The Community Energy Association was pleased to receive 12 outstanding submissions from local governments across BC for the 2007 Energy Aware Award. The executive summaries of the applications are attached below at the bottom of this page.
The winners will be announced at the Union of BC Municipalities banquet on September 27, 2007.
As a result of Burnaby's EnergyFit retrofit program, the City has saved $360,000 in electricity and natural gas costs during the two-year implementation period, and is expected to conserve 4,022,980 kWh of electricity and 23,836 GJ of natural gas on an annual basis.
This reduction in natural gas alone will result in a corresponding reduction in CO2 emission in the amount of 1,296 tonnes per year. To complement the City's civic upgrades, a three year education program was also undertaken to motivate staff to turn off their lights and computer monitors when not in use, reduce vehicle idling, and minimize other unnecessary forms of energy use.
The Climate Change Initiative comprises nine individual action plans which definespecific strategies for reducing Delta's contribution to global warming and mitigating itsvulnerability to climate change:
1. Building Efficiency Plan2. Green Fleet Management Plan3. Infrastructure Improvement Plan4. Urban Forest Management Plan5. Education and Training Plan6. Flood Management Plan7. Natural Areas Management Plan8. Sustainable Development Management Plan9. Community Outreach and Education Plan
The District of Elkford, population 2,400 intends to demonstrate to communities of a similar size
that given the drive and commitment of a co-ordinated team of Council and staff, that smaller
communities are capable of exhibiting leadership and innovation within the realm of energy
related projects on a par with larger communities.
The District has undertaken the following projects, all of which demonstrate the commitment and
leadership of our Council and staff to energy reduction, by employing the latest technologies
available to us.
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:
The Naramata Water System was developed over a number of decades to service
both agricultural and residential water needs. Prior to 2007 the Naramata Water
System relied on a mixture of upland creek water blended with water pumped
from Okanagan Lake. As the upland creek source provides poor drinking water
a new pump station and treatment facility was commissioned in 2007 to provide
residential water solely from Okanagan Lake.
Equipment for the Naramata Treatment plant was purchased according to full
life cycle cost assessment including power consumption. The model of UV
reactor chosen was the most power efficient. A heat pump, using the latent heat
in the treated water reservoir, heats and cools the building.
Planned pipe twinning will supply treated lake water to residents and untreated
upland creek water for agricultural properties. This twinning will eventually
save significant energy from pumping and treatment.
The RDOS commenced a Water Ambassador program for the Naramata Water
System and a Low Flow Toilet Rebate both of which reduce the water consumed
and energy used by the system.
Municipalities are in a unique position to lead by example and to work with community
partners and the public to garner support and galvanize action to contribute to the
reduction in global climate change. The City of Richmond has been developing and
implementing a range of innovative initiatives in an effort to accelerate the transition
towards a more sustainable community. The design and construction of the Hamilton and
Sea Island Fire Halls demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development. The
objectives of this project were to:
The new Hamilton and Sea Island Fire Halls are complete and the objectives have been
met. This project exemplifies energy awareness through design and construction that
other municipalities and the community at large have the potential to learn from.
The Surrey Central Transit Village Plan is envisaged as a Transit-Oriented Community, or TOD,
developed in the heart of Surrey Central. The Plan integrates both land use and transportation
strategies to create a vibrant downtown centre, fusing both a distinctive public space strategy of
high quality streets and the development of a major civic square or plaza.
The opportunity exists, specifically in Surrey Centre, for a new urban ‘heart' which includes
finely scaled grid of streets combined with an enhanced public realm, functioning within a broad
mix of urban uses, in a compact walkable and sustainable community. The Plan's
implementation will encourage residents, students, workers, and visitors to choose green modes
of transportation wherever possible.
In 2004 the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) embarked on a program to
develop and establish a new Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP). Public
consultation and involvement through the establishment of a Public Advisory Committee
(made of volunteers from the general public), a Technical Advisory Committee
(consisting of staff from member municipalities, waste management businesses and
Ministry of Environment representatives) and many public consultation meetings were
integral to the development of the plan.
Based on a 5-R strategy of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and residual
management this plan, which was developed with a holistic systems approach that
identified initiatives to be applied to the entire waste stream, was adopted by the TNRD
Board of Directors on June 14, 2007.
Implementation initiatives are now being developed. The TNRD recently received FCM
Letter of Intent funding approval for a feasibility study to explore and identify options to
handle relatively small volumes of municipal solid waste and recyclable materials from a
very large geographic area. Initiatives will be identified to reduce hauling inefficiencies
through a combination of utilizing technological solutions, such as installing compaction
equipment at transfer stations and/or on collection vehicles, reducing the number of
transfer stations and establishing recycling facilities at transfer stations. A five year goal
is a 30% reduction in the amount of landfilled solid waste. Projected is a 25 to 50%
reduction in transport distances and transportation fuel consumption.
Although Ucluelet is a small community of only 1800 people, we believe our development
policies have made a difference in terms of creating sustainable energy consumption and
prevention of climate change through the use of policies within Ucluelet's Official Community
Plan. Although it is not uncommon to see sustainable policies in OCP's, we believe Ucluelet is
unique in terms of its ability to implement sustainable energy policies on abroad scale. Rather
than submitting one particular project, the District of Ucluelet would like to submit the following
sustainable energy initiatives which have been implemented as land use policy:
The District of Vanderhoof ‘Community Energy Plan' sets out a strategy in which all residents can participate and help our community reach ‘greener' goals, including, among others, energy efficiencies and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. If we all do our part, we can look forward to a ‘cleaner' energy future and a commitment to support a strong community in terms of energy conservation and efficiency now and for future generations."