Climate & Clean Energy | Blogs | David Suzuki Foundation

Richmond youth talk about green solutions

2012-05-02T08:51:43Z

(Far left) Assistant District Superintendant for Richmond Wendy Lim, (Third from left) Ian Thom, Student Committee Chair for REaDY Summit. (Credit: Barry Brady)

More than 500 people from Richmond and other Metro Vancouver communities celebrated Earth Day and shared their vision for the future at the Earth Day Youth Summit on April 21, 2012. The four-hour conference, hosted by Steveston-London Secondary School, was more than just a way to celebrate the 42nd Earth Day, it was also a time for REaDY Summit participants to learn and talk about what the future holds for our environment. Their conclusion -- the Earth is in worse shape today than 42 years ago and the time to take action is now!

Students and parents joined DSF Climate Change and Clean Energy Team Lead Ian Bruce to learn what a sustainable neighbourhood and transportation future should look like.

They also shared their thoughts over a sustainable seafood cooking demonstration with celebrity chef Ian Lai...

...and how to make non-toxic soap with Lindsay Coulter, DSF's Queen of Green...

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie opened the Summit with encouraging words for citizens of Richmond, one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Metro Vancouver. He also noted how far the City of Richmond has come in terms of incorporating a vibrant sustainable agenda in city policies.

Participants also got a chance to hear the personal story of keynote speaker Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Robinson described his current role as the head of Canada's best-known and trusted environmental organization, the David Suzuki Foundation, as "having come full circle." Robinson grew up in North Vancouver. Unlike some young people who wanted to be doctors or firefighters, Robinson wanted to be a park ranger. He did and was even decorated for bravery by the Governor-General of Canada. Before he joined the DSF, he also led B.C. Housing, a provincial Crown corporation, and the Mountain Equipment Co-op. Robinson said his experience in the private and public sectors provided him with a fresh perspective on the environmental movement.

View more pictures from the event on our Flickr page.

Ontario embracing solar energy's bright future

2012-05-01T13:40:07Z

When it comes to renewable sources of electricity, solar may not jump out as the most viable option in the Great White North. Sure we've got loads of wind and water, but sunshine? Try telling that to my pasty legs. It turns out that my tanning ability is not the best measuring stick for the potential of solar energy in Canada. In fact, Canada does receive enough of the sun's energy to make solar panels an option for Canadian homeowners. Nowhere is this being recognized as readily as in Ontario.

Ontario, which receives more sunlight than leading solar installers like Germany and Japan, has emerged as a North American leader in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Solar PV panels capture the sun's energy and turn it into electricity. This solar renaissance has been brought about through the implementation of Ontario's feed-in tariff (FIT), a program that allows energy producers to sell electricity back to the grid. This program has also made solar viable for many homeowners, farmers and community groups that can now recover the cost of buying the panels or generate income by leasing their roof-space to a solar installation. Nearly 12,000 Ontarians have started participating since the program began.

The swift uptick in Ontario's solar installations is consistent with the global trend. From 2005 to 2010, global solar PV capacity grew by 49 per cent a year. Like any new technology, a decrease in cost was necessary for wider adoption. Experts predict that a further two-thirds reduction in cost will be achieved by 2020. Lower costs have also led to the development of promising new innovations in recent years, such as thin film, cars and large collectors.

All of this is good news for the environment. In Ontario, the average residential solar PV system produces as much electricity annually as burning 2,300 kilograms of coal. By producing more electricity from renewable sources, fewer fossil fuels are burned today and we can forego building additional power plants in the future.

The David Suzuki Foundation has long been a supporter of renewable technologies that reduce the footprint of our energy system. We encourage other jurisdictions to follow Ontario's lead in making renewable technologies more accessible for citizens. Taking the initiative to tackle its energy footprint helped Ontario to its first-place ranking in our recent assessment of provincial climate action. If you are interested in more information about solar PV installations in Ontario, a number of contractors provide services, including Pure Energies who offer free installation, solar leasing opportunities and will even make a donation to the David Suzuki Foundation for each installation made.

DSF congratulates Richmond Green Youth Leaders

2012-04-17T17:13:33Z

Congratulations are in order for three Richmond students who won the latest speech contest leading to this weekend's REaDY Summit 2012.

Theresa Mah from Wowk School, Avitej Dhaliwal from Grauer School and Ken Ip from Richmond Secondary not only wrote their inspiring speeches on what we can do to protect the environment, they were also awarded the best delivery in each of their categories. The three winning students will share their speeches and receive their awards at the Richmond Earth Day Youth Summit this Saturday.

REaDY Summit 2012 will be co-hosted by the David Suzuki Foundation, the City of Richmond and the Richmond School District.

The youngest winner is eight-year old Theresa Mah. Although this is the first time Theresa has ever written a speech, entered a contest and won, she has been worried about the state of our environment for some time now!

"I see pollution everyday as we create so much garbage and waste so much energy," the Grade 3 student shared her thoughts and concerns about the environment. As a result of her worries, Theresa decided to overcome her own fear of public speaking, and ventured on to share her thoughts about what we are doing wrong and how we can help the earth.

"I was nervous with so many people staring at me," Theresa said of the speech contest that took place a few weeks ago at the Richmond City Council Chamber. "But the exciting part of it was I get to share my message with others."

Here is an excerpt of Theresa's winning speech:

Hello, my name is Theresa. I am a Gr.3 student who goes to Jessie Wowk Elementary School.

Save the Earth, Save Ourselves

Listen and do you hear the earth cry? She is sick. There is lots of garbage in her body, she can't breathe fresh air....

In our world, we have to sustain the things that we consume too. We cannot overfish or the fish will be extinct. We must make sure that if, we chop down a tree we must plant another one....

Twelve year old Avitej Dhaliwal is also a first-time speech contestant. Avitej decided to join this contest because he doesn't want to waste any more time. "The evidence is everywhere, our earth is in trouble," Avitej said. 'My speech is not to dread but to focus on what we can do about it!"

Here is a excerpt of Avitej's winning speech.

Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Avitej Singh Dhaliwal and I am in grade 6. I have come here on behalf of Grauer Elementary.

Mother Earth -- What is the earth? A tiny speck in the universe, but an extremely important part in all our lives. If we just take a moment to think about it, what the earth was is completely different from what the earth is....

But what can we do? We can do a lot.... If everyone does that, it would be like taking one million cars off the road. Secondly shut down your computer when you're not using it. Not only is it good for the environment, but you save money on your electric bill as well.

Avitej's positive approach toward helping our environment is definitely contagious. Like Theresa, Avitej is already a young campaigner for a cleaner and greener environment. Both youngsters are walking the talk by recycling, composting, turning-off electronic appliances, cutting down waste and, of course, riding their bike whenever they can.

To hear and see these fabulous young champions for a healthy earth, you can pre-register or just show up this Saturday before 9 a.m. at Steveston London Secondary at 6600 Williams Road in Richmond.

The event is open to everyone in the Greater Vancouver Region.

If you are not a resident or student of Richmond, just fill in Steveston London and School District 38 on the registration form. Onsite registration is also available, but that means you will have to show up at the latest by 8:30 a.m. for last-minute registration.

DSF misses out on topless fun, releases climate report instead

2012-04-11T13:27:13Z

The incredibly warm March temperatures in Eastern Canada offered a welcome staycation for some people. They also served as a timely reminder of the kinds of changes that are becoming more common in a warming world. While Torontonians enjoyed shirtless reading breaks, Ottawans experienced the thrill of topless skiing, and Winnipeggers cracked out their green shorts for St. Patrick's Day, the David Suzuki Foundation was busy completing its latest assessment report of provincial climate change action.

This is the fourth such report that the Foundation has authored and its first since 2008. We believe it is important to credit provinces and territories that are showing climate leadership by seizing opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and identifying adaptation measures. We also take the opportunity to suggest ways to strengthen efforts and implement solutions.

What does our report find? Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. continue to lead the way. Ontario has become a continental leader in renewable energy installation (second-most solar PV, ninth-most wind energy). Quebec is the first province to join the Western Climate Initiative's cap-and-trade system, which could play a major role reducing North American carbon emissions. B.C.'s tax on carbon pollution continues to be the most significant on either side of the border, and the province has passed aggressive vehicle fuel-efficiency standards. We've also seen some of the Maritime provinces (P.E.I. and Nova Scotia) move higher in the rankings, thanks to the former's strong commitments to efficiency and renewable energy and the latter's hard cap to reduce emissions from the power sector.

At the opposite end of the rankings, two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, are responsible for 45 per cent of Canada's GHG emissions and more than 80 per cent of Canada's emissions growth over the past 20 years (despite accounting for just 14 per cent of the population and 20 per cent of the economy). Instead of developing plans to ensure environmentally and socially responsible resource extraction, these provinces have spent their time lobbying foreign governments to ensure fossil fuel exports increase. They are green-lighting future emissions growth, forcing other provinces to pick up the slack, and, of course, cementing their cellar-dweller status in future David Suzuki Foundation rankings.

You can find the report here for more details. Or you can check out this handy map displaying some of the key findings.

At a time when global climatic changes are as evident as ever, we must demand action from our elected leaders. You can help jumpstart the process by getting involved in local actions as part of 350.org's Climate Impacts Day on May 5.

Driving to Earth Hour

2012-04-01T10:00:35Z

(Credit: StacieBee via Flickr)

Please visit the Trottier Energy Futures Project website for more information on this initiative.

Our daughter mentioned Saturday afternoon that a friend of hers would be marking Earth Hour with an acoustic guitar performance at our local fair trade coffee house.

We've supported the annual show of awareness and support for low-carbon energy futures since it came to Canada in 2008. So at the appointed time, four of us piled into our reasonable efficient, low-sulphur diesel vehicle...and drove to Earth Hour.

Bridgehead Coffee distributed candles, and promptly at 8:30 PM, the lights went out. But those few extra vehicle kilometres travelled told the story, an earthbound equivalent to the reminders that if you step on a plane, you immediately offset many months of low-carbon lifestyles.

It's only when you unpack the options available to us that you get a full picture of the social and infrastructure challenges on the road to a low-carbon energy future.

We could have walked to Bridgehead. But the distance was just long enough, and the late March air in Ottawa just nippy enough, to put that option outside our comfort zone. (Would that still have been true with gas at $3.00 or $4.00 per litre? Probably.)

We could have taken a bus if our municipality had demonstrated any interest in efficient, effective transit. As it stands, the trip by transit would have taken 30 minutes each way instead of five, depending on two buses along an indirect route and an unreliable transfer. Had that been our only choice--as it would be for a household with no private vehicle--we would probably have zeroed our vehicle kilometres travelled by staying home.

Although it was chilly for a walk, we could have bundled up and travelled by bike. That route would have taken us over a narrow bridge with shadowy light after dark, where we could either risk our safety on the road or walk our bikes and crowd pedestrians on the sidewalk.

And so, we drove. It's not that our few kilometres in a car will affect Canada's ability to reduce its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. The question is: If a household that wants to show tangible support for Earth Hour has to incur an extra carbon footprint to do so, what part of this challenge are we missing?

Transit is part of the answer, but through my work with the Trottier Energy Futures Project, I've learned that transit systems as they're currently configured may not be. In Reinventing Fire, the landmark compendium of low-carbon energy solutions, Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute point to smart growth and "intelligent transportation" systems that make urban mobility more efficient, even holding out the promise of buses that run on time.

Proper bike lanes are a must in a community that has seen a rash of cyclist deaths and injuries in recent years. But the lanes are just the start. The option only works for people who are fit and "abled" enough to ride a bike--if my back is having one of its occasional episodes, I'll barely be walking, much less biking.

And then there's the location and safety of the lanes. My wife points out that an isolated bike path can be a nervous place to ride if lighting is intermittent, or if unknown danger could be lurking behind any bush.

By now, it looks like the answer to Earth Hour starts with awareness and inclination, but goes quite a bit further.

It means municipalities investing in modern, on-demand transit systems, at a time when they're confronting a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure gap [PDF for free download] and only receive eight cents out of every tax dollar collected in Canada.

It means redesigned, ultra-light, electrically-powered vehicles for people who can't ride or bike short to moderate distances, and safe paths for those who can.

And safety has to be defined through the eyes of the people who live it, not at the aggregate level where a project like the TEFP necessarily operates.

No one said 80% by 2050 would be easy, and the TEFP will never delve into all the lifestyle issues that determine whether four people drive a few kilometres to celebrate Earth Hour. But once the focus shifts from modelling to real life, from potential to practice, those details will become more and more important.

Considering Plan B for island nations in the face of climate change

2012-03-13T14:32:28Z

The people of Kiribati are threatened by rising sea levels. (Credit: 350.org via Flickr)

For those whose geography education never went beyond memorizing provincial capitals (or who didn't have access to GeoSafari growing up), Kiribati is an island nation in the South Pacific. This tiny chain of coral atolls was in the news last week as it explores the purchase of territory in "nearby" Fiji. This sobering development would mark the first time that a nation has invested in a climate change relocation plan.

Because of its elevation (on average less than two metres above sea level), Kiribati and other low-lying island nations (referred to as AOSIS in the climate change policy world) are on the front lines, trying to adapt to rising sea levels. The rising tides are already degrading the islands' water supply and ability to grow crops. The IPCC's conservative estimates of sea level rise over the next century show that not only would the livelihoods of the current generation be affected, but the entire culture could be at risk of fragmentation and extinction. If a nation loses its territory, do its people become like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, rightless people whose futures are in the hands of other governments?

The reality of larger forced migrations is a phenomenon with which the world will likely have to come to terms. Back in 2010, a boat filled with 500 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka landed on B.C.'s coast, prompting widespread debate about Canada's role in accepting international refugees. What if the influx were several orders of magnitude greater? There have always been political asylum seekers, but adding an unprecedented number of environmental refugees to the mix would increase the scale of this public policy challenge.

Obviously, this is a situation that all parties wish to avoid. Major emitters, such as Canada and the United States, need to agree on a path to reduce emissions significantly to minimize future sea level rise and the ensuing displacement. But will it be quick enough to prevent more vulnerable nations from having to explore their options, envisioning a future that is radically different from 2012?

This is just one of a handful of social justice issues that are wrapped up in the global challenge presented by climate change. If we can meet the challenge, we can ensure that future geography nerds will still have to memorize all 196 countries. Much more importantly, we would ensure that the communities, cultures and environments in diverse regions of the world remain intact and the people living there can feel hope instead of despair for their future.

Carbon tax review could lead to better future for B.C

2012-03-08T09:53:55Z

(Credit: Jonathon Colman via Flickr)

This article originally appeared in the Vancouver Sun on February 29, 2012

Imagine a British Columbia with reduced traffic gridlock because public transit service gets better and faster every day. Imagine a B.C. where we spend half as much to heat our homes and buildings. Imagine a B.C. with businesses that compete successfully on a world stage that demands the highest quality. Imagine a B.C. where environ-mental innovation, training and knowledge are at the core of our economy.

The good news is that we can build this better B.C., and the way to do it is within reach.

Although the B.C. budget offered little in the way of a more innovative, greener economy, it did hand British Columbians an opportunity to build that future with the announcement that the B.C. carbon tax will be reviewed.

The review, if done well, could be a game changer for improving the quality of life in our province. To reach that potential, the process must be transparent, rely on credible information, and engage British Columbians from all walks of life.

As a starting point in the review, we need to remember why B.C. implemented the carbon tax in the first place. We know that global warming threatens to devastate our forests, our agriculture and our communities if we don't transform the way we produce and use energy.

Evidence already suggests B.C.'s public institutions, communities and businesses are starting to make changes because of the carbon tax. For example, the University of B.C. is phasing out fossil fuels for heating and instead is pursuing renew-able energy. We also know that these positive examples aren't yet standard practice, so B.C.'s greenhouse gas pollution is still increasing and we're not yet on track to accomplish what we set out to achieve.

A second topic for the review is whether all of the carbon tax revenue needs to be used to reduce other taxes. A strong case can be made for investing some of that revenue in job training and infrastructure projects such as transit. These are the types of investments needed to make our communities more enjoyable and healthier places to live while building a strong and innovative economy.

Lastly, the review process should ensure that B.C.'s carbon tax is fair. Ultimately, support for the carbon tax will continue to increase if families, communities and businesses from all parts of the province have an opportunity, and an expectation, to be part of the solution. .

Sweden, a jurisdiction with a similar size population and economy as B.C., introduced a carbon tax in 1992, and the country's economy has since grown 44 per cent while green-house gas emissions have dropped by nearly 10 per cent. Last year, the World Economic Forum ranked Sweden second in the world on economic competitiveness.

It's not just Sweden jumping on the green bandwagon. Norway, Den-mark, Australia, Switzerland and others all have carbon taxes. The European Union has created incentives for companies to reduce their emissions, and Korea, China, California and Quebec will be starting similar emissions cap programs soon. Furthermore, worldwide investment in clean energy totalled $243 billion in 2010, as many governments recognized the need to act on climate change, make the air cleaner and develop modern energy systems. B.C.'s abundant renewable energy resources, skilled workforce and strong engineering and knowledge sectors put the province in an ideal position to capitalize on this global opportunity.

At last, we have a win-win situation for both the environment and the economy.

With more ideas from British Columbians on what the future could hold for B.C.'s carbon tax, we could make that win-win a reality. Communities could see new investment and jobs, a balanced transportation system, reduced traffic congestion, cleaner air, more green spaces, energy savings, and, best of all, a better quality of life. But only if we demand it. We hope that British Columbians will engage in this conversation in the coming months so that we can all build a better future.