Denver Launches “The One Effect” to Spark Collective Climate Action

Denver Launches "The One Effect" to Spark Collective Climate Action

Published on July 14, 2026

Today, Denver launched "The One Effect", the second initiative of the Denver Climate Project, calling on community members to take six seconds to show what's possible when "just one person" becomes thousands acting together.

"Denver is not stepping back when so much is at stake," said Mayor Mike Johnston. "The future we want is one where every neighborhood and business is powered by clean energy and protected from climate risks. That starts with one person inspiring the next. When thousands of us take even one small action, we create real, measurable change together."

As Colorado experiences one of the hottest years on record and Denver continues to make steady progress cutting emissions, the need to keep climate action visible and urgent has never been more clear. In Denver, engagement remains strong and higher than throughout most of the country. More than 3 out of 4 (77%) of Denverites say they are worried about global warming, and the city continues to lead nationally with voter-backed investments like the Climate Protection Fund, that support programs such as the Denver Climate Project.

Even as concern remains high, national discussion has dropped sharply, with only 17% of Americans hearing about climate change weekly in the media and just 9% encountering it on social platforms, underscoring why "The One Effect" campaign is so important now.

"Our community is a national leader in sustainability, climate action, and clean energy innovation. We're seeing real results: cleaner air and water, more accessible wild places, and practical solutions that save Denverites money and strengthen our resilience," said Elizabeth Babcock, Executive Director of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency. "We refuse to be silent when all of that is at risk. We're launching this new phase of the Denver Climate Project because when Denverites talk to each other about taking climate action, it works and helps us build a more affordable, thriving, equitable city."

A Call to Every Denverite

Through extensive community research and focus groups, Denverites told the city that climate change feels overwhelming and out of reach. The One Effect is designed to counter that perception. Denverites are invited to upload a short video beginning with: "I'm just one person. What can I do about climate change all by myself?" and then share one action they're doing to protect the people and place they love. Those individual videos will then be collected together in a powerful, citywide video compilation and online video gallery showing how individual actions add up to collective impact.

Videos can be submitted at https://www.denvergov.org/oneeffect.

Street teams will appear at more than 60 fairs, festivals, markets, and community events across the city this summer. There will also be a media campaign to engage the community and direct outreach to businesses and organizations.

Denver's Progress and Momentum

Denver's collective action is already producing measurable results:

• More than 10,000 people have replaced car trips with e-bikes since 2022, with an estimated 830,000 miles of car trips replaced last year.
• Denver households are accelerating the shift to cleaner, more efficient heating: Last year, 1,257 households chose electric over gas, while heat pump permits increased 26% and gas space heating permits declined 10% - signaling a major shift.
• Nearly 500 households saved a combined $291,376 through 16 community solar gardens.
• 50 million plastic bags kept out of Denver since 2022.

Year one of the Denver Climate Project "Do More. Do Less. Do Something." generated 131.1 million impressions. With support from Sukle Advertising & Design and more than 30 local partners, the campaign inspired 1 in every 4 Denverites who recognized the campaign to commit to taking more climate-friendly actions in the next three months, far surpassing the 16% standard.

More Ways to Participate

People can explore more than 90+ simple ways they can take climate action at https://www.denvergov.org/climateproject

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