Corporate Climate Action Strategy
The District completed the first step toward achieving this goal in November, 2009 by convening a Climate Change Action Charter Committee (Green Team) to oversee the development of a Corporate Climate Action Strategy and to ensure its implementation. The implementation of this Corporate Climate Action Strategy is a key component to becoming carbon neutral in respect to municipal operations by 2012. The other key component of the Climate Action Charter is the completion of a Community Climate Action Strategy. The goal is to have this document complete in 2012.
What exactly are carbon neutral operations? The goal of the Charter is for local governments to achieve carbon neutrality by reducing GHG emissions that are associated with operations as much as possible, and by offsetting the remaining emissions. GHG offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce their GHG emissions they are responsible for by offsetting, reducing or displacing the GHG emissions in another place, typically where it is more economical to do so. GHG offsets usually include investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. The Province of BC has set up the Pacific Carbon Trust, a provincial Crown corporation, to identify credible GHG offset projects that are located in BC on the Province’s behalf.
From here, the District must adopt and implement the corporate strategy and then embark on the larger community component of the Climate Action Charter. It is expected that the Corporate Climate Action Strategy will be complete in late 2010.