Topic: greenhouse gas reductions

Sustainable Urban Landscapes: Site Design Manual for BC Communities

The Site Design Manual for BC Communities is rooted in several and extensive efforts to develop alternative development and engineering standards for the design of new (and for the retrofit of existing) communities in British Columbia. With the cooperation of citizens, government organizations, and related agencies, these efforts have been motivated by a shared belief that integrated processes and principles are crucial ingredients in the development of more sustainable communities and urban regions.

Sustainable Community Planning

The goal of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC’s) research on sustainable community planning is to encourage neighbourhood design and land use planning approaches that reduce costs and environmental impacts, while maintaining community livability. Our research provides best practices in design and development, tools for planners and designers, and practical information for your home.

Small-Scale Biomass District Heating Guide – A Guide for BC Communities

The purpose of this Guide is to support the growing number of small communities across British Columbia interested in making a business case for biomass district heating. There may be substantial benefits for communities that approach local energy projects having developed an integrated strategy on clean energy, energy independence, and the transition to a green economy. Small-scale biomass district heating systems can be a centerpiece of such a strategy.

Primary benefits include:

  • potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
  • local economic development through attracting investment, clean energy job creation,
    infrastructure development and keeping energy dollars circulating locally, and
  • increased local energy reliability, resilience and security.

Small-Scale Biomass District Heating Handbook A Reference for Alberta & BC Local Governments

The purpose of this handbook is to support a growing number of small communities across British Columbia and Alberta interested in making a business case for biomass district heating (DH). Small-scale biomass DH systems can be a centerpiece of an integrated strategy on clean energy, energy independence and a transition to a green economy. Primary benefits include:

  • potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
  • local economic development through attracting investment, clean energy job creation,
    infrastructure development and keeping energy dollars circulating locally, and
  • increased energy security.

Small Wind Siting and Zoning Study 

This study consists of five sections. Section 1 sums up the current treatment of small wind turbines in Canada, relying upon interviews, surveys and other research to paint a picture of how small wind turbine applications fare in the current regulatory environment, the definition of “small wind,” and how provincial and municipal government regulations impact these proposed electricity generators. Lessons learned from the U.S., where a few states have fairly mature planning and permitting systems in place, are also incorporated into this analysis. It is clear that at present, few, if any, Canadian municipalities, regions, provinces or other governmental structures possess an ideal package of policies governing small wind turbines.

Six Steps to Sustainable Community: A Guide to Local Action Planning

Local action planning is the process of creating a strategic document that outlines specifically how your municipality will achieve a selected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target. The resulting document, called a local action plan (LAP), is the third milestone in the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program.

This guide covers the development of a community-wide local action plan (LAP), that is, Milestone Three in the PCP program. The information provided here also applies to the development of an LAP for a corporation or similar organization — although with some minor procedural differences. (For example, internal working group meetings are held instead of public consultations.)
The step-by-step overview in the next section, Begin planning, shows how an LAP is developed. All of the steps are illustrated with examples from planning undertaken by PCP members. The subsequent section, Sustainability Snapshots, profiles 11 communities at various stages of the LAP process. All but one are PCP members. The remaining sections offer insights, lessons learned and additional resources to guide your municipality as it designs its own LAP.

Secondary Indicators for Community Inventory Interpretation

This project was initiated to review and propose ‘secondary’ or influence indicators of progress related to energy and GHG emissions at the community level.

Specific objectives of the project are to: 
  • Identify practical indicators to support the CEEI sectors – land use, transportation, buildings, solid waste, and agriculture – to provide local and provincial government representatives with enhanced indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of local government policy changes;
  • Review currently used community-based indicators focused on energy and GHG emissions including those established for regional growth strategies and community energy plans, as well as identify suitable benchmarks appropriate to the local government in BC energy and GHG emissions reduction context; and
  • Define those indicators for which targets may be suitable and are also within the control or sphere of influence of local governments.

Policy and Governance Tools for Renewable Energy

Local governments around the world have been leaders in tackling climate change by promoting renewable energy at the community level, with innovative policies and programs that have made an impact on national energy policy.

Local governments can bring substantial benefits to their communities by encouraging and supporting the development of renewable energy.

Renewable energy includes sources of energy that are neither derived from fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, natural gas and propane) nor from nuclear power.

Renewable energy should be considered alongside other energy initiatives, including energy efficiency, sustainable transportation and sustainable community planning.

Local governments are well placed to champion renewable energy. Opportunities outlined in this guide include:

  • Local government policy frameworks that encourage or require developers to incorporate neighbourhood-scale renewable energy technologies (or ‘microgeneration’) into new developments
  • Removing barriers to renewable energy in the planning and permitting systems
  • Encouraging independent power producers to develop local renewable energy projects
  • Encouraging renewable energy utility companies to develop local renewable energy projects, such as ground-source heating and renewable district energy.

Making Progress on B.C.’s Climate Action Plan

British Columbia’s world-leading Climate Action Plan was launched in 2008 with aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) targets of a 33% reduction from 2007 levels by 2020 and an 80% reduction by 2050. This report lets British Columbians know if the Climate Action Plan is on track. The indicators are very positive.

Provincial GHG’s fell 4.5% from 2007 to 2010 while at the same time, BC’s GDP growth outpaced the Canadian average, demonstrating that a strong carbon pricing policy that is revenue neutral can coexist with a growing economy. In fact the policy of taxing something undesirable (GHG  emissions) and reducing taxes on something desirable (income) is leading to innovative clean technology growth and changes in behaviour as both companies and individuals make choices based on the carbon pricing policy.

Creating Complete, Compact and Energy-Efficient Communities in BC: How Fiscal Tools Can Be An Opportunity For Local Governments

The research paper is intended to assist the provincial and local governments of British Columbia, citizens, civil society organizations and other stakeholders in expanding the conversation on the tools available for local governments to create complete, compact, and energy-efficient communities. Its focus is on fiscal tools to reduce sprawl, increase density, and support a reduction in car dependency, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines those tools presently available to local governments, and those that could be available through changes in legislative powers.