1. Overview of Project Neutral

Transcription

1 1. Overview of Project Neutral Project Neutral (PN) is an ambitious initiative to transition neighbourhoods to carbon neutrality. Since 2010, PN has been working with community leaders in two Toronto neighbourhoods, providing households with tools to establish a greenhouse gas baseline, see how they compare to their neighbours and explore actions that reduce energy use and carbon emissions. PN expanded to Guelph, Ontario in 2014 and the City of London, Ontario in 2015 In an effort to significantly contribute to local, provincial and international greenhouse gas reduction targets, PN is working at the juncture of homeowners, neighbourhoods, municipalities and the energy sector, developing a model that can be scaled up across different neighbourhoods and communities in southern Ontario. Project Neutral is a project of Tides Canada Initiatives Society (TCI), a respected national charitable organization Rationale We know there is a great deal of concern about climate change and that the average person would like to do more; however individuals are often overwhelmed by the complexity of climate change and frustrated by an inability to link actions to impact, making it hard for them to set priorities. Problematically, energy conservation and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets are rarely translated to the household level. As a result, when it comes to climate change, there is confusion around the model behavior that a household should strive for. PN uses a community-based social marketing approach to create household level norms that make taking action on climate change more achievable, more tangible, and more fun. PN s approach compares an individual household s carbon footprint to others in the same neighbourhood, and to municipal reduction targets. By addressing this disconnect, PN helps individuals set and strive for meaningful objectives. Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 1

2 2. Project Neutral s Model Project Neutral s model incorporates the following steps: Step 1: Engage Neighbourhood Leaders. To help make climate change personal, PN engages with neighbourhood groups and existing community leaders. The approach introduces a personal (neighbour to neighbour) connection, which tends to reach a broader group of participants and build deeper connections to the project. PN also finds that in many cases, neighbourto-neighbour endorsements of greenhouse gas mitigating activities have greater resonance than recommendations by external experts without local connections to a neighbourhood. Step 2: Benchmark Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Track Progress. Unlike other carbon calculators, Project Neutral s CarbonShift Tracker (our household carbon footprint tool: does not use citywide averages. We collect household-level data to enable residents to accurately track their progress. The tracker tool examines waste, food, energy, water and transportation, providing a comprehensive picture of a household s carbon emissions. Step 3: Compare Yourself to Your Neighbours. A dynamic interface shows residents which of their behaviours and actions are producing the most greenhouse gas emissions. As part of our feedback strategy, PN uses a community based social marketing approach to create norms (neighbourhood averages). Households can compare themselves to similar households in their neighbourhood, as well as longer-term municipal reduction targets. PN believes this approach creates wider adoption of mitigation activities while also strengthening neighborhood resilience in light of a changing climate. Step 4: See What It Takes to Be Carbon Neutral The CarbonShift Household Challenge provides information to help prioritize opportunities and inspire action. Having completed the CarbonShift Tracker and viewed her or his results, a user can set an emissions reduction target of 10, 20, 50 or 100%. To reach that target, the user can then view and select from over 50 actions and behaviour changes. The potential emissions reduction is calculated based on the user s survey data, allowing for prioritization and the creation of a plan unique to her or his household. Local incentives, programs and resources can be accessed directly from the CarbonShift Household Challenge page, or from the Activator page. Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 2

3 3. Anticipated Benefits and Outcomes Since 2010, over 1,000 households have completed the PN CarbonShift Tracker. 80% of participants who completed the survey over three years achieved an average 20% reduction per household or 5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per household. This is equivalent to taking one car off the road for a year for each participating household. These savings are representative of current research findings on feedback mechanisms. 1 At a very low cost, PN s tools enable municipalities to: Provide households, community groups, schools and other neighbourhood associations with meaningful information to build awareness about climate change and inspire action; Track household level greenhouse gas emissions and changes in behavior on an on-going basis; Easily provide information about and increase uptake of local programs; Increase local volunteerism and engagement with municipal environmental targets and policies; Generate valuable data that can be incorporated in climate change and energy conservation policy and program development; and, Incorporate new approaches to engagement and respond to local needs though gradual roll out of the program. 4. Activator Opportunities Since 2010, Project Neutral has been working with neighbourhood leaders in two Toronto Wards, developing and testing a neighbourhood climate change action model. In late 2013, Project Neutral secured a grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation to significantly invest in upgrading the design and functionality of our on-line tools. Project Neutral launched the revised platform in 2014, with the 1 Smart Grid Optimization: The Effectiveness of Feedback on Energy Consumption, produced by Janeen Stodulski, CGA, MBA PowerWatch (September 23, 2011) summarizes the untapped potential of feedback mechanisms (published as part of the Province of Ontario s Green Button Initiative). The paper concludes that feedback has a significant role to play in raising energy awareness and in bringing about reduced consumption of the order of 10%-15% and at times as high as 20%. Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 3

4 ability to offer enhanced value to a greater number of municipalities, community groups and households. PN expanded to Guelph, Ontario in 2014 and London, Ontario in PN is accepting applications for Activators to support the roll out of our model in new neighbourhoods. An Activator is a partner that is responsible for the local rollout of the Project Neutral model. An Activator can be a municipality, utility, environmental or community group. Activators are responsible for a project initiation and annual licensing contribution, both of which help support and maintain access to our sophisticated survey and programing content, at a fraction of the actual cost. Activators, who know their communities best, are also in charge of managing local engagement efforts by ideally leveraging current or planned programs, or existing neighbourhood initiatives. PN will provide the following services: 4.1. Activator Package The CarbonShift Tracker, Household Report, CarbonShift Household Challenge adapted for local use, including graphic design, content, reporting / feedback mechanisms, and mailing to users; Customization of the CarbonShift Tracker: updating the survey tool for local greenhouse gas emissions factors annually and the option of adding up to 5 additional questions; Reporting mechanisms developed for a maximum of four wards, and four sub-groups (neighbourhoods, schools, etc) per ward; Administrative log-in access to reporting mechanisms, at both the City, ward and subgroup (neighbourhood) level. Reports will track participation and impact, including household carbon footprint statistics; Coordination of waivers and data management protocol for participating utilities; An Activator landing page on the PN website that directs residents to the survey and other tools, and includes: 2 o A local scoreboard, identifying the number of households engaged and household carbon footprint characteristics and profiles; o Activator logos; o Activator profile with contact info and website links; 2 Activators will have administrative access to manage local content on the Activator landing page. Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 4

5 o A listing of participating groups/neighbourhoods; o Newsletter sign-up; o Local news and events; o Information on local, provincial, federal incentives and programs; o Volunteer sign up for participating neighbourhood groups; o An application form for additional neighbourhoods/groups; and o PN and City-specific FAQs. A half day training session on the PN platform (for up to 10 people); Program templates, including Neighbourhood Request for Expressions of Interest, Neighbourhood Application Form, Neighbourhood Coordinator Job Description, Neighbourhood Selection Criteria, and Door-to-Door Canvass Scripts, Engagement material templates that can be modified for local use, including: posters, postcards, pins, lawn signs and t-shirts; PN s Annual report; Access to an annual Activator s workshop; On-going and phone support (average 4-6 hours per month); 4.2. Activator Responsibilities The Activator is primarily responsible for the on-the-ground implementation of the program, unless PN has been otherwise engaged to lead these activities (see 4.4). The success of the program is strongly related to support from local leaders and neighbourhood groups. To encourage success, we recommend the Activator undertake the following activities: Develop and implement a communications strategy including social media, press releases and updating the events/news sections on the activator webpage; Recruit and select four neighbourhoods/groups; Recruit and coordinate volunteers for engagement activities including door-to-door campaigns, workshops, open houses, and neighbourhood meetings. Appoint one representative to liaise directly with PN Activator Contributions To be discussed based on target number of neighbourhoods and households. Approximate contribution for first year ranges from $15,000 - $25,000. An annual licensing fee is determined based on services provided on an on-going basis. Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 5

6 4.4. Optional Services Neighbourhood Engagement: Our experience indicates that having a coordinator or animator to manage local engagement activities ensures much greater participation. We have had success in hosting a 2-month intensive engagement period in the fall, with animators coordinating volunteers and attending local events, as well as coordinating local canvassing. Building on our experiences in Toronto, PN can recruit, hire, train and manage neighbourhood animators (we recommend one per Ward or neighbourhood and provide a package of engagement materials, for a two-month fall engagement period. As a project of Tides Canada Initiatives, PN would be responsible for administering contracts and pay. The animator package includes the following: Neighbourhood activator stipend (this is the amount of money paid to the neighbourhood activator at the end of the two month engagement period. We have had positive results when local neighbourhood groups have nominated individuals they feel would be appropriate for the animator position) plus travel stipend PN staff recruit, hire, train and manage neighbourhood animators PN oversees door-to-door canvassing to 1,000 houses per neighbourhood PN designs and produces the following engagement materials that promote the CarbonShift Tracker and other municipal / local programs. o 2,000 postcards for handout at events o 4 clipboards o 100 pins for handout at events o 10 T-shirts for volunteers o 40 posters o Standard PowerPoint presentation 5. Additional Information 5.1. Utility Data Waivers Subject to the final approval of local gas, hydro, and, if applicable, municipal water departments, survey users have the option of agreeing to on-line waivers that allow participating utilities to share utility data directly with PN. Any personally identifiable information provided to PN by a utility will be used only in Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 6

7 accordance PN s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Policy and with any agreement between PN and that utility Data Use and Storage The use and disclosure of data provided to PN will be in accordance with PN s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use in addition to the protections set out for personally identifiable information and the protection of privacy, above Privacy Ensuring the correct handling of personally identifiable information is absolutely core to maintaining trust and integrity with our stakeholders and partners. PN has put in place reasonable security measures designed to safeguard against the loss, misuse and alteration of data under PN s control Co-Branding PN and the Activator will work collaboratively and diligently to develop cobranded Intellectual Property that is acceptable to both parties. Project Neutral s Co-branding Guidelines: PN + activators share complementary values PN + activators provide quality, authentic services/programs PN retains the right to review and approve all co-branded communications that mention Project Neutral s model (the on-line survey, results, Household Challenge and neighbourhood engagement model) Whenever any portion of PN s model is referred to, Project Neutral receives recognition. PN s logo is to be included beside any mention of Project Neutral s model. 1. Next Steps Project Neutral staff is available to meet in person to provide a more detailed overview of this proposal and answer any questions you might have. Please contact Katie Harper, Director of Project Neutral, at Katie@projectneutral.org or Project Neutral Activator Proposal October 2015 Page 7