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The methodology used for this baseline inventory was developed by Dr. Anu <br />Ramaswamil and is in line with the methodology laid out in the ICLEI 2012 U.S Community <br />Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions2. Emissions are divided <br />into Building, Transportation, and Materials sectors and are then benchmarked against other <br />cities including Denver, CO, Golden, CO, and Broomfield, CO. Benchmarking showed that all <br />emissions from Louisville activities are in line with other communities in the area, as well as <br />state and national averages. The largest emitting sector was building energy use, as expected. <br />Commercial and industrial building energy use, shown as an aggregate in this report, contribute <br />approximately 66% of building sector GHG emissions. The other major sources of emissions are <br />food consumption and gasoline consumption through on -road vehicle transportation. <br />This report relies on the use of proxies for several emission calculations. County level <br />data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment was used to characterize <br />on -road vehicle fleet make -up for Louisville. An economic census of household expenditures <br />from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics was used to estimate food consumption. However, much <br />of the data is high quality, primary data. Data sources as well as normalizing methods are laid <br />out in detail. <br />The next steps in developing a sustainable action plan are: to develop a set of attainable <br />goals; develop a set of actions to promote energy efficiency, conserve resources, and create <br />business opportunities; choose and prioritize actions to be taken in pursuit of goals; develop <br />implementation plans and outcome assessment protocols for prioritized actions; and re- inventory <br />and evaluate progress toward sustainability goals. Sustainability goals should target major <br />emitting sectors. In the case of Louisville, these would include commercial /industrial and <br />residential building sectors, and on -road vehicles. The setting of goals should be an inclusive <br />process, bringing in interested stakeholders including City Council, the Sustainability Advisory <br />Board, and local residents and businesses. <br />This report outlines several sustainability improvement strategies which may be adopted <br />by the City of Louisville. However, these strategies should be considered an example of various <br />types of actions available as opposed to a tailored sustainability path. Understanding local <br />activities and their impact on the local community, GHG emissions, resource scarcity, and local <br />economics is more important than simply quantifying GHG emissions. A more thorough <br />6 <br />