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Sustainability Action Areas

Currently we have sustainability activities underway in the following areas: agricultural land and food security, community resiliency and well-being, emergency response and community preparedness, energy, health care, housing and multi-level seniors care, sustainable economics: community currency, transportation priorities and actions, and water. To see what each group is up to click on the individual topic.

Energy Priorities and Actions

January 29, 2010, meeting update

The objective of the Energy group is to find ways of using less energy on the island, thus decreasing reliance on off-island energy. A first step is the island-wide energy audit presently being conducted by Island Futures in conjunction with its study of greenhouse gas emissions. Ideas brought up at the Oct 24th forum include setting up a tidal generator in Dodds Narrows, lobbying BC Hydro for better green energy purchase rates, and forming a public utility to manage energy on the island. It is hoped that an 'Energy Group' (similar to the Garden and other clubs) will form to meet at regular intervals to share knowledge and generally help in the move towards energy sustainability. Contact Bob McKechnie - bobmck@shaw.ca.

August 4, 2009

Contact Person: Bob McKechnie

Individuals and organizations involved: Judith Roux, Alison Fitzgerald, Fay Weller, Linnet Kartar, Ian Gartshore, the Commons, Island Futures

Priorities identified in discussions with others who have expressed an interest in this topic include the following:

  1. Energy audit of Gabriola – what is the current status of energy use on Gabriola?
  2. Exploring alternative sources of energy
  3. Information sessions about energy use, alternative energy, energy policies
  4. Sharing of energy meters, etc for individual households to determine energy use.

The first two priorities are currently underway:

Energy audit of Gabriola

Island Futures in partnership with the Gabriola Commons submitted an application for a Canada Student Summer Employment position to carry out biodiesel project (see below) as well as a basic energy audit for Gabriola Island. Lisa Butler was hired to do this work and will be starting work on the energy audit in August.

Exploring alternative sources of energy

  • There are a number of individuals on the island that have already implemented alternative energy initiatives on their on property.
  • The Commons Infrastructure team is exploring a range of alternative energy initiatives to be implemented on the Commons property.
  • The biodiesel (Waste Vegetable Oil) project has been started. As per the preceding action there is a funded position to carry out this project. A feasibility study has been done to identify the best processor for this project and then to build that processor. Parts are currently being gathered from various sources in order to build the processor.

Energy

June 2, 2009

CONVENOR: Fay

PARTICIPANTS: Judith, Alison, Bob

CURRENTLY HAPPENING:

Home owners are becoming more energy efficient - taking advantage of expertise from BC Hydro, various government and government-sponsored programs, etc. Builders are becoming familiar with and using green building concepts (eg - passive solar). The Commons has a strong interest in alternative energy, including green building technologies, converting waste vegetable oil into biodiesel and obtaining methane from manure. The public transit group, Gabcan, GALTT, Hank and Victor, and others (?) are working on more efficient transportation; eg - on-island bus, car stops, better walking trails, green bikes, bike paths. Island Futures is hiring a VIU student to set up a processor to convert waste vegetable oil into biodiesel for use in the bus project and also to conduct an island-wide energy audit. The Haven has innovative water and waste management systems. John Campbell and Rod Maddison have innovative ground and water source heat pump systems. Clyde Coates has a 130kW hydroelectric generator. Josee Velsen runs her vehicle on biodiesel. There's a south end experiment with tidal generation? . . . ?

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:

  1. A group needs to form and take on the task of coordinating/facilitating the move towards improved energy efficiency.
  2. An energy audit needs to be conducted to ascertain how energy is presently being used on Gabriola, where the energy for the various uses comes from, what costs, harmful effects, etc are involved, how the amount of energy being used can be reduced, and how alternative (more sustainable) energy sources can be used. (Results from some brainstorming around this listed below.)
  3. Information gathered from the energy audit and local energy innovators needs to be made available to anyone interested, through newspaper articles, talks, demonstrations, etc featuring people with expertise in the various areas.

ENERGY AUDIT BRAINSTORM:

How energy is used: Vehicle use, space heating, water heating, clothes washing, clothes drying, cooking, dishwashing, refrigeration, freezing, pumping from wells and tanks, chain sawing, lawn mowing, weed-eating, compressing air, BBQ's, hot-tubs, saunas, television, computers & auxiliaries, video games, music systems, telephones, answering machines, movies, . . . ?, heavy equipment (trucks, backhoes, graders, etc), welding, power tools, purchasing off island products, . . . ?

Sources of energy: Gasoline, diesel, propane, electricity, cordwood, pellets, briquettes, kerosene, wood waste, other waste, human and animal energy, solar, wind, water (gravity), water (current), . . . ?

Use less energy through: Reduced consumption (lifestyle change + conservation); eg - insulation, drying, clothes on a line, walking, bicycling, public transport, cogeneration (using waste energy), buying locally grown/produced products, . . . ?

Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum

October 24, 2009

The following is a summary of the discussion held at the October 24th Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum. There are many groups and individuals on the island contributing to this topic area and we would like to acknowledge that work. Please feel free to email us specific actions that have been accomplished and those that are underway and we will post them on the site. It is hoped that the following points from our October 24th discussion will build on the work that has been done.

Energy

CONVENOR:

Bob McKechnie

PARTICIPANTS:

Fay Weller (recorder), Judith Roux, Randy Young, Timothy Maika, John Peirce, Michael Mehta (Saskatchewan Power), Rachel Davey (Haven)

Emerging Priorities

  • Gain understanding of energy coming to island and how it's used
  • Get organized to affect change
  • Create a resource base
  • Undertake/encourage initiatives to reduce energy use at individual and community levels

What are the long term objectives related to this topic?

  • Some thought long term objective should be self-sufficiency. Others were ok with reliance on energy from off-island. General consensus: Reduce energy use on Gabriola.

What are the short and medium term actions needed to achieve the objectives?

  • A group needs to form to take on the task of coordinating/facilitating the move towards reduced energy use.
  • Individual and island-wide energy audits need to be conducted to ascertain present sources of energy and how energy is being used
  • Different ways of reducing use of energy, using what's being used more effectively, and bringing alternative energy sources on stream need to be studied/explored/discussed.
  • A public information campaign needs to be undertaken to encourage individuals and organizations to implement feasible alternatives
  • Progress needs to be monitored

How will we know we have been successful?

  • Using less will be relatively easy to ascertain with energy audit as baseline and with most energy use (kWh, BTU's, etc) readily quantifiable

What organizations and individuals need to be involved?

  • Individuals with an interest in energy and motivated to help make this happen
  • The Commons, the Haven, the Transportation Association, Island Futures, PHC, and the Ferry Advisory Committee have all indicated interest

RELATED NOTES - From Oct 24th and July/09 workshops

Currently underway

  • Many have reduced energy consumption through better insulation and by installing heat pumps, solar panels, masonry woodstoves, and wind generators.
  • Some are mapping energy use in their homes.
  • A Gabriola-wide energy audit is being carried out by Island Futures.
  • The Islands Trust is having Saltspring energy data scaled for use on Gabriola.
  • The Commons Infrastructure team is exploring a range of alternative energy initiatives for use on the Commons property; eg - using green building technology, obtaining methane from manure, using a wetland to process waste.
  • The Public Transit group, GALTT, Hank, Victor, and others are working on more energy efficient transportation; eg - on-island bus, car stops, better walking trails, green bikes, bike paths.
  • The Public Transit group in conjunction with the Commons and Island Futures is working on a processor to convert waste vegetable oil to biodiesel to fuel a bus.
  • Island Futures is investigating ways of recovering energy from wood waste from construction, clearing, forest downfall, and invasive species such as scotch broom.
  • The Haven has innovative water & waste management systems.
  • John Campbell and others have installed ground and water source heat pump systems.
  • Clyde Coats has a 130kW hydroelectric generator.
  • Josee Velsen runs her vehicle on biodiesel, . . . .

How energy is used:

Vehicles, space heating, water heating, clothes washing, clothes drying, cooking, dishwashing, refrigeration, freezing, pumping from wells and tanks, chain sawing, lawn mowing, weed-eating, compressing air, BBQ's, hot-tubs, saunas, television, computers & auxiliaries, video games, music systems, telephones, answering machines, movies, power tools, purchase of off island products, heavy equipment (trucks, backhoes, graders, etc), welding, . . .

Sources of energy:

Gasoline, diesel, propane, electricity, cordwood, pellets, briquettes, kerosene, wood & biomass (cordwood, from clearing and construction, forest residue, invasive species), human and animal energy, solar, wind, water (gravity), water (current), water (wave), heat pumps with air, water, and geothermal heat sources/sinks, methane from manure . . .

Use less energy through:

Reduced consumption (lifestyle change + conservation); eg - insulation, drying, clothes on a line, walking, bicycling, public transport, cogeneration (using waste energy), buying locally grown and produced products, turning thermostats down and wearing sweaters, on demand hot water (?). Good design and building practices. Restrict size of new homes. Masonry woodstoves.

Misc

Dodds Narrows and Gabriola Pass - good electricity potential - stake a claim? Hogan Lake in conjunction with Coats generating station for pumped storage. Lobby BC Hydro for higher energy buyback rates and time of use metering. Form an energy utility to manage Gabriola energy. Samso Island Is Face of Danish Green Revolution