"Sustainability is a central value of our administration and our community," Hickenlooper says. "It requires us to recognize the interconnectedness between the social, economic and environmental impacts of our policies and programs, as we seek to ensure that future generations will enjoy a quality of life characterized by environmental beauty, economic opportunity and resource abundance."

The Sustainable Development Initiative will focus on three main areas of activity--water, energy, and land use/transportation. Hickenlooper, whom TIME magazine recently named as one of the nation's best mayors, calls these the "basic drivers" of economic and environmental health offer opportunities for government innovation and leadership.

The initiative will promote the citywide importance of sustainable practices by convening stakeholder groups, such as developers, looking as new projects as models for smart growth, and communicating the importance of sustainability to all of the parties involved, as well as to the citizens of Denver.

Beth Conover, who spent the past year-and-a-half as a policy adviser to Hickenlooper, will lead the effort. Before joining the Hickenlooper administration, Conover had been the principal and sole proprietor of Headwaters Consulting, LLC since 1998, providing strategic planning, negotiation, program development and fundraising services for natural resource conservation. In this capacity, she was involved with the Cherry Creek Water Quality Regional Agreement, the Mayor's South Platte River Commission Long-Term Management Framework, as well as other local, regional and statewide initiatives.

She previously held positions as the director of parks and environment for the Stapleton Development Corp. manager of programs and development for the Stapleton Redevelopment Foundation, and grant writer for the Denver Public Library, to name a few.