For the sixth straight year, the Township of Esquimalt has been recognized as a climate action leader by the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
The Green Communities Committee awarded the Township a Level 3 recognition, “Accelerating Progress on Charter Communities” as a result of their swift action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.
“Our community is extremely aware of environmental issues,” says Mayor Barb Desjardins. “When something like this comes forward, it feeds back to the community to say, yes we are actually doing what we’re advocating for.”
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Since Esquimalt signed onto the Climate Action Charter in 2008, the Township has maintained its commitment to working with the province and UBCM to take action through LED street light replacement, prepping the new OCP to include policies reducing GHG emissions and installing solar pedestrian crosswalk signals.
“Absolutely everything in Esquimalt is looked at through a climate action lens,” Desjardins says, adding the recognition means the Township is making strides toward their goals.
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In 2017, the Township produced 1,307 tonnes of GHG emissions with 75 per cent emitted by municipal buildings and 25 per cent from the municipality’s fleet of vehicles.
Those numbers were calculated on behalf of the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program, garnering $36,642 for the Township’s Sustainability Reserve Fund.