The District of Squamish took another step toward impacting climate change last week when it announced the municipality is joining the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, as well as adopting four energy efficiency targets and six building targets set by the province.
The measures fit the district's 12-step plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Being a Smart Growth community means more than thinking about land use," stated Mayor Ian Sutherland in a news release. "We have to think about the future of energy and climate protection in B.C. and Canada, and then determine how we want Squamish to fit into the big picture."
PCP is a network of more than 140 Canadian municipal governments who have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change.
PCP is the Canadian component of ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) network that comprises more than 600 communities world wide making the same efforts.
Among the four energy efficiency targets, the district intends to reduce total emissions per capita for regional energy systems to less than one tonne by 2030, and create renewable energy generation that would exceed the total energy consumption for buildings and transportation by 2015.
"Squamish is well-positioned to become an energy innovator," said Sutherland. "We have access to geothermal, tidal and biomass energy, and we're learning more about our wind and solar capabilities too."
The district has also joined a number of agencies - including the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Fraser Basin Council in adopting six building targets.
Among these targets, the district will strive to encourage an 80 per cent reduction in new homes by 2010, reduce by 17 per cent the energy consumption in 12 per cent of existing single family and row houses, reduce energy consumption in 20 per cent of industrial, commercial and institutional buildings by an average of 14 per cent by 2010. "Over the next year, the District of Squamish will start to look at these building-oriented targets and see how Squamish can work to meet them," states the news release.
