May 21, 2003
BC Hydro quietly abandons plans to reduce greenhouse gases

March 12, 2003
BC Hydro gas project bad environmental choice

Feb 18, 2003
B.C. budget fails to address climate change

Jan 20, 2003
B.C. quietly releases coal regulation, will lead to more pollution

Nov 25, 2002
B.C. energy plan worsens climate change, air pollution, says Suzuki Foundation

Oct 11, 2002
B.C. Hydro gas projects need independent review

Aug 12, 2002
Governments fail to address health and environmental effects of air kurye pollution

April 4, 2002
B.C. missing out on clean energy kurye opportunities

March 18, 2002
B.C. and Alberta oppose federal assessment of moto kurye proposed gas pipeline emissions

Jan 11, 2002
Suzuki Foundation urges National Energy Board to scrap GSX pipeline

Dec 17, 2001
B.C. energy report ‘extremely disappointing,’ says Suzuki Foundation

Dec 12, 2001
Northwest groups to tackle climate change

Nov 1, 2001
Suzuki report: Create jobs and save money by halting Hydro gas projects

July 31, 2001
Environment program cuts take B.C. off track
müzik oyunlari
okul oyunlari
pizza oyunlari
winx oyunlari
uzay oyunlari
uçak oyunlari
avatar oyunlari
giydirme oyunlari
mario oyunlari
April 25, 2001
B.C. Hydro’s pipeline proposal damages environment and economy

Feb 6, 2001
B.C. energy crisis: Report outlines solutions that help save money and the environment

Feb 1, 2001
B.C.’s move towards efficiency, green power good news, long overdue

Dec 21, 2000
B.C. must adopt clean vehicle incentive plan

Dec 7, 2000
B.C. should abandon plan to build Port Alberni plant as gas prices soar

June 21, 2000
David Suzuki Foundation demands B.C. Hydro dump its gas plan

May 24, 2000
Suzuki Foundation, physicians launch clean air project

Feb 2, 2000
Province must reign in ‘rogue’ Hydro: Polluting emissions to rise under new electricity plan

Jan 26, 2000
Rising temperatures deadly for Fraser salmon, new report: Fishery could be gone within decades

Jan 11, 2000
B.C.’s minivan, SUV emissions soaring – Victoria must act

Dec 7, 1999
B.C. Hydro must resist across-the-board rate reductions; efficient energy use vital for competitiveness, health, environment

Sept 30, 1999
B.C. Hydro plans threaten health, waste money, Suzuki Foundation says

March 30, 1999
B.C. must act on budget call for environmental tax reform

March 22, 1999
B.C. missing out on clean energy economy

Jan 20, 1999
B.C. missing the boat on new energy economy; environment report card gives province a failing grade on greenhouse gas emissions

Mole Hill housing project: The non-profit housing project included preserving heritage housing slated for demolition while incorporating new technologies such  as ground source heating. Vancouver’s Mole Hill homes use the natural heating and cooling ability of the earth. The process involves burying a series of pipes in the ground. Water or antifreeze flows through the pipes, absorbing heat from the earth. The warm  liquid is piped to a heat pump in the home and releases warm air. In the summer, the process is reversed with the system pulling heat out of the building and distributing it back into the earth. Although it requires electricity, geothermal  heating is very efficient. For every watt of electricity used, the system provides three to four watts of heating or cooling power. That reduces  operating costs by 50 to 75 per cent over conventional systems.

Alberni School District: Comprehensive energy retrofits and lighting overhauls were performed on 20 buildings from 1996 to 1998. As a result, the  annual electricity use was reduced by 40 per cent with annual savings of more than $3 million.

District of Maple Ridge: The District of Maple Ridge, B.C., is retrofitting its operations centre. The facility’s annual operating energy  budget of $42,000 will be reduced by approximately 25 per cent. In addition, these eco-efficient measures will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 78,876 kilograms per year. At a project cost of about $53,000, more than $10,000 in annual energy and maintenance cost savings are anticipated. The simple payback on investment is approximately five years.

macera oyunlari
makyaj oyunlari
doktor oyunlari
gemi oyunlari
ninja oyunlari
dini oyunlar
batman oyunlari
basketbol oyunlari
ameliyat oyunlari
boyama oyunlari
Greater Vancouver Regional District: The GVRD wants their head office to stand as an example of an energy efficient building to other  businesses in Vancouver. The 19-storey building is already about 18 per cent more efficient than a typical high-rise office building in the Lower Mainland. The proposed energy retrofit project has a projected payback period of 8.3 years based on a retrofit cost of $565,000. The annual cost saving is expected to be $67,555, nearly 28 per cent of 2001 costs. Some of the recommended energy management initiatives include: lighting  retrofit, reduced vending machine energy, transformer replacement and retrofit of toilet and urinal flush valves.

City of Vancouver: The City of Vancouver has traffic signals at 670 intersections throughout the city, all of which used incandescent light bulbs. Annual electricity costs to power the lights totaled $322,500 and because incandescent lights have a short life span, they had to be replaced frequently, resulting in high maintenance costs. The city converted the lights to light-emitting diode (LED) lights, which use 80 to 90 per cent less electricity than incandescents and last six to 10 times longer. Doing this will save Vancouver taxpayers $247,500 per year in energy costs alone, plus an additional $110,000 per year in maintenance costs.

District of Mission: After more than 30 years of use, the District of Mission’s ice arena, curling rink and swimming pool were in need of major upgrades. Instead of spending more than $3 million to build a new leisure centre, Mission replaced the refrigeration plant and hot water boiler systems and installed energy efficient lighting systems among other measures. As a result, Mission will enjoy annual energy savings of $74,000.

City of Portland: In 1993, Portland, Oregon, became the first U.S. municipality to adopt a strategy to address climate change. Since then, local per capita greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by seven per cent, while the local economy has grown by more than 60 per cent. The city’s internal energy management program has saved $11 million since 1991 through efficiency improvements. A biogas-powered fuel cell at the wastewater treatment plant generates enough electricity to power 120 homes, and solar cells on maintenance vehicles run power tools without leaving engines idling.

Seattle City Light: Seattle’s first contract for reducing its contribution to global warming is waiting approval from City Council. When approved, the contract will begin putting City Light on track to becoming the first major utility in the country to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. City Light’s first project promotes the use of industrial waste products such as fly ash and furnace slag as replacements for traditional materials used in cement. Processing raw materials for cement creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases that by some estimates account for 7 per cent of worldwide human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. By substituting waste materials that would otherwise go to landfills, cement producers and users can gain nearly a pound-for-pound reduction in emissions.

Ledalite Architectural Products: Based in Langley, B.C., Ledalite’s office lighting technology, Ergolight, incorporates sensors and computer-based dimming controls to provide significant savings in energy costs. Customers using the Ergolight system have experienced major decreases in energy consumption, in some cases up to 80 per cent. Ergolight has been installed in more than 2.5 million square feet of office space throughout North America.

University of British Columbia: The University has signed a $35.2-million contract to undertake of of the largest energy efficiency retrofits in Canadian history, with 288 buildings getting upgrades to heating, lighting, water and ventilation systems. Energy costs will be slashed an estimated 20 per cent, while water consumption is expected to drop 40 per cent. The retrofit will also cut UBC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tonnes a year. The program encompasses everything from switching to fluorescent and LED lighting, to installing insulation in the walls of aging buildings, to setting up a single, centralized office to monitor and optimize the performance of heating and lighting systems throughout the campus.

Smart city planning: A recent study by Northwest Watch found that Greater Vancouver residents use 33 per cent less motor fuel than their Seattle counterparts. The biggest difference is more compact development. Greater Vancouver drivers don’t travel as far to work or shop. Transit improvements and environmentally conscious municipal planning are required to extend this trend as pressures for urban sprawl grow throughout B.C.

Learn more:

* B.C. Hydro’s PowerSmart program is already delivering direct financial benefits of energy efficiency of over $1 billion to consumers.
* The Vancouver airport has saved over $2 million as a result of installing more efficient electrical appliances and reducing its consumption of electricity.
* Find out what you can do to help make a difference!

Find out what you can do to help make a difference!

The following recommendations from the David Suzuki Foundation’s submission to the B.C. Energy Policy Task Force provide the foundation for an energy policy that would deliver province-wide economic and environmental benefits.

Regularly review and update standards for major appliances and industrial equipment

* Provincial governments are responsible for regulating the efficiency of approximately 25 per cent of the appliances in Canada. Updated standards remove the disadvantage against innovation and technological improvement and encourage constant upgrading, thereby cutting energy waste and the costs of that waste.

Improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings

* Ensuring that B.C.’s homes and businesses become 35 to 40 per cent more energy efficient will result in major economic savings as well as environmental protection. This will not only help reduce the need for new fossil fuel fired electrical power plants, but will also reduce demand for natural gas. In addition, B.C. can encourage efficiency in the residential, commercial and institutional building sector by providing support for retrofit projects throughout the province, providing real security against volatile energy prices and creating new jobs in every community across B.C.

Use the ‘polluter pay’ principle

* As a means of encouraging the adoption of renewable energy sources by utilities and other fossil fuel users, the federal government should implement economic policies such as a carbon tax or an enforced national cap on overall greenhouse gas emissions. This would help begin the process of integrating the environmental and health costs of fossil fuel pollution into the market price for energy and thereby eliminate some of the unfair advantage currently enjoyed by fossil fuels. The provincial government can play a role by changing B.C.’s tax policies to penalize pollution and to reward efficiency.

Promote and encourage renewable energy sources

* In order to support the renewable energy industry, the B.C. government should encourage large-scale development of low impact renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar and micro-hydro. The best tool for this is the development of a renewable portfolio standard that requires a fixed percentage of electricity to be from renewable sources. This is already in place in many North American jurisdictions. The drive for cleaner and more efficient energy use also means more opportunities for new industries. B.C. currently has a “voluntary” commitment from government for 50 per cent of new electricity but it needs to be mandatory.

Implement net metering

* Net metering allows electricity customers to use renewable technologies to generate power for their needs and feed any excess power back to the utility when producing more electricity than is needed. This would allow the electric meter to run backwards, reducing the customer’s electricity bill. Net metering is already in place in many U.S. states including Washington, Oregon and Montana. Summary of state net metering programs

Improve transportation

* The source of 40 per cent of B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions, transportation must be actively reformed in order to meet our Kyoto targets. For example, reducing the road transportation of freight and encouraging the use of railroads will reduce road expansion costs, road damage and air pollution. Increased funding for public transportation, improving automobile fuel efficiency and reducing urban sprawl will also help cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

Learn more:

Read about specific case studies.

Find out what you can do to help make a difference!

Snow-capped mountains, rivers teeming with wild salmon, spectacular valleys and lush forests are among the defining features of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. But the health of this unique region is threatened by global warming. Warmer, drier winters mean lighter snowpacks in the mountains. Less snow means less runoff to the rivers that depend on melting mountain snow. Warmer streams with less water affect the spawning and migration of salmon. Warmer temperatures also mean forests are drying out, becoming more vulnerable to fires and disease outbreaks.

Climate change threatens not just the Pacific Northwest environment but its economy and quality of life too. Now that Canada has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, British Columbia has a responsibility to meet the challenges of climate change, air pollution and sensible energy choices.

The province can make clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency its policy cornerstones – key elements to cut pollution, bring energy price stability and stimulate new jobs.

Learn more:

Impacts: Climate change impacts in B.C.

Energy: B.C.’s energy and climate policies

Oil: Offshore oil and gas: Issues and impacts

Solutions: Climate solutions and benefits for the Northwest

News releases: B.C./Northwest news releases

Links: B.C./Northwest climate and energy links

Dry lake bed, Okanagan
Valley, British Columbia