Correspondence from District of Highlands re: Municipal Survivor Climate Challenge
A challenge from the District of Highlands Mayor for other councils to measure and reduce their average carbon footprints.
File: 0400.04 February 26, 2019
Association of Vancouver Island Costal Communities Local Governments
Dear Neighbour:
RE: MUNICIPAL SURVIVOR CLIMATE CHALLENGE
The District of Highlands Council would like to challenge all of the AVICC Local Governments to a Municipal Survivor Climate Challenge.
The goal of the challenge is to initiate a fun and friendly local government competition with each participating council measuring their average “One-Planet Living” footprint of the Mayor and Council members, who then take steps in their daily lives over the next year to reduce their average footprint. Highlands Council believes this fun competition can show community leadership while assisting in education and building local resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
The calculator we are using is: https://www.footprintcalculator.org. This easy to use online tool gives the following data based on subjective inputs by individuals:
- How many Earth’s would be required if everyone lived like that person
- Ecological footprint (how many hectares of land are required)
- Carbon footprint (tonnes of CO2)
The District of Highlands hopes to launch this competition on Earth Day 2019 (April 22) and the competition would run for one year, until Earth Day 2020.
What would be involved?
Each council member would determine their personal results prior to April 22, 2019 using the footprint calculator. Your Council’s average results for the three items above would be calculated (this responsibility could be assigned to a council or staff member) and the averaged results would be forwarded to the District of Highlands via the Corporate Officer: tneurauter@highlands.ca. Then throughout the year council participants would work towards lowering their initial results. Come Earth Day 2020 the same participants will once again take the challenge and the councils average would then again be forwarded to the District of Highlands. Highlands will summarize the results and relay them back to you. Again, these are combined averages and not individual results.
Goals of the Challenge:
- to educate
- to engage community and the region in a simple fun way
- to invite information community participation by expanding the survey to residents
- to attract media coverage
- to demonstrate community leadership in responding to the climate crisis
- to build local resilience
- to gain more support for climate policies and initiatives
- to empower individuals to take action
Join our carbon footprint duel!
Two documents are attached for your reference; a one-page poster including District of Highlands Council’s average figures, and the original information memo from Councillor Ann Baird.
If you have any questions regarding this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the District of Highlands at 250-474-1773.
Yours truly,
Ken Williams, Mayor District of Highlands
1980 Millstream Road, Victoria, B C V6B 6H1 Tel: (250) 474-1773 Fax: (250) 474-3677 Web: www.highlands.ca
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