IN THIS ISSUE
- Share your feedback on the draft Capital Plan
- Participate in Go By Bike Week
- Spark neighbourhood-level climate action with OneEarth’s Lighter Living Action Pack
- Apply for complimentary air sealing upgrades for your home
- Check out local events and green opportunities
NOTEWORTHY: The School Streets program is returning to Vancouver from May 9 to June 3, and is expanding to include five schools. A School Street is a car-free block beside a school open to walking, biking, and rolling during pick-up and drop-off. The program is intended to encourage active travel, improve road safety for students, and reduce congestion and air pollution around schools. You can learn more about the initiative and participating schools or volunteer for the program here.
WHAT WE’RE READING: Metro Vancouver has created a self-directed free learning program to help residents improve their climate literacy. Learn about the causes of climate change, the solutions to prevent further warming and what climate action can look like in Metro Vancouver.
SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT CAPITAL PLAN
The City’s infrastructure plays a key role in how we get around, enjoy public spaces, adapt to climate change, and access water and other core services. The City has released its draft 2023-2026 Capital Plan, which outlines the City’s strategy for investing $3.4 billion of capital investments into infrastructure and amenities, and planning future investments in these areas.
Accelerating climate action while ensuring our infrastructure is resilient to climate impacts requires significant investment, and reducing our carbon pollution is more important than ever. Extreme weather events that can damage infrastructure are happening more frequently, demonstrating the urgent need to consider climate change in our infrastructure planning.
The Draft Capital Plan currently has the potential to dedicate $350 million of capital investment towards advancing the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) and the Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS), and approximately $270 million more to deliver other climate mitigation and adaptation benefits. If approved, this would represent a funding increase from the previous capital plan, and would be an important contribution to the financial investment needed to successfully implement the actions identified in CEAP and CAS.
YOUR TURN
The City is seeking your feedback on the draft plan and how funding is being allocated. This is an important opportunity to tell us what you think about climate as a priority. Learn more about the plan and share your priorities for capital investments over the next four years by completing a short survey before May 22.
SUPPORTING
CLIMATE EMERGENCY, CLIMATE ADAPTATION
GO BY BIKE WEEK RETURNS THIS SPRING
Pump up your tires, flex your breaks, and crank your bicycle chain because Go by Bike Week, HUB Cycling‘s annual celebration of all things cycling, is back from May 30 to June 5. The week-long event celebrates cycling as a healthy and climate-friendly activity, and encourages participants to ride their bicycles to every day destinations like work, school, stores, or leisure activities.
Cycling isn’t just fun, it’s also good for the planet. Nearly 40% of Vancouver’s carbon pollution comes from burning gasoline and diesel in our vehicles. Choosing to change how we move, by using active transportation to get around the city, can help us meet our Climate Emergency Action Plan goal to reduce carbon pollution in Vancouver by 50% by 2030.
YOUR TURN
Registration is now open, and free for all participants. Sign up as part of a team, or register solo and encourage your colleagues, friends and family to join, too.
Log your cycling trips between May 30 and June 5 for a chance to win great prizes. Visit Celebration Stations around the city for on-site cycling resources, snacks, bike maintenance, and more.
Stay connected by following @WalkBikeRoll and @WeAreHUB and share your stories using the hashtag #GobyBikeWeek.
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY
TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS
Want to have a positive impact on the environment while getting to know your neighbours? OneEarth’s new Lighter Living Action Pack for Neighbourhoods in BC can help you take action for the well-being of the planet and your community.
The guide includes fun and inspiring actions you can take on your own, with a few others, or with your whole neighbourhood. Each of the seven Action Packs includes a unique approach to shrinking your ecological and carbon footprint. Will you hold a neighbourhood-wide garage sale? Or plan to share food, tools or toys? You can take on a specific theme like food, housing, or mobility – or tackle several at once through the Lighter Living Super Challenge.
Taking action to address the climate crisis isn’t just about lowering emissions, it’s also about making our city more healthy, equitable, connected and resilient, and residents have an important part to play. Finding ways to take climate action that are creative and community-oriented is a key part of this process.
YOUR TURN
Make a difference where you live. Download OneEarth’s guide to learn more about the seven Action Packs, explore creative ideas that communities across B.C. have already implemented, and start planning your own neighbourhood action.
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY
COMPLIMENTARY AIR SEALING PILOT PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING APPLICANTS
This summer, the City of Vancouver is offering free air sealing upgrades to 25 homeowners. We want to better understand the energy savings and carbon pollution reduction potential that activities like insulation, sealing up holes and penetrations and in-depth spray technology can have for home retrofits in Vancouver.
This no-cost program will provide eligible homeowners with a contractor’s assessment of where air leakage is occurring in their home, and the installation of air sealing measures such as aerosol spray, spray foam, caulking and taping.
Beyond energy savings, air sealing can have other benefits like improving your indoor air quality (by reducing the entry of pollutants like wildfire smoke and vehicle exhaust), reducing entry points for pests (such as insects and rodents) and preventing excess water vapour from entering your home (which can cause mold and rot).
Nearly 60% of carbon pollution in Vancouver comes from burning natural gas, a fossil fuel, for space and water heating in our buildings. Making your home more energy efficient will shrink your carbon footprint if your home is heated with natural gas.
YOUR TURN
Applications are open for the free program until June 30. Eligible participants can receive air sealing retrofits valued at approximately $2500-$3000 per home. Learn more about the program, assess your eligibility and apply here.
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Stories of False Creek: A Celebration
May 29
Join the Sea2City and CityHive Youth Adaptation Lab in celebrating the past, present and future of False Creek at an interactive afternoon where you can deepen your knowledge about False Creek and the impacts of sea level rise. The Lab is also inviting youth to share their stories and connections to False Creek by contributing to a collective piece of art during the event.
False Creek Community Centre
Stanley Park EcoStewards
May 21 & June 4
Volunteer with the EcoStewards to help manage and remove invasive plant species from the Stanley park ecosystem. In addition to participating in hands-on invasive species removal, you will also learn about local ecology and conservation issues.
Stanley Park
Me and the Salish Sea – Journeys
May 25
Join Candace Campo and Richard Till as they share their experiences and cultural journeys of the Salish Sea.
Online
Pollinator Walk at UBC Farm
May 28
Discover the native pollinators and learn about species biodiversity and identification.
UBC Farm
Still Moon Spring Stewardship Series: Soil Building and Weeding Work Party
May 31
Join the Still Moon Arts society to learn about native and introduced plant identification, invasive plant management, and tasks involved in maintaining an active restoration site in the Still Creek Watershed.
Cornett Rd. and Natal St.
UBC Farm Bird Walk
May 31
Find out about Nature Vancouver’s long-term monitoring of birds at the UBC Farm and how you can participate.
UBC Farm
Cleanest Day of the Year Community Cleanup
June 11
Join this fundraiser and community cleanup event in the DTES in support of Mission Possible’s Employment Readiness Program. Cleanup supplies will be provided.
Mission Possible Headquarters (648 E. Hastings St.)
The Secret Life of Trees
June 15
Participate in this guided hike to uncover mysteries and surprising facts about the forest giants of the park.
Pacific Spirit Regional Park
Volunteering with the Newcomer Bike Mentorship Program
Ongoing
The program matches local volunteer mentors with recent immigrants and refugees for companionship and cultural orientation to Metro Vancouver’s active transportation lifestyle.
In person events, sign up online
Volunteering with the Bicycle Valet
Ongoing
The Bicycle Valet’s volunteer team provides informative resources and valet-style parking at events in and around Vancouver. Join the team to support Vancouver’s cycling community and get free entrance to events.
In person events, sign up online
Seasonal Farmer’s Markets
Various
Vancouver Farmer’s Markets are starting to re-open for spring. Trout Lake, Riley Park, Kitsilano, West End, and Mount Pleasant markets will all be open by this weekend. Visit the website to learn about local farmers, food producers and creators at each market and plan your visit.
Various
Streetwise Cycling Online
Any time
New to cycling? This free educational series from HUB helps adult beginner riders gain knowledge and skills to start their cycling journey at their own pace with confidence.
Online
SPEC Team Meetings
Various
Want to share your knowledge on energy and transportation, food growing, or waste, and connect with other like-minded individuals? Check the link for Society Promoting Environmental Conservation meet-up topics and meeting dates.
Online
Connect and learn more
|