You can “Be the Change”!
We all need to “be the change” and work together for our common goals. We are confident that by increasing awareness we can develop a pivotal change where Fort St John residents will continue to improve measures to reduce waste including energy (electrical and heat), water, and garbage through increased recycling, reusable shopping bag usage, water conservation efforts, energy conserving home improvements, and so much more.
Did you know that Fort St. John is a
signatory of the BC Climate Change Charter?
The Climate Action Charter is a voluntary Provincial Charter meant to identify the shared commitment that local governments have to addressing climate change. It specifically targets a reduction of emissions from city corporate operations of which monitoring and reporting are a requirement. Charter signatories have committed to become carbon neutral by 2012. The City of Fort St. John is a proud signatory of the Climate Action Charter, leading by example.
On a broader scale British Columbia’s Bill 27 is a legislated requirement of all communities to reduce community-wide emissions through planning. Bill 27 is meant to encourage communities to establish targets and develop policies and actions contributing to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions. Examples of such developments include policies defined in the Official Community Plan, Building Bylaws, Community Energy and Emissions Plans, etc. What will you do to contribute to GHG emission reductions?
Moving forward within both the Climate Action Charter and Bill 27, communities must identify and measure their existing carbon footprint. This acts as a starting point by which to establish targets and measure progress. Community Energy and Emissions Inventories (CEEI’s) have been completed by the Province for municipalities including Fort St. John to aid with this process. A CEEI identifies:
- Where energy is used in a community
- How communities compare
- A community’s established per capita emissions
- A baseline for future comparisons over time and to assist in monitoring progress towards achieving set targets
In 2007, Fort St. John’s community-wide energy consumption and GHG emissions were 201,455 tonnes of CO2e. These emissions resulted from three major sectors: buildings, transportation and solid waste. Community-wide, we cannot continue with business-as-usual.
(Note that the CEEI is not yet precise enough to detect small one year changes or evaluate the effectiveness of specific policy measures.)
Specific links can be found on the left of this page to read more on how you can contribute to a more livable tomorrow today.
Join us, Energetic City! -- You have the power to “Be the Change”!
The following are links that may be helpful in making change:
Northern Environmental Action Team
The Amazon Summit
BC Hydro Power Smart
We want to convey the message that “livability tomorrow begins with today” and 
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