Martin Corral

April 3, 2011
Writ 1133-37

Cleaning up Denver’s Air

Snow-capped mountains, vegetation, pure and simplistic nature. This is the

vision that comes to mind when envisioning Colorado. Clean, fresh and untainted air

being inhaled while standing on a mountain peak. Unfortunately, Colorado is not the

mirror image that we see in tourist advertisements. Granted that the further you get

from the city, the more that advertisements look like real scenery. But as you drive

along I-70 into the city of Denver, smog, buildings, and traffic reduce the natural

beauty of the state. This essay will focus on the some of the notable efforts that the

city of Denver, and its residents have made to ensure a greener environment.

The increase of population within Denver, traffic and pollution seems to

increase. As the quality of nature and fresh air diminishes, it would seem fair that

Denver make an effort to reduce fuel consumption, lower greenhouse gasses, and

resize the carbon footprint of this city. When you consider the size of Denver,

transportation seems to be an integral area that could be severely impacting the air

pollution. The city of Denver has no doubt thought of this before, because when we

take a look at the transportation system, we see that a large effort has been put into

the Light Rail transportation system, but more importantly we see the switch from

gas-guzzling engines to smaller, hybrid engines.

The effect is best represented by the Metro Taxi service in Denver.

 The effort has been put in to replace 15% of their taxi’s to hybrids, though

this is an expensive choice, Metro Taxi continually strives to improve the air quality

of Denver. As of 2006, Metro Taxi has prevented 12,438,590.00 tons of Carbon

Dioxide from entering the Denver’s atmosphere by utilizing hybrid taxis (Fischetti).

Each hybrid taxi is decorated with an aspen tree leaf, representing the striking

ecosystem of Colorado. According to the Metro Taxi service, their average taxi drives

70,000 miles in a year and gets 12-14 miles per gallon; luckily thanks to hybrids

they have increased their fuel economy to 50-55 miles per gallon. Metro Taxi

estimates a savings of 285,040 gallons of gas per year due to their hybrid conversion

(Fischetti).

Metro Taxi service is able to have incredible fuel savings due to the electric

motor coupled with the internal combustion engine in each hybrid. The average

non-hybrid car operates by converting petroleum-based fuel into kinetic energy.

Fuel is delivered into a cylinder in the engine, here the perfect mixture of fuel and

air is compressed using a piston within the cylinder. When the mixture is fully

compressed, a corresponding spark plug releases a jolt of electricity into the

cylinder, causing an explosion. The piston shoots back down and the process repeats

in different cylinders, whether it be 4, 6, 8 or any amount in between, using a

specific firing sequence. In this way, the internal combustion engine turns fuel into

kinetic energy, propelling the car and its driveline in the desired direction. The

difference between this setup and a hybrid setup is an extra battery, an electric

engine, and a mess of wiring. The Oxford English dictionary describes a hybrid as “ a

thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture”. This definition in

essence captures what a hybrid vehicle is. A hybrid uses the traditional internal

combustion engine, while adding an electric engine to the equation. Naturally,

without a way to refill the battery, the electric motor is unusable. The common

hybrid gathers the energy that is regularly dissipated by a car when it brakes. This

energy is converted into electricity, and stored in the hybrid’s battery. This

electricity is then used by the electric motor when the car is moving forward to help

reduce the stress put on the engine. Under acceleration, the internal combustion

engine, will receive a generous amount of help from the electric engine, thus

reducing the load of the internal combustion engine, resulting in fewer emissions

and an overall better fuel economy. This is how the system in the metro taxi service

hybrid vehicles works, and their results are substantial to prove that the cost of the

hybrid is worth a higher value due to the reduced amount of money needed for fuel.

Not only does the hybrid help the environment, but it helps the business because

according to the metro taxi service “A lot of customers now call specifically for the

Prius,” says Brian Horvath, Metro Taxi fleet manager, “They like the comfort and the

quietness and the whole green idea." This motivation to change to a more fuel-

efficient vehicle, especially with a business that is very impacting to the

environment, yet very important to the city, is exactly what Denver needs, in order

to help keep Colorado green.

Along with this business effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the city of

Denver is seeking to create more fuel friendly buses for their transportation system.

In the last decade, Denver RTD bought 36 buses that run on compressed natural gas,

an alternative to petroleum-based gas with fewer harmful emissions(McCormick).

In addition to the purchase of these buses, Denver has retrofitted the buses with a

hybrid system that incorporated nickel metal hydride batteries as opposed to the

previous lead acid batteries. These batteries are not only safer for the environment,

but they mean less maintenance and a longer life. RTD head of engineering, Lou Ha,

claims that these batteries will be able to last approximately 5 years as opposed to

the acid lead batteries which were replaced every 6 months. Fitting these batteries

to buses helps reduce emissions by lightening the load placed on the engine during

the initial acceleration after a stop, which is a heavy amount of acceleration needed.

When the battery is not contributing to power, it is recharging using the same

engine it is attached to, so that it can continue to have enough power to accelerate

the bus.

Aside from Tax benefits, the city of Denver has started a program as an

incentive to buy a hybrid (Leib). With the purchase of a hybrid, residents of Denver

are eligible to obtain a pass that allows them to drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle

(HOV) lane, with or without more than one person in the car. This incentive is most

likely prominent among singles with hybrids, and while it is a small market, it

encourages daily commuters to go green and buy a hybrid.

The Denver air has long contributed to heavy ozone concentrations in

Colorado(Brinkman). The byproduct of the combination of these nitrogen oxides

and volatile organic compounds are not only affecting the health and lifespan of

Colorado residents, but is also destroying the beautiful nature that Colorado is

known for. This condition will not be alleviated by plug-in hybrids, but rather from

self-recharging hybrids. While plug-in hybrids would decrease the amount of

pollution due to petroleum engines, the energy to fuel the electric part of the engine

must still come from burning fossil fuels and ultimately results in a situation that is

parallel, yet less intense. When a plug-in hybrid is connected to the grid, like any

other appliance, it is withdrawing electricity that is fueled primarily by the burning

of fossil fuels. A self-recharging hybrid does not have the same tax on the electric

grid that a plug-in hybrid does. Through the technological advance of regenerative

braking, self recharging hybrids can harness the momentum of a car when braking

and convert it into electricity to propel the electric motor and partially relieve the

petroleum engine of it’s strain. This in turn creates better fuel economy for the

vehicle, resulting in fewer emissions, and a healthier air quality. This option is more

effective than plug-in hybrids because it only reduces the amount of emissions,

while the plug-in hybrid still indirectly causes fuel to be burnt in the power plant

supplying the electricity. Due to the fact that the technology advancements for a full

conversion to electric engines are not available, hybrids are the best option to

alleviate transportation caused air pollution.

While all this talk of hybrids may seem a bit farfetched, a company in

Colorado seeks to take more effective measures. Total Petroleum, Inc. has developed

the “Total Clean Cars Program” in Denver, Colorado. This program offers up to

$1000 to remove high polluting vehicles from the streets and up to $500 for

emissions repairs on cars that exceed current emission standards (Total Petroleum

cleans up Denver's air).

As a New York Times writer puts it ” Denver's air problems result from its

mountain basin location and frequent wintertime temperature inversions that trap
pollutants. In addition, the lower oxygen level in the high-altitude air makes

automotive combustion less complete and produces more pollutants than cars

elsewhere”(Applebome). This leads to ”carbon monoxide concentrations, about 75

percent of them caused by automotive emissions” (Applebome). In order to cut back

on this massive percentage of automotive emissions, programs such as Total

Petroleum’s need to emerge, and automobile transportation has to be reduced

either through less traffic, or less non-hybrid engines.

“Figures compiled by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency show

that Denver's peak carbon monoxide levels are the highest in the country and it

ranks second, behind Phoenix, in elevated particulate levels” (Applebome). Not only

will the city need to develop incentives, but also regulations as stated by Applebome

“The council is drafting a proposal that would mandate increased oxygen levels in

automotive fuels as a way of aiding combustion and reducing emissions. It is also

considering a plan that would put the state on central time, which would add an

extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, moving most rush-hour traffic out of the

dusk periods when pollution-trapping inversions are most likely to occur.” Though

this change in time would undoubtedly be a great task to accomplish, the effects

would be more than substantial. I-25 is at its worst during rush hour, shifting

Denver an hour to allow emissions to partially dissipate before dusk would greatly

help to reduce the enormous amount of air pollution caused during this period.

The progress that Denver has made so far is an excellent foundation,

however, as population grows Denver will have to become more innovative and

creative by bringing in new ideas, methods, incentives, and regulations to be green.

Denver has a long road to fresher air, and the increasing population will be a

concern in the near future as well. Though geographically, Denver has no alternative

to its problems, it does have the option to implement new fuel grades that have less

emissions and to relocated rush hour to an earlier time. Tim Atkinson, a member of

the Denver Air Quality Council puts it best by saying ''I think the mood is definitely

changing, and people really care, but the problem is a long way from being

gone.''(Applebome).
 Works Cited

Applebome, Peter. Special to the New York Times. "Denver Officials Take Aim at the
Air." New York Times 10 Nov. 1986: 7. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.
Web. 8 Apr. 2011.

Brinkman, Gregory. "Effects of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles on Ozone

Concentrations in Colorado." Environmental science & technology 44.16
(2010): 6256.

Ebersole, Rene. "Give Up the Gas Guzzler." Current Science, a Weekly Reader
publication 28 Sept. 2001: 8. General Reference Center Gold. Web. 5 Apr.
2011.

Fischetti, Mark. "Driven to Save." Scientific American Earth 3.0 19.2 (2009): 80.
Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

McCormick, Carroll. “Denver Switches to NiMH Batteries.” Nickel Institute Nov. 2005.
7 Apr. 2011

"Total Petroleum cleans up Denver's air." Journal of Environmental Health 56.8

(1994): 40. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
 Peer Review for Liza

1. The introduction does a very good job of capturing the readers attention as
well as giving insight into what the paper will focus on. A brief historical
story helps to provide information about how water was handled many
decades ago, and how it is handled now. Perhaps a way to strengthen the
introduction would be to bring in some shocking data such as numbers that
surprise the reader with how much water is wasted, or the amount of current
depletion.
2. The claim made in this paper is very clear, water conservation is necessary
not only due to Colorado’s erratic weather trends, but also for the
environment and for the benefit of the residents of Colorado as well. This
claim could be strengthened by adding a memorable quote that summarizes
the claim.
3. The claim made in the introduction, is followed through in every paragraph
with supporting evidence. In text citations mark the introduction of research
incorporated into this paper that back up the claim. The claim could be made
stronger by analyzing the situation from an outsider point of view to see if
there is anything missed that would help the argument.
4. This paper talks quite a bit about why we should conserve water. Perhaps
adding specific benefits and consequences could help.
5. This paper exceeds the source requirements, everything looks good.
6. The research incorporated into the paper through in text citations are
perfectly inserted. The citations flow very well with the authors own style,
and it becomes clear that the author is very well informed about the topic
through an extensive amount of research that has been completed by the
writer.

1. Introduction
a. brief summary of the problem at hand
b. uses histrorical evidence to represent the differences in the past and the
present
c. How has the conservation of water evolved in Denver, Colorado?

2. Supporting paragraph
a. continue histrorical story
b. brief history of water conservation evolution
c. beginning the Denver water evolution.
3. Supporting paragraph
a. cheeseman dam and reservoir, antero reservoir as big conservation
points.
b. Denver water is created
c. Use xeriscape to reduce water consumption
4. Supporting paragraph
a. restrictions
b. forest fires led to worries
c. conservation led by public water districts.
5. Supporting paragraph
a. restrictions on lawn irrigation
b. methods to conserve more water
c. uninformed citizens, disregarded regulation, kept overconsuming
6. Supporting paragraph
a. 5 year drought
b. difficultly to provide basic needs
c. regulations became effective for once
7. Supporting paragraph
a. effects of drought impacted citizens and they responded by following
regulations.
b. Population increase will be a big threat to Colorado water
c. New population caused the scarcity of many resources including water
8. Supporting paragraph
a. climate change effects water scarcity
b. causing less rain and less snow each year
c. overconsumption and previous factors influence water consumption in
Denver.
9. Supporting paragraph
a. water incentive program – rebate checks
b. low-flow toilets
c. 18 percent less water than in 2002
10. Supporting paragraph
a. xeriscape is expensive, water is not
b. use less water to decrease bills in economic down fall
c. ensure a good future for children
11. Conclusion
a. water was thought to last for millions of years in Denver, due to current
factors, it is crucial that we conserve and recycle it.
b. Thought water consumption is difficult and expensive, it is necessary
c. The reassurance brought by an ensured water supply would help us all
feel better.