Sustainable Wheat Ridge is a volunteer-led committee guiding the city in efforts to improve community conditions in six areas of environmental sustainability:
- Communications and Engagement
- Green Building and Energy Efficiency
- Renewable Energy
- Solid Waste and Recycling
- Transportation
- Water
The committee operates under the direction of Mayor Bud Starker and with the support of the City Manager’s office and Marianne Schilling.
The committee is made up of these community members:
Karen Berry
Karen Berry is the Sta
te Geologist and Director of the Colorado Geological Survey. She works closely with cities and counties, across the state, on a variety of land use and natural resource issues. She is a certified planner, and a professional geologist.
Berry has served on numerous boards and commissions including; Denver Regional Council of Governments; Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee; Wheat Ridge City Council, Planning Commission, Liquor Licensing Board, and Building Code Advisory Board; Jefferson Conservation District; Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership; Coalition for the Upper South Platte; Upper South Platte Watershed Association; and the National Association of Conservation Districts policy committee.
Rachael Boothe
Rachael is an Environmental Specialist with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where she is involved in National Environmental Policy Act reviews, geographic information systems and mapping, environmental audits, vegetation management, and pollinator encouragement activities. She collaborates with construction managers, builders, and designers to integrate environmental sustainability and protection into all stages of construction. She has also worked with native, indigenous communities on renewable energy projects and has a passion for honoring and learning from their sustainability practices. She has a M.S. in Environmental Science, M.S. certificate in Geographic Information Systems, is ISO 14001 Lead Auditor Certified, and is in the process of becoming a certified master gardener through Colorado State University. Rachael and her husband live in the Bel Air neighborhood where she enjoys biking Clear Creek Trail and zumba-ing at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center.
Michaela Butler
Michaela is a 4th generation Coloradan and avid environmental enthusiast. Michaela is passionate about the environment and community and is supportive of building inclusive and healthy environments for all communities. Her track record of success includes leading a grass-roots composting initiative to the whole of Auraria campus, raising community awareness to food justice, equitable food access, and youth homelessness. In her free time, Michaela enjoys gardening, hiking with her dogs and adventuring across the state.
Michaela received a dual B.A. in Environment, Society and Sustainability as well as Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Betsy Coppock
Bet
sy is a native Coloradan and spent her engineering career at Xcel Energy. Her work at Xcel included the technical aspects and the resulting policy of sustainability, resiliency, and reliability on the electric distribution grid. She studied the effects of electric vehicles on the electric grid and the opportunities to mitigate grid issues through storage, flexible charging times to align with the abundance of renewable resources and policy changes to encourage EV ownership. She also led the initial wildfire mitigation effort at Xcel.
Betsy enjoys traveling anywhere and everywhere, especially to places where she can squeeze in a day of sea kayaking. But she always seems to end up making trips to Utah for some desert tranquility and beauty. Betsy has a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado, Boulder and is a registered Professional Engineer.
Conner Denton
Conner Denton is originally from Idaho Springs and moved down to Applewood when he was 10. Conner graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 2019 and then studied Ecosystem Sciences and Sustainability at Colorado State University, where he graduated from last spring. Conner is looking to start his career in the sustainability field and is excited to join Sustainable Wheat Ridge. Conner looks forward to being able to enact change and have a lasting impact on a community that he cares deeply for. Conner is excited to begin working with the committee and has high hopes for what they can accomplish!
Amy DePierre, Co-Chair
Amy DePierre is a PhD student, researcher, and lecturer in the Geography, Planning, and Design program with the College of Architecture and Planning and the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver. With a professional background in marketing and sustainability for the built environment, Amy's interdisciplinary research and teaching incorporates elements of geography, environmental science, psychology, and urban planning. Utilizing geospatial methodologies, her research aims to provide enhanced understanding of the ecological, political, and social complexities inherent in local food systems uniquely situated in different global contexts. Personally, Amy loves to garden, hike, and camp, splitting her time between reading and enjoying nature with her family.
Amy received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and her M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado Denver.
Brittany Guimond
Brittany is a G
REEN-designated Realtor with the National Association of Realtors® and works full-time as a residential real estate agent with West + Main Homes. With a diverse background in marketing, technology, non-profit management, architecture and design, Brittany infuses her passion for sustainability into everything she does and everyone she meets. She loves educating homeowners on ways to implement simple and sustainable updates in the home. She loves giving back to the community and has volunteered with the Colorado Renewable Energy Society’s signature Metro Denver Green Homes Tour, as well as Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity, among others. Brittany lives with her husband and two kids in the Fruitdale neighborhood of District IV.
Joy Opp, Co-Chair
Joy 
works in the Communication and Engagement focus area of the Sustainable Wheat Ridge committee, and serves as the committee’s co-chair. She is a native Coloradan and a resident of Wheat Ridge since 2006. An avid hiker, Joy founded Colorado Mountain Mamas, a hiking group for moms with new babies and for a decade lead hundreds of hikes all over the front range. She is a local Realtor with West + Main Homes and thrives on helping her clients understand the value as well as the sustainability impact of the homes they are buying and selling. Joy is also a trained Climate Reality Leader.
Joy received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Kansas.