DECEMBER 2024

Are you curious about ways to reduce carbon pollution and improve heating and cooling in your home? Here’s how you can get started. 
 
Over the next months, Vancouver Youth Climate Corps will be hosting information sessions and offering free preliminary home assessments as part of the Climate Friendly Homes Program. 
This program aims to increase knowledge surrounding energy efficiency, climate resilience and healthy landscapes for homes, such as native species planting and growing more trees or shrubs. Free assessments are available for homeowners and renters living in the Mount Pleasant, Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Riley Park neighbourhoods and include personalized advice on retrofits with available rebates (like heat pumps and insulation) and other cost-effective ways to reduce the environmental footprint of your home. 
 
Why are these actions important? Burning natural gas, a fossil fuel, for heating and hot water in buildings accounts for 55% of all carbon pollution in Vancouver. Community-driven initiatives like this help contribute to the City’s goal to cut our carbon pollution in half by 2030 while also enhancing resilience against climate change-related extreme heat events. 
 
YOUR TURN 

• Attend the upcoming online info session on January 9 to learn more about personalized home assessments. 
• Register for a complimentary home assessment from now until February 14.

 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY, ADAPTATION 

Are you looking to develop leadership skills and advance climate action, equity and a clean economy in the Metro Vancouver region?
 
The Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) just launched a refreshed Women4Climate Mentorship program, focused on providing mentorship support, leadership training and peer networking for women leaders who are championing urban climate initiatives in municipal, provincial and/or industry sectors. The program encourages individuals to apply if they self-identify as women, live and/or work in Metro Vancouver and currently work on climate policy-aligned initiatives. 

From March to November 2025, successful mentee applicants can expect to: 

• Receive knowledge, experience and support from their mentors; 
• Partake in leadership training; and 
• Network with local women working on their own climate initiatives. 

ZEIC’s Women4Climate program builds on a legacy of success and collaboration with C40 Cities, the City of Vancouver, and a strong network of 80+ local climate leaders that are advancing tangible progress within their sectors and communities. 
 
YOUR TURN 

Learn more about the Women4Climate mentorship program, eligibility criteria and submit an application by January 16. 
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY, CLIMATE ADAPTATION

Good news for Electric Vehicle (EV) owners! Starting January 1, public, on-street EV charging rates will be billed by the amount of energy supplied, rather than the time plugged in. This ensures more equitable pricing as EV owners will only pay for the power they’re using, instead of advantaging those with vehicles that have faster charging batteries. 
 
The updated rates, aligned with BC Hydro’s rates, for City-owned chargers are: 

• Level 2: $0.2865 per Kilowatt-hour 
• Level 3 (DC Fast Charging): $0.3479 per Kilowatt-hour, with a $0.40/min idling charge after a 5 min grace period. 

Through improvements to our public charging network, the City of Vancouver supports the shift to zero-emissions vehicles — working towards the Climate Emergency Action Plan goal of 50% of kilometers driven on Vancouver’s roads by zero emissions vehicles by 2030. 
 
YOUR TURN 

• Explore Vancouver’s public EV charging network through the map provided by Plugshare. 
• Charging curbside at home? Apply for a cord cover permit to allow for use of extension cords on sidewalks when you want to charge on the street. 
• Charging at home? Learn about BC Hydro’s EV charging rebates and managing the electrical demand of EVs in your home with this informative video: “EV Power Management Devices – How it Works”. 

 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY 

Climate change is impacting the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events. The City of Vancouver is staying prepared through ongoing weather and coastal monitoring, operational planning and longer-term actions to improve city-wide resilience through our Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. This strategy identifies and plans for present and future climate change risks such as:  

• Extreme rain, with a 20% increase of precipitation in a single day of rainfall by 2050.  
• Coastal flooding, with half a meter of sea level rise impacting nearly 13 square kilometers of Vancouver’s coasts projected by 2050.  

 
YOUR TURN

As the winter chill settles in, here are some ways you can prepare for extreme weather events:  

• Download the Altertable App, the fastest way to receive information and instructions during local emergencies, including extreme weather and coastal flooding events.  
• Check or restock the emergency supplies in your home and vehicle.
• Volunteer as a Snow Angel and help neighbours in need during icy conditions. Snow Angels assist individuals in need like seniors and people with limited mobility by removing snow and ice outside their homes.  
• Follow the City of Vancouver’s social media channels on X, Instagram, and Facebook for up-to-date info on weather alerts, travel advisories, and Emergency Weather Response shelters.  

  
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE ADAPTATION