December, 2007 | Issue 2007-03
- BC Municipalities Invited to Compete in Energetic Olympics
- An Introduction to Carbon Offsets
- Kelowna Constructs Ground-Breaking Rails with Trails Path
- Get the Word Out
BC Municipalities Invited to Compete in Energetic Olympics
Leading up to the 2010 Games, One Sky’s Energetic Olympics will challenge up to 22 municipalities to reduce their energy footprint over the next two years. To capture the spirit of the Games, the Energetic Olympics will consist of five “events”: transportation, electricity, heating, food, and goods & services. Actions will range from passing an anti-idling bylaw to participating in the Commuter Challenge, installing renewable energy systems to improving household energy efficiency, etc. Each event category will have a gold, silver and bronze medal winner based on the amount of points earned in both “lightweight” (under 20,000 residents) and “heavyweight” (over 20,000) categories.
The competition is being held in the spirit of the Olympics with international judges and camaraderie. The International Energetic Olympics Committee will include former speed skater Olympian Ingrid Liepa as well as Dr. Ibrahim Togola of the Mali Folkecenter.
One Sky will tour participating communities in 2008 and provide inspiring solutions and information on the global energy challenge.
Participation in the Energetic Olympics could have the following benefits for a community:
- Increasing a municipality’s profile as an energy efficiency champion.
- Saving money for local government and residents through energy efficiency practices.
- Providing an opportunity to learn from other communities.
- Strengthening the sense of community as residents compete as a team.
- Becoming a part of a global solution to reduce our energy footprint.
The Games will officially begin in January 2008. In order to participate, municipalities are encouraged to “weigh-in” by providing some basic baseline information and an expression of interest.
If you’re interested in taking up the challenge to make your municipality swifter, higher, stronger and more efficient, please fill out the following baseline survey by December 15th.
Communities who have “weighed-in” include the Village of Burns Lake, Village of Telkwa, the District of Chetwynd, the Town of Gibsons and 100-Mile House to name a few.
For more information, visit One Sky or call 250-877-6030.
An Introduction to Carbon Offsets
by R. Shawn Burns of Carbon Credit Corp, a carbon neutral company
Global Warming is here, and every carbon producer should take measures to reduce their carbon footprint. If, after everyone’s best efforts, certain emissions remain, carbon offsetting is one way to help deal with these emissions.
The word offset means “something that counterbalances, counteracts, or compensates for something else.” In the case of carbon, offsets counterbalance the production of CO2. At its most basic, a carbon offset is defined as being a record of CO2 extinguished from the atmosphere. Quality offsets are a documented, recorded, measured and independently verified reduction in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
Offsetting can happen in several ways:
- Elimination or reduction of emissions (e.g. reducing CO2 emissions in a company’s vehicle fleet by purchasing smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles)
- Switching of fossil fuels for non-fossil fuels (e.g. converting a northern town’s power source from diesel generators to solar energy)
- Re-absorption from the air to the earth (e.g. planting trees that absorb CO2 through photosynthesis)
What makes a “good” offset?
Much work remains to sort out the impact of different offset products. However, increasingly, organizations around the world are developing efficient and accurate ways of registering carbon offsets.
Offsets are assessed for quality based on several standards: permanence, realness, measurability, verifiability, enforceability and additionality. An offset is valuable if it permanently extinguishes carbon emissions. The immediacy of an offset to take effect and its capacity to be measured and counted are also key standards. Perhaps most importantly, additionality ensures an offset is a new carbon absorbing action that is not naturally occurring or already in existence.
Purchasers of carbon credits should look for offsets that are certified by an independent third party against well known standards such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard or Voluntary Gold Standard. Various standards exist for offsets, but most are related to the ISO 14064 Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Verification standard. Before you purchase an offset, look to see whether the offset company is certifying its offsets through one of these standards, or another similar standard.
Consumers should also assess the transparency of an offset. One of the most important details to know is the timing of the carbon absorbing activity. Many offsets are sold for projects that will take place far in the future, but to be effective an offset needs to occur at the same time the carbon emitting action occurs.
Personal Consumer Offsets and Industry Offsets
Some of the confusion around offsets centers on the difference between offsets purchased by individual consumers and those purchased by companies. Personal offset products are offered through unregulated companies or not-for-profit organizations that sometimes make unverified claims about their offsets. These problematic offsets account for less than 1% of all offsets, but 99% of offset problems.
Unregulated, individual consumer offsets do not require an individual to reduce their GHG emissions first. In comparison offsets purchased by industry or corporations tend to be regulated and part of a larger emissions reduction program. Companies first reduce their GHG emissions down to the lowest level and then identify emissions that need to be offset. Offsets create a real cost to a company’s polluting practices, making it increasingly more expensive for them to pollute.
Alberta is the first regulated Canadian market where industries and companies that emit emissions must pay $15/CO2 tonne, on 12% of their emissions. Companies can reduce their CO2 emissions and hence their carbon taxes through purchasing offsets. Similar regulations are expected in BC by 2012 or sooner.
Visit the following links for further information on carbon offsets
Personal Consumer Offsets:
Climate Group: 10 tips for Purchasing Carbon Offsets
Carbon Catalogue
Environmental Defense
Clean Air Cool Planet: A Consumers Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers
Tufts Climate Initiative: Voluntary Offsets for Air Travel Carbon Emissions
Industry Offsets:
Business For Social Responsibility
Carbon Tracker
Kelowna Constructs Ground-Breaking Rails with Trails Path
Last month the City of Kelowna began construction on a new cycling path as part of its Rails with Trails project. The new cycling path is unique because it will run beside an active railway line. Kelowna will join Vancouver, BC, Ste. Therèse, QC and St. Thomas, ON as the fourth Canadian municipality to construct a cycling path along an active railway line. In the USA there are over 50 existing Rails with Trails paths.
Although active railway lines may be wide enough to accommodate adjacent cycling paths, Kelowna found specific infrastructure and legal agreements need to be developed to receive permission to construct along them. Kelowna will construct a fence to divide the railway line from the cycling path and will assume full liability for any injuries along the path. As a result of multi-year negotiations and planning, Kelowna’s Rails with Trails path is the first time CN is allowing construction of a cycling path adjacent to an active railway line.
The Rails with Trails path will connect into an extensive cycling path network that exists in Kelowna. The path will run 22 km and will connect downtown Kelowna with the UBC-Okanagan campus. To initiate the construction of the path, Kelowna has received a $1 million grant from the provincial government’s LocalMotion fund. This will fund construction of the first 1.8 km of the path. As Kelowna’s path is expected to open this spring, their success may allow other municipalities to develop similar cycling paths.
Get the Word Out
The BC Climate Exchange Email News Bulletin is a great way to highlight your programs and activities. Please email ehenry@fraserbasin.bc.ca to find out how to get involved.
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This page last updated Thursday, December 13 2007
