CITY OF CALGARY CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS ABATEMENT ACTION PLAN, PART /2001 PROGRESS REPORT

Transcription

1 INTRODUCTION CITY OF CALGARY CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS ABATEMENT ACTION PLAN, PART /2001 PROGRESS REPORT This progress report is intended to fulfill the annual reporting requirements for the Voluntary Challenge & Registry, Inc., Partners for Climate Protection and Cities for Climate Protection programs. Council approved in 1998 an initial corporate emissions reduction target of 6% below 1990 corporate emission levels. This translates into a provisional absolute reduction of 160,000 tonnes eco 2 from current (1997) corporate operations. This value considers population and operational growth (approximately 20%) since REPORT Council approved the Carbon Dioxide Emissions Abatement Action Plan, Part 2 in 2000 June and approved moving ahead with Part 3. Part 3 began in 2000 November with the establishment of the Climate Change Office, staffed initially with three Environmental Specialists. An Implementation Plan is being prepared along with the Communications and Education Action Plan (Attached). The Climate Change Office is actively pursuing the implementation of processes and initiatives to reduce corporate energy consumption and, thus, greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, the Climate Change Office is pursuing partnerships with business and community sector organizations to encourage expansion of energy reducing initiatives at the community level. PROGRAMS INITIATED IN 2000 AND EARLY 2001 Programs currently being implemented: Building energy performance contracting Office of Corporate Engineering. Streetlighting re-lamping with low-wattage lamps Calgary Roads/Enmax. Water conservation programs- Calgary Waterworks. Web business office Web Business Office and Engineering Services. Compact fluorescent light bulb distribution program. Mayor s Environment Expo Climate Change Theme Climate Change Office. Community Outreach Program and Partnership Development Climate Change Office. Fleet efficiency program Fleet and Supply Management Services. Energy consumption tracking process Corporate Strategy and Economics. In-house emissions reduction accounting process Corporate Strategy and Economics.

2 Landfill gas capture for use in micro turbine feasibility study Solid Waste Services and partners. East Village District Energy System feasibility study Office for Corporate Engineering. Calgary Transit/Light Rail Train Ride the Wind Initiative Calgary Transit. EMISSION REDUCTIONS EXPECTED Building Energy Performance Contracting expected to achieve 38,000 tonnes reduction each year. Calgary Transit s Ride the Wind initiative is expected to replace 21,000 Mw trackage power with equal amount of wind power from windmill generated electricity resulting in potentially 21,000 tonnes emission reduction each year. Streetlighting lamp replacement with low-wattage lamps is expected to achieve 16,000 to 18,000 tonnes reduction each year. Other initiative emission reductions are to be determined. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS The Climate Change Office has initiated a community outreach program by partnering with business, government and community sector organizations that are already delivering emission/energy abatement programs. Formal partnerships/liaison now exist with: Climate Change Central Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Clean Calgary Building Owners and Managers Association Calgary Board of Education Calgary Catholic School Division Alberta Environment, Climate Change Bureau Enmax Energy A formal partnership will be established in the next two months with: Federation of Calgary Communities University of Calgary Calgary Airport Authority Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Mount Royal College Calgary Apartment Owners/Operators Association ATCO Gas TransAlta Energy Energy sector companies, such as Suncor, Husky Energy, CAPP

3 Communications & Education Action Plan For Climate Change Program Climate Change and Strategic Initiatives Office Environmental Management The City of Calgary February 2001

4 1.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS PRINCIPLE AIMS CREATE INTERNAL AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE CITY S CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAM (A) Objectives Key Audience Key Messages Desired Outcome INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF CORPORATE CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAM (B) Objectives Key Audience Key Messages Desired Outcome ENGAGE THE CITY OF CALGARY CORPORATION IN EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACTIONS (C) Objectives Key Audience Key Messages Desired Outcome ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACTIONS (D) Objectives Key Audience Key Messages Desired Outcome STAKEHOLDERS INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS IMPLEMENTATION CITY OF CALGARY CORPORATION December 2000 to June Ongoing CITY OF CALGARY CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES December 2000 to June Ongoing COMMUNICATION PLAN SUMMARY... 10

5 1.0 Situation Analysis The City of Calgary has committed to an action plan to reduce energy consumption and to curb the trend towards climate change, which is occurring under business as usual behaviour. The project scope includes both the corporation of The City of Calgary and the municipality of Calgary. To this end, The City of Calgary has registered with the Voluntary Challenge Registry (VCR), a corporation that records and documents other corporations voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. As well, The City of Calgary participates in Partners for Climate Protection (PCP), an amalgamation of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). The PCP program supports Canadian municipalities in reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions through development and implementation of local climate change action plans. The City of Calgary has produced a Carbon Dioxide Emission Abatement Action Plan. The plan calculated 1990 greenhouse emission levels and established objectives for emission reductions. A number of initiatives for energy reduction are proposed within the plan and an economic analysis of their impact is included. Currently, The City of Calgary is working to implement some of the initiatives. Communications, from print publications to face-to-face to the web, are essential to successfully promoting the incentives for reducing emissions and for involving employees of the corporation and Calgary s citizens and businesses in taking action. The aims of the Communication Plan are to: Create Internal Awareness and Understanding of the Corporate Climate Change Program (A) Increase Public Awareness and Understanding of the Corporate Climate Change Program (B) Engage Corporate Calgary in Emissions Reduction Actions (C) Engage the Public in Emissions Reduction Actions (D) The aims will be implemented through the cooperative efforts of the stakeholders and the Climate Change Office through a series of initiatives. The success of the Communication Plan will be measured by increased awareness, understanding and commitment to action by internal and external audiences. 1

6 2.0 Principle Aims 2.1 Create Internal Awareness and Understanding of the City s Climate Change Program (A) Inform City employees of Council s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the work of the Climate Change Team and how the Team can assist other business units with emissions reductions Objectives ¾Establish working relationships and gain the support of appropriate parties in each business unit. ¾Bring climate change issues and energy efficiency to the consciousness of employees Key Audience Senior management Employees responsible for energy use or energy bills for their operation All other employees of The City Key Messages 1. The Kyoto Protocol, deregulation of the energy sector, and scientific concerns about climate change are valid reasons for implementing greenhouse gas reduction strategies. 2. Council has approved an action plan for addressing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at The City. 3. Initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions can reduce operating and energy costs. 4. The Climate Change Team will be assisting Business Units to achieve an understanding of climate change issues and their portion of the emissions reductions Desired Outcome The audience should know of: Council s commitment; the mandate of the Climate Change Team; their own responsibilities under this commitment; and how the Climate Change Team can assist them to meet their responsibilities. As a result of knowing the above, appropriate parties should initiate contact with the Climate Change Team for advice and support. 2

7 2.2 Increase Public Awareness and Understanding of Corporate Climate Change Program (B) Inform the public of Council s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the work of the Climate Change Team Objectives ¾Demonstrate that The City is taking a leadership role in addressing climate change issues. ¾Raise the public awareness of the cost savings and associated benefits of greenhouse gas reductions initiatives Key Audience All Calgarians The business community Key Messages 1. Council has approved an action plan for addressing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 2. Initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions can reduce operating and energy costs. 3. The Climate Change Team will assist business units to achieve their portion of the emissions reductions Desired Outcome The audience should know that The City has made a commitment to address its own emissions through the Climate Change Team and is proactively pursuing emissions reduction initiatives. The audience should understand that The City is cutting its emissions, not only because of the Kyoto Protocol, but also to control energy expenditures. 3

8 2.3 Engage The City of Calgary Corporation in Emissions Reduction Actions (C) Educate and empower business units to recognize the operational, fiscal and environmental benefits to be gained from addressing their GHG emissions, and to take appropriate action Objectives ¾Enable business units to develop and implement climate change initiatives ¾Establish a forum for networking, sharing best practices and mentoring Key Audience The City of Calgary employees, including senior management Key Messages 1. Addressing climate change issues can reduce operating costs, reduce pollution and provide good corporate PR. 2. The City of Calgary Climate Change Team is available to assist business units with developing management buy-in, advise them on projects and profile local success stories on emission reductions Desired Outcome City of Calgary business units will recognize the value of pursuing greenhouse gas reductions strategies and partner with The City s Climate Change Team to develop their own projects and capitalize on the associated benefits. 4

9 2.4 Engage the Public in Emissions Reduction Actions (D) Educate the public, including the business community, about the impact of personal actions on GHG emissions and climate change. Market ways of curbing climate change and empower the community to take their own emissions reduction actions Objectives ¾Gain public recognition that climate change is a real issue, that there are personal benefits to be gained and that they, as individuals, have the ability to make a difference. ¾Calgarians accept the challenge of reducing their personal greenhouse gas emissions Key Audience All Calgarians Key Messages 1. Climate Change and greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the amount of energy we use (and hence our energy bills). 2. Rising energy prices, scientific concerns about climate change and the Kyoto Protocol are good reasons to address greenhouse gas emissions. 3. Individual actions can make a difference. There are simple steps that anyone can take Desired Outcome Calgarians take action to reduce their personal greenhouse gas emissions. 5

10 3.0 Stakeholders It s important that all those who have a role to play within the GHG reduction program are communicated with as stakeholders. This section lists the participants the Climate Change office proposes to engage in achieving its aims. The office needs to form partnerships with a variety of groups and individuals to succeed with the program. 3.1 Internal Stakeholders City of Calgary Council Employees of The City of Calgary General managers and executive officers of The City of Calgary EMS champions 3.2 External Stakeholders Residential homeowners Community associations Corporate and commercial building owners/managers Building Tenants Climate Change Central Environmental education and community outreach groups News media The federal government The provincial government Schools Corporations External organizations (BOMA, Chamber of Commerce, BRZs) 6

11 4.0 Implementation Once the initiatives are up and running, it is assumed that most of them will be ongoing throughout the entire emissions reduction process. It should also be noted that as alternate opportunities that support the aims of the program present themselves, they may also be pursued where appropriate. 4.1 City of Calgary Corporation December 2000 to June Develop an and newsletter program to inform the Corporation of the proposed initiatives for the Climate Change Office. This should be the first line of action and should be presented no later than January Action Dave Reynolds 2. Write articles on climate change and how employees and citizens can reduce their emissions at home (energy efficient appliances, etc.) and have them published in corporate newsletters. Action Alanna Dean 3. Work with the corporate website designer to provide information about climate change, deregulation, corporate initiatives and strategies that employees can adopt. Action Communications Specialist 4. Develop a brochure on the Climate Change Office, the impacts of climate change and what people can do within The City of Calgary to mitigate impacts. Proposed title Climate Change and You? Action Communications Specialist 5. Develop a PowerPoint presentation for communicating with senior management. The presentation will cover the rationale for GHG reduction strategies. Action Dave Reynolds 6. Develop a PowerPoint presentation for communicating with administrative staff and junior management. The presentation will cover the rationale for GHG reduction strategies. Action Climate Change Specialists 7. Initiate one-on-one meetings with stakeholders to encourage more energyefficient strategies. Action Climate Change Office 7

12 4.1.2 Ongoing 1. Provide information to employees about the programs in effect and the results of the programs (e.g. the energy savings resulting from performance contracting to date). The reports can be published in corporate newsletters and on the websites. Action stewards of individual programs such as Ken Stone, Barry Poon 2. Continue one-on-one meetings with business unit leaders to encourage more energy efficient strategies and to encourage more information sharing with employees. Action Dave Reynolds 3. Provide seminars for EMS champions. Action Dave Reynolds 4.2 City of Calgary Citizens and Businesses December 2000 to June Inform the general public of the proposed initiatives for the City of Calgary. This can be accomplished through the medium of radio, television (e.g. Big Breakfast Show) and newspapers. Sending out a news release can encourage news coverage, which can save the cost of ads (but may not ensure The City s message is reported). Action Jake Pryor, Initiative Stewards 2. Develop an easy to understand record of some of our indicators (e.g. the number of street lights changed to date), which can be updated on a regular basis and presented to the public through a visible medium such as newspapers, public presentations and web sites. Action Initiative Stewards, Jake Pryor, Alanna Dean, Communications Specialist 3. Develop relationships with technical news writers to encourage them to cover new initiatives/developments at The City so the public can learn about the initiatives in a timely manner by reading articles. Action Jake Pryor 4. Coordinate the June Mayors Environment Expo to present the theme of climate change. Obtain sponsorships and ascertain that displays are consistent with our own messages about energy conservation and efficiency as it pertains to climate change. Action Jake Pryor 5. Work with website developer to provide web-assessable information about climate change, deregulation, The City of Calgary initiatives and strategies that homeowners and corporations can adopt. Action Communications Specialist 6. Develop a brochure on the climate change office. Proposed title Climate Change and You? Action Communications Specialist 8

13 7. Liaise with Clean Calgary to provide information sessions about deregulation and energy consumption and reduction strategies to interested organizations and corporations. Action Alanna Dean 8. Develop simple key (wheel, list) to demonstrate to the public the savings that can be accrued by implementing energy-saving strategies. Action Climate Change Office Ongoing 1. Liaise with other corporate representatives involved with climate change initiatives. Action Alanna Dean 2. Solicit support from governments for programs and funding. Action Climate Change Office 3. Work with external groups such as BOMA, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the BRZs and community associations to solicit the support of businesses who can help implement emissions reductions initiatives. Action- Climate Change Office. 4. Update and present to the public a record of some of our indicators as noted in the initial program. Action Communications Specialist 5. Develop demonstration programs (with hands-on props) for both grade schools and high schools. Take the programs into the schools to show a) the impacts of business as usual and b) how behavioral changes can reduce impacts. Action Communications Specialist 9

14 5.0 Communication Plan Summary Timing Message Media Stakeholder Aim Responsibility January 2001 Publish Corporate initiatives Internal , newsletters Internal - All A Dave Reynolds To June 2001 Provide technical info Corporate newsletter Internal - All C Alanna Dean To June 2001 Develop internal website Internet Internal - All A Communications specialist To June 2001 Develop brochure for internal actions Brochure Internal - All A,C Communications specialist To June 2001 Develop Power Point presentation Presentations Internal All A Dave Reynolds (GMs) Specialists (admin) To June 2001 Initiate one-on-one meetings Verbal communication Internal - All A,C Climate Change Office To June 2001 Inform public of initiatives Radio, television and newspapers External residential, commercial, community, news media B Program stewards, Communications specialist, Climate Jake Pryor To June 2001 Develop record of indicators Newspapers External - All A,B Program stewards, Jake Pryor, Alanna Dean, Communications specialist To June 2001 Develop relations with news writers Newspapers External - media B,D Jake Pryor To June 2001 Mayors Environment Expo Presentations External - All A,B,C, Jake Pryor D To June 2001 Develop external website Internet External - All B,D Communications specialist To June 2001 Develop brochure on climate change Brochure External - All B,D Communications specialist To June 2001 Liaise with Clean Calgary Presentations External outreach B,D Alanna Dean organizations To June 2001 Develop key of savings List, wheel External - All C,D Climate Change Office Ongoing Provide program information to employees Internal , newsletters Internal - All A,B,C, Stewards of the program D Ongoing Develop school programs Displays, Presentations External - schools B,D Communications specialist, Climate Change Specialists Ongoing Continue one-on-one meetings Verbal communication Internal - All A,B,C, Climate Change Office D Ongoing EMS seminars Verbal communication Internal EMS A,B Dave Reynolds Ongoing Liaise with climate change reps Verbal communication External -Corporations B,D Alanna Dean Ongoing Solicit government involvement Verbal communication, proposals External - governments C,D Climate Change Office Ongoing Work with external groups Verbal communication, External corporations, A,B,C, Climate Change Office presentations, proposals associations D Ongoing Update indicator records Newspapers External - All A,B Communications specialist Yearly Review and update Communication Action Plan Action Plan Internal Climate Change Office ** Note: All programs initiated before June 2001 will be continued as ongoing projects by the responsible party 10