Department’s mission statement.

The EAP is funded through a $100,000 Renewable Energy Mitigation Program grant from the Community Office of Resource Efficiency. The CORE grant pays Hoffman’s salary and department costs, and will pay for any initial projects that arise as a result of Hoffman’s work.

Pitkin County’s plan identifies seven categories of goals: transportation, buildings, waste reduction, water use, renewables, education, and energy policy.In the transportation section, for example, the plan calls for a reduction of the “employee vehicle miles traveled in fleet vehicles,” through incentives for employees to use “pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and carpool options.”Other transportation goals include establishing “minimum fuel efficiency standards” for the county’s fleet of vehicles, as well as the development of rideshare opportunities for employees and the creation of thumbing stations to encourage hitchhiking as an alternative to the personal car.