Few communities have more effectively practiced the concept of energy self-reliance than Boulder. Citizens taxed themselves to fund energy savings improvements that reduced carbon emissions, the city enacted "SmartRegs" requiring landlords to meet energy efficiency criteria or lose their rental licenses, and citizens have overcome massive utility spending to pass three referenda to approve the city's move to a city-owned electric company (see stories below). Listen to several podcasts with Boulder leaders and read our coverage of this Colorado city's struggle to take charge of its energy future.

Photo Credit: By Eddyl [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons.