The following links will take you to July 2007 submissions by several BC local governments about community energy planning activities in their communities. Of these submissions, the District of Vanderhoof's was selected to win CEA's July 2007 website launch contest, based on Vanderhoof's 2007 Community Energy Plan, which is featured here.
If you would like to add your community's activities to this list, please register at the CEA website by clicking 'log-in', following instructions, and click on 'create content' on the bottom left of your screen; follow instructions for 'creating a page'.
During the course of the last 3 years, the District has teamed up with the Ministry of Environment on an air quality project. Monitors are in place at 2 different locations within the community. The results have been collected and analyzed and Council is working in an attempt to define what has peaked emissions at various times throughout the years with the goal of eliminating the causes of increased emissions. One of the stated goals and objectives of Council is to investigate the banning of outdoor furnaces and other such woodburning appliances that are contributing to air pollution. In addition, a climate change study has been completed in Vanderhoof called "Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Forest-Based Communities Assessing Adaptive Capacity: A Case Study for Vanderhoof, BC".
Council has recently adopted a 'Community Energy Plan'. We participated in our community 'Trade Show' this past May and made information available on the CEP along with brochures and a questionnaire. People were invited to partcipate in an on-line ecological footprint quiz designed to raise awareness of the impact each of us has on the planet. Public meetings will be held to outline the plan and to encourage our residents to think 'greener' and become more aware of how all of us can achieve energy efficiences in a myriad of ways.
Members of the business community, developers, home builders, energy experts and planners were asked to sit on the Energy Committee to formulate a plan for the future. The mission of the CEP is to "encourage energy efficiency in all sectors throughout the community and to incorporate energy and greenhouse gas considerations into all aspects of municipal decision making". The plan was adopted by Council last month.
We are excited about this plan and the committee has agreed to continue on to participate in the community dialogue sessions.
Attached are Council resolutions and a copy of the District of Vanderhoof Community Energy Plan.
Creating a Sustainability Charter for our City.
City-wide Energy Management Program.
Energy Efficiency workshops with developers and staff.
Investigating Geo-exchange systems in new neighbourhoods.
Investigating Integrated Energy Master planning for new developments.
"Nature Matters" a program of education and action in cleaning up our City's environment.
Tree Preservation Bylaw to protect and enhance our bio-diversity.
"Green City Program" a program of tree planting and mangement.
Preparing a Green Fleet Management Plan.
A Green Ways Plan for bicycle and pedestrian links throughout the City.
Planning new communities for energy efficiency.
Converting street and traffic lights to LED.
As a Councillor for the District of Central Saanich I am proud to report that energy efficiency programs have been advancing in Central Saanich for over two years.
I have led Central Saanich to be a key participating community with the provincial Community Action on Energy Efficiency initiative (September 2005 - present). This has provided the District of Central Saanich with tens thousands of dollars and still more for residents to improve energy efficiency in their homes through the Energy Savings Plan pilot project (May 15th, 2006). Another effort came when Central Saanich Council sought and recieved a helpful legal opinion about the use of Local Improvement Charges to finance energy efficiency improvements early in 2007. (Nov. 2006) The legal opinion is helpful to all municipalities and is attached for reference. In March 2007 Central Saanich set the following targets for CAEE Gold funding:a. Achieve an EnerGuide for New Houses rating of 80 for 100% of new detached, single family and row houses by 2010.b. Implement a policy that sets an energy efficiency target of at least 25% below Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB) for new local government funded, owned, managed or occupied buildings by 2010.
c. Pursue a comprehensive retrofit by 2010 of at least 50% of existing local government owned and managed building floor space with energy efficiency improvements that provide simple paybacks of 7 years or less through energy savings -- within the context of the current Facilities Review Process and its evaluation of future intended uses of existing buildings.d. Participate in a working group with Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Community Services, and Office of Housing and Construction Standards to implement incentive and/or regulatory measures to achieve one or more targets for new and existing buildings that align with the new BC Energy Plan.e. Develop a Central Saanich Community Energy Plan, establishing the above policies and targets, and supporting implementation of the Capital Regional District Community Energy Plan (CEP).
On May 7th, 2007 the District of Central Saanich endorsed the following motion (also attached): That the correspondence be received, and Council endorse the following Resolution to be submitted to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) for consideration at the 2007 UBCM Annual Convention: “WHEREAS the Province announced its intention to develop a new unified BC green building code (2007 Throne Speech) and later announced its intention to implement new energy efficiency standards for all new construction in British Columbia by 2010 (2007 BC Energy Plan); AND WHEREAS BC local governments wishing to support the Province’s new BC Energy Plan by implementing new building energy efficiency regulations between 2007 and 2010, are unable to do so without the authorization of the Minister of Community Services; THEREFORE BE IT RESOVED that the Province establish a procedure that would allow interested local governments to implement and require the energy efficiency standards for new buildings called for in the Province’s Energy Efficient Buildings: A Plan for BC, namely: Energuide 80 for residential buildings and 25% better than the standards in the Model National Energy Code for commercial buildings. AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Province actively engage local governments in the development of the proposed unified BC Green Building Code and the proposed energy efficiency standards.” Currently Central Saanich is developing an internal anti-idling policy for the District and is waiting to get word on possible grant funds to establish a Community Energy Plan for Central Saanich. This entry is submitted by Zeb King (One of Central Saanich's elected Councillors).As stewards and leaders of the community, the District of Houston firmly believes that a sustainable community is nurtured through development and progress that not only effects economics, but also quality of life and protection of the environment. The District has a long-standing commitment to local and global environmental protection and conservation - a way of thinking that has been gaining momentum in recent years. Mayor and Council are continually looking for ways to accelerate their commitment, ensuring that environmental footprint considerations are a component of community decisions - both by the District itself and that of its citizens, businesses and visitors. All the while, Council is actively seeking solutions to promote healthy lifestyles.
As a small, northern community with limited financial means, the District of Houston's focus is ON-THE-GROUND initiatives that make a difference to quality of life for residents, all the while ensuring that our environmental impact leaves a pristine and sustainable community for our children. Current "green" initiatives include:
1. Geothermal heating of the new pool - commissioned in 2006
2. Geothermal heating and ice refrigeration for both the arena and curling rinks - 2007/08
3. District energy system - a revenue-generating, long-term utility
4. Energy Centre of the North - a demonstration model of key "green" building technologies
5. Heat recovery from the sewer treatment plant, heating the public works building
6. Community Action on Energy Efficiency initiatives
7. Arena "Live Sites" upgrade
8. Community "LocalMotion" walking / bicycling trails
9. "Green" bylaw upgrades including, a) official community plan amendments for sustainable living land-use, b) clean air bylaw, c) nuisance bylaw and d) revised water bylaw with water meter provisions
10. Municipal woodstove exchange program - to financially entice compliance with the clean air bylaw - for the elimination of non-certified solid fuel burning appliances by 2010
11. Industry's compliance by decommissioning their beehive burners by 2007 - replaced by a pellet plant and bark energy system
12. District composting program
13. Greening with street trees program - 200 mature trees planted in 2006 alone
14. Financial sustainability focus through a responsible asset management program and Community Forest initiative
15. New seniors housing centre and announcement for 24/7 healthcare starting in 2007
16. "Green" storm water systemA proposed collaborative project of: Adaptation & Impacts Research Division, Environment Canada, Design Centre for Sustainability, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, Department of Forest Resources Management and School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia and the Town of Gibsons.
Our project, entitled "Being green in a brown world: examining adaptive capacity and the adaptation process in Gibsons, B.C." represents the initial phase of collaborative research undertaken in response to a request from the Town of Gibsons for research and technical support in adapting to climate change.
Some town initiatives include developing a community energy plan, exploring development options that include geothermal, exploring energy saving heating/cooling transfer equipment between the rink and the pool, installing energy efficient features in the new town office
The Village of Nakusp has brought in watering restrictions of watering on odd and even days as per house number and further has restricted lawn watering to the hours of 7am to 9am and 7pm to 9pm on those days. Ticketing by-laws have been strengthened to enable ticketing for offenders. Resolutions were passed to enable process.