The power of community
The power of community
What’s on this page? Each page on our site will begin with a list of what you will find. For your convenience, click on a header to jump there on the page.
Welcome to the Zero Emissions Network page powered by the American Solar Energy Society and by you, the citizens of Earth. At ZEN, we believe that the only path towards creating a sustainable future for all of the residents of this planet, human and otherwise, is by understanding the effects of our actions and working together to solve problems. We believe that individual citizens, such as yourself, are eager to make a difference in their lives and communities by reducing emissions. But, all too often, we find that we don’t know how to best reduce our emissions, maybe it is too expensive, too time consuming, or sometimes we simply do not know what else we can do. Our goal at ZEN is to provide the knowledge and the resources to each individual (like you) to help you understand how you can reduce your emissions. To do this, we follow a four question outline to provide the answers to the following questions:
We believe that the solutions are out there, many times people just do not know where to find them. We encourage you to read through the website and learn as much as you can, the more you know the better! We also encourage you to send us feedback! Information is always changing and we want to know what you think, how do you like our program? How can we improve? Is our information outdated or incorrect? We also like success stories, how did you use our information to reduce your emissions? Please send your thoughts to ZEN@ASES.org. Join the discussion in the ASES Online Community!
In 2018, The City of Boulder emitted 1,513,520 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gasses. 54% of Boulder’s greenhouse gas emissions are from commercial and industrial sources, 17% is from residential sources, 28% is from transportation sources, and the last 1-2% is from other sources like landfills and wastewater. For perspective, New York City emits around 54,349,650 metric tons of CO₂ per year, keep in mind that NYC is about 80 times larger than Boulder by population. The Environmental Defense fund sponsored this cool (or not so cool) video to visualize just how much CO₂ that is.
The ZEN program is run by a team of talented interns and their wonderful leader, Sarah Townes. This page features current interns working on the team.
Hello, I’m Lauren Reddington, a 2021 environmental studies and pre-law graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. I joined the ZEN intern team in the spring of 2021, and am now thrilled to be leading the team. I am passionate about environmental policy, personal sustainability, leadership, and preserving our beautiful earth. I plan to avail my ZEN experiences in my future law career with the goal of advocating for enhanced environmental policies!
Hi, my name is Sam Huston and I am a senior at CU Boulder in the Environmental Science Program. After growing up in Colorado I’ve had a passion for preserving our natural environment for the future generations. I enjoy skiing, backpacking, and learning about anything. ZEN has given me the opportunity to learn more about renewable energy and preserving our built environment.
My name is Franky Jones, I’m a senior currently majoring in Environmental Studies and Psychology at CU Boulder. I grew up in Boulder and being a part of the ZEN team is an awesome chance to contribute to the local community by trying to reduce both individual and collective carbon emissions. The ZEN team has given me an amazing opportunity to educate and listen to my peers about engaging ideas and goals of sustainability. I love hiking, playing guitar, camping, and really just being outside!
Hi, I’m Sarah Gillerlain and I am a new intern for the ZEN team. I am a junior at the University of Colorado Boulder studying environmental studies. I grew up in Chicago and studied at the University of Kansas for my first two years of college before moving to Boulder. I love exploring the outdoors. Skiing and hiking in the beautiful mountains here are my two favorite activities. I’m looking forward to working on sustainability projects that involve our community and inspire people to live more resource-friendly lives now for a better, lasting future. I’m also excited to grow my environmental career with the amazing ZEN team!
Hi, my name is Curtis Schneider and I’m an intern for the ZEN team. I am currently a senior at CU Boulder studying Environmental Studies and minoring in Music. At CU, I’m a member of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band as well as a Student Ambassador. I am from Upstate New York so I am trying to soak up as many experiences as I can in Colorado. I love to ski, hike, explore new areas, try new things, and just have fun!! I am excited to work with the ZEN team to make energy efficiency improvements and begin to make an impact in our community.
