DENVER -- Denver is a city facing many challenges in several areas, including education, safety, and the environment and those are just some of the issues that were addressed by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper during his third State of the City address Wednesday morning.

"The state of the city is good. Thank you, goodnight," Hickenlooper joked at the beginning of the speech, pretending to walk away from the podium. "I've always wanted to say that."

His state of the city address actually lasted a half-hour and was delivered in the atrium of the Webb Municipal Office Building.

During the speech, the mayor announced plans for a new Greenprint Denver program, which is designed to make the city more environmentally friendly, and based on the successful planning initiative Blueprint Denver.

The mayor's office has been studying ways to reduce greenhouse gases and increase recycling efforts. It has come up with a five-year plan that includes building solar methane power plants, replacing light-duty vehicles in the city fleet with hybrid cars and trucks, replacing all diesel vehicles with biodeisel vehicles, and reducing energy use in all municipal buildings by 1 percent per square foot per year by using more solar and methane power.

"Even if there’s a two percent chance that 95 percent of the world's top climate scientists are right about the dire consequences of global warming -- we run the risk of being the first generation in history to leave the next generation a problem for which there is no solution. We must have a sense of urgency to seize the low-hanging fruit that saves taxpayer money, preserves the environment and creates economic opportunity," Hickenlooper said.

He also wants the city to embark on aggressive water conservation, and said the city will work with Denver Water to reduce water use by 22 percent, and make the city literally more "green."

"Our goal is to triple Denver's tree canopy from 6 percent to 18 percent over the next 20 years. We will accomplish this by launching an unprecedented regional initiative to plant a million new trees over the next 20 years," Hickenlooper said. "These are ambitious goals, but one that is worthy of the Mile High City and its residents."

Hickenlooper also talked about a tax plan to fund high-quality preschool education for all 4-year-olds, a plan that he proposed on Monday. The plan asks voters in November to approve increasing sales tax by 1.2 cents on every $10 or 12 cents for every $100.

"If we can ensure that all of Denver's children have an equal chance at the starting line, maybe more will successfully cross the finish line," Hickenlooper said. "Study after study has demonstrated that few investments match the returns of quality early childhood education. Not only do graduation rates and subsequent education opportunities increase, but the destruction of private property, crimes against persons, and justice system costs decline as well."

Hickenlooper wants to send all Denver high school graduates to college whether they can afford it or not, starting in the next two years.

"We are part of something bigger than ourselves. Not only do we inherit the vision of those who came before us, but we have the potential to shape our community long after we are gone. During our campaign, I talked about seeing farther by standing on the shoulders of giants. Now we must also provide the shoulders upon which future generations can stand," Hickenlooper said.

"I think it was a great speech. I really do. He's got some really admirable goals and it's going to be tough to implement them but I think we can all work together to make our city a better place to work, live and raise a family," said city councilman Charlie Brown.

"This council is very supportive of his initiatives and we want to move the city forward. I was very impressed with the direction he wants to go," said Denver city councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth.

Hickenlooper also talked about Denver's committment to public safety by adding 465 new officers in the last three years and touched on the early success of the 311 program, where residents can get help and get questions answered about any city service.

Other topics touched on by the mayor include future plans for the new Denver jail, updating firefighting equipment, and assessing the impact Denver International Airport has had on the city's economy.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about GreenprintDenver.org