The City of Denver’s strong focus on the environment is evident through Greenprint Denver, a long-term, citywide initiative to promote the importance of sustainable development and ecologically-friendly practices throughout the community.  With a comprehensive action agenda, the city aims to integrate environmental impact considerations into its programs and policies. Participation from the community is vital for the city to meet a series of goals over the next five years.

One prominent goal, “Tree by Tree: the Metro Million” has become an ambitious tree planting program, with a goal of adding one million new trees in the metropolitan Denver area by the year 2025. To manage this multi-year effort, the mayor, Denver Parks and Recreation and several community partners are working together on strategies to identify priority areas, track tree plantings and coordinate activities.

Tree by Tree is a highly participatory component of Greenprint Denver. While many areas of the Action Agenda are focused on city operations and public policy, this program brings the Greenprint vision directly to neighborhoods and public spaces, aiming to foster community stewardship among individuals, neighborhood associations, schools, nonprofits and businesses by planting trees.

The Greenprint Denver initiative is the first comprehensive effort of its kind in Denver and was able to build on previous innovations including one of the nation’s first municipal “Green Fleets” of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, the pioneering the use of energy-efficient and long-lasting Light Emitting Diode (LED) traffic signals in 80% of the city's signals, FasTracks, a large-scale regional transit measure, and an international airport that is among the most environmentally progressive in the world.

Highlights of the Action Agenda include:

• A commitment to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions by 10% per capita over 1990 levels
   by 2012. 
• A plan to work regionally to plant a million trees over the next 20 years to maximize 
   community cooling, air quality, stormwater and aesthetic benefits.
• Increase residential recycling subscriptions by 50% and reduce total waste to landfill 
   by 30% in the next 5 years.
• Construct solar and methane power plants capable of powering more than 2,500 homes.
   by 2012. 
• Require that all city-financed buildings be built to LEED-Silver standard, and introduce 
   incentives for private sector green building.
• Introduce energy efficiency standards for all city-supported affordable housing projects,
   to make low income housing even more affordable over the long term.
• Expand the city's "green fleet" to include 100% biodiesel usage and replace light duty
   vehicles with hybrids wherever possible.  
• Increase by 20% new development located within a half-mile of existing transit stations 
   by 2001.
• Improve, protect and conserve water resources 
• Promote green economic development and new jobs for the metro area through  
   partnerships with the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.

Other examples of the city’s commitment to the environment include:  

South Platte River Redevelopment
Committing senior staff to the project, the city applied for a $6 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado and assembled the Mayor's South Platte River Commission to oversee the plan. All told, the city's financial investment since 1987 totals $478 million. The South Platte River Commission was created in 1995 to oversee the implementation of the South Platte River restoration project. The 27-member commission, co-chaired by the mayor and local developer Joseph Blake, included representation from the community, environmental organizations, local government agencies, federal agencies, private corporations, and educational institutions. The commission worked on the entire 10.5-mile river corridor within Denver, ultimately overseeing the investment of $60 million in river corridor improvements in Denver including Commons Park.