welcome

Welcome to the October One Day enews -- all about helping you impress your boss or strata council while saving energy.  Read on to find out about current opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of your workplace or strata building, along with other climate change related news and events. 

One Day is a City of Vancouver initiative that encourages residents to take small actions in their daily lives to use less energy at home and on the move, to help protect the climate, and to make Vancouver the cleanest, greenest, healthiest city in the world. 

This month, consider becoming an energy superhero by applying for a free assessment of your strata building or workplace.  Eligible buildings may include: office, industrial, recreational, religious, and retail buildings; and hotels, schools, hospitals, warehouses, parking garages and restaurants, to name a few. 

1. LiveSmart BC in partnership with BC Hydro

Does the thought of finding low-cost improvements that could save your building thousands in electricity appeal to you?  Then fill out their online application to inquire about the LiveSmart BC Walkthroughs Program.  If eligible, you’ll receive complementary education on energy efficiency and the Product Incentive Program for your business or strata. 

2. Terasen Gas offers

Could your business save energy and reduce operating costs?  Find out how by booking a free energy assessment with Terasen. Free to businesses and condos that spend more than $20,000 on operating costs. Assessments may include equipment upgrade recommendations, information about payback periods, and details on rebates and incentives.  They typically offer easy-to-implement recommendations; such as, using automatic fireplace timers in condos, using electronic controls to operate boilers and ventilation fans when needed, and insulation opportunities. 

We think you’ll shine in the eyes of your boss and neighbours for years to come by putting thousands of dollars saved in energy costs back into the operating budget! 

Go one step further and help the building manager at your church, your kid’s school or your favourite restaurant apply for an assessment.

The 184 units at The Boardwalk in South Vancouver were heated with a combination of electric baseboards and gas fireplaces.  Collectively, these fireplaces burned as much as 50% of the strata’s annual gas consumption, equal to that of their boilers.  To address this burning problem, the Boardwalk strata decided to adopt two resolutions: install timers on each fireplace and shut off pilot lights during summer months.  In their first year, they saved 22.4%, or $14,000 of their natural gas costs, which meant they recovered the cost of the timers within just four months!  These simple, affordable actions worked wonders for the management and owners of the Boardwalk.  Maybe their approach would work for you too!

There are many other organizations that can offer both free and for fee help if you are looking to improve the energy efficiency of your work or strata building.  Check out some of our favourites:

Metro Vancouver’s Smart Steps Program has a set of tools, technical assistance and information to help your business find specific, cost-effective actions to reduce the amount of materials and energy used for day-to-day operations.  
The Green Table program focuses on restaurants’ waste and recycling, efficient energy and water use, pollutants and eco-friendly practices, as well as products and services that benefit the local economy. 
Green Workplace offers comprehensive and targeted environmental assessments, as well as employee training and education packages, all aimed at helping your business shrink its carbon footprint. 
Go Green, sponsored by the BC Building Owners and Managers Association, helps property managers recognize, prioritize and implement best practices in the five following areas: resource consumption, waste reduction, building materials, interior environment and tenant awareness.
Light House Sustainable Building Centre can offer free design assistance for major renovations. 
City Green Solutions’ Affordable Warmth BC program is providing no-cost energy assessments to a select number of multi-unit affordable housing buildings in BC. 

If you’re an owner of small to medium-sized, commercial or institutional building and lack the financial and technical resources to make energy improvements – check out the ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentives for Buildings.  If you have not yet started a new energy efficiency project, you could receive up to $10 per gigajoule of estimated energy savings, 25% of eligible project costs or $50,000 per project from Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency.

 

...serves on a strata council?  Forward this email; they’ll love this issue of One Day. 

Waste Reduction Week
October 19-25
2008 Waste Reduction Week in Canada. Register online now and let us know what activities you are planning. This will allow each participating provincial and territorial organizing body to keep track of all the events across the country. 

One Million Acts of Green
October 21, 2008 to June 2009
The Hour wants Canadians to take action for the sake of the environment.  Commit to one act of “green” (or more), then register the act on their highly interactive website.  Registrants will be able to learn more, inspire and challenge others to act.

Fork in the Road: Cultivating Food and Community
October 24 to October 25, 2008
Come out and engage in a fun and evocative theatre experience that will illuminate the key issues in our current food system, leading to a vision of what’s possible and inspire you to make meaningful change in Vancouver.

Home energy efficiency rebates – Q&A
Various dates, check listing
City of Vancouver representatives are at various locations in the community letting residents know how to access up to $12,345 in rebates for improving their home’s energy efficiency through the provincial LiveSmart BC program.

Power Smart Month
October 2008
During Power Smart Month, BC Hydro brings you additional incentives when you purchase energy-efficient products for your home.  For businesses, they are offering a number of workshops and events in October and November.

Pumpkin picking
Just in time for Halloween, the local harvest of pumpkins is in!  Click here to find out what other local produce is ripe for the picking.  All farmer’s markets are open past Thanksgiving this year: East Van and West End until October 25, Kitsilano until October 26, and Riley Park until October 22.  The Winter Farmer’s Markets dates have also been announced.

Check out the One Day events calendar for more summer events happening in and around Vancouver.

Small firms can go green, too - there's lots of help out there
'Getting citizens excited about rail technology' 
Council gives green light to electric cars 
Solar panels installed on Vatican roof above hall used for papal audiences 

Check out the One Day media section for more climate change related news.