Idaho

The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Idaho.

Networks and sustainability initiatives

• Community Rising, Social Enterprise based in Ketchum

Climate action

Climate change in Idaho

In the big picture of greenhouse gas emissions, Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person of the United States, less than 23,000 pounds a year. Idaho forbids coal-power plants. It relies mostly on nonpolluting hydroelectric power from its rivers.

Environment quality

From Wikipedia:Environment of Idaho

The environment of Idaho is rich in ecological diversity. Major forest ecosystems include grand fir-Douglas fir forest, cedar-hemlock-pine forest, Douglas fir forest, western ponderosa pine forest, and western spruce-fir forest. While the northern part of the state is dominated by forests, most of the southern part of the state is covered by sagebrush steppe, interspersed with islands of desert and saltbush-greasewood shrublands.

Many areas in the state are nearly pristine and include some of the largest areas in the United States without paved roads.

Significant fish resources include salmon and steelhead.

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

Open spaces

Yellowstone National Park is the most famous of the region's protected areas. Its intact grizzly bear habitat, rangelands for buffalo, elk, and moose, and spectacular hot springs and geysers attract millions of visitors per year.

Community energy

Idaho's energy landscape is favorable to the development of renewable energy systems. The state is rich in renewable energy resources but has limited fossil fuel resources. The Snake River Plain and smaller river basins provide Idaho with some of the nation's best hydroelectric power resources and its geologically active mountain areas have significant geothermal power and wind power potential.

Idaho imports most of the energy it consumes. Imports account for more than 80% of energy consumption, including all of Idaho's natural gas and petroleum supplies and more than half of its electricity. Of the electricity consumed in Idaho in 2005, 48% came from hydroelectricity, 42% was generated by burning coal and 9% was generated by burning natural gas. The remainder came from other renewable sources such as wind.

From Wikipedia:Wind power in Idaho

Wind power in Idaho could generate more energy than the state uses.

From Wikipedia:Solar power in Idaho

Solar power in Idaho comprised 550 MW in 2019. A 2016 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that rooftops alone have the potential to host 4,700 MW of solar panels, and thus provide 26.4% of all electricity used in Idaho. A large increase in the state's solar generating capacity began starting year 2015 when 461 MW of solar power was contracted to be built in Idaho.

Cycling activism

Boise Bicycle Project - Wikipedia: Bike paths in Idaho (category)

Sustainable transport activism

Wikipedia: Hiking trails in Idaho (category)

Citizens data initiative

Energy Profile for Idaho

Other resources

Natural Resources, information from Idaho.gov

About Idaho

From Wikipedia:Idaho

Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north with the Canadian province of British Columbia. Idaho's state capital and largest city is Boise. With an area of 83,569 square miles (216,440 km²), Idaho is the 14th-largest state by land area. The state has a population of approximately two million people; it ranks as the 13th-least populous and the seventh-least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.

For thousands of years Idaho has been inhabited by Native American peoples.