Canada West Foundation Blog

By: Shawna Stirrett

There are many benefits to be had from improving the environmental performance of Canadian cities. Residents can benefit from improved aesthetics, lower water treatment costs, higher property values, increased air quality, the attraction and retention of skilled workers and much more. General environmental benefits can include reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improved water and air quality, less fragmented ecosystems and improved biodiversity.

And the good news is that we have a pretty good sense of how these environmental improvements can be realized. There are many different tools for, and principles of, creating more sustainable cities that individuals, businesses, communities and municipal governments can employ. Outlining these tools is the focus of Canada West Foundation’s most recent report Tools of the Trade: Urban Environmental Improvement Options.

The real challenge, however, isn’t in knowing what to do but rather in implementing the good ideas that we already have. Many people are well aware of the environmental benefits of recycling, composting, improved energy efficiency and transit-oriented development. The fact remains, though, that we are not using these tools as much as we could in Canadian cities for myriad reasons.

Let’s take, as an example, a very simple environmental tool like the use of rain barrels to harvest rainfall.

Rain barrels are used to capture and store rainwater for later use on lawns and gardens. The environmental and economic benefits of rain barrels are clear. Using rainwater is better for your lawn and garden because it is not chlorinated and contains many of the minerals that your soil needs for healthy plant growth. Rain barrels also save money as you are not paying for water to be treated, transported and metered by the city. It’s a clear environmental and economic win-win.

So, given that, why wouldn’t everyone use rain barrels?

Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to confess I do not have a rain barrel. I’m not trying to be hypocritical, and I would love to have one, but I live in a condo and our condo board does not allow rain barrels because they are unsightly and ruin the grass and I don’t have enough space on my patio for both a rain barrel and a barbeque.

I also find that I’m not alone in this. Using a very informal survey methodology (I asked my friends on Facebook), I have discovered that while only a few of my friends actually use rain barrels currently, almost everyone wants to use them. For those not using them, their reasons include laziness, aesthetics, cost of the rain barrel and living in a condo or apartment. The most frequently cited reason was living in a condo or an apartment building.

This raises the question for me: if we want to encourage higher density living and smaller carbon footprints, then why are we not designing environmental products that can be used by a variety of people in different types of housing?

Conventional rain barrels can hold about 45 gallons of water, are made of plastic, cost around $70 and come in a couple different colour options. While there is no question that these rain barrels work for many people, they also don’t work for many others as my survey and personal experience testifies. Rain barrels are really big, for starters, meaning that unless you have a house or a very large deck they are impractical. They are also somewhat awkward to use. The downspouts are located at the bottom and they often have to be positioned on cinder blocks so that you can access the water inside them. Finally, they are ugly and do little for the overall aesthetic of your yard and garden.

If we really want more people to use rain barrels as a way to make cities more environmentally friendly, we need to think about the full picture. It’s not going to be enough to tell people they should be using rain barrels, we need to be thinking about why they aren’t and designing solutions that are holistic and practical. We need to remember that “Good design is not about color, style or trends—but instead about thoughtfully considering the user, the experience, the social context and the impact of an object on the surrounding environment” (Inhabitat).

For a good example of how good design can change our relationship with environmental products, check out some innovative rain barrels by clicking here.
 

By: Robert Roach

The federal government recently announced a “Plan for Responsible Resource Development” that will streamline the federal regulatory review process. While this is a step in the right direction, a report from the Canada West Foundation being published on May 3 argues that the task at hand is much larger. Keeping Pace: Improving Environmental Decision-Making in Canada reveals an environmental decision-making process that, while one of the best in the world, is dogged by a number of significant shortcomings. These weaknesses include insufficient integration of scientific research; a lack of clarity regarding exactly what trade-offs between environmental protection and economic development are acceptable to the government of the day; and the ongoing need to ensure that the various government departments and agencies at the federal and provincial levels are cooperating as much as possible.

You can download this timely new report for free from the Canada West Foundation website on Thursday.

A new publication released by the Canada West Foundation illustrates Canada’s current energy reality and highlights opportunities for a bright energy future.

Catching a Rising Tide: A Western Energy Vision for Canada by Sheila O’Brien and Shawna Ritchie, draws from one-on-one conversations with 50 leading western Canadian experts in energy and the environment who share their vision for energy. Energy has been an important centerpiece in public policy discussions for the last half-century, conversations which are now part of a global debate.

“Western Canada has expertise in the production of various energy resources, but we have also had to address the need for sustainable and responsible development and the reality of unequal resource distribution—making our energy reality a microcosm of global energy production,” notes authors O’Brien and Ritchie. “This gives western Canada’s vision for energy particular importance in national discussions about where energy should and could go in the future.”

Canada has the opportunity to become a supplier of choice for energy products, services and expertise, supported by environmental and social records that define our values as a nation and give us a stronger voice internationally. However, achieving this vision will be a challenge for all Canadians regardless of where they live. As the Foundation’s President and CEO, Dr. Roger Gibbins explains, Catching a Rising Tide, “provides a model for western Canadian thought leadership on the big national policy issues of the day, setting out creative options rather than narrow prescriptions.”

To purchase a copy of Catching a Rising Tide: A Western Energy Vision for Canada, click here.

On June 29th, 2011, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Canada West Foundation released the research report Changing the Climate: A Policy Framework for Canada’s New Energy Environment. The report is the product of a series of high-profile events by the same name, focused on energy, the environment and the way forward for Canada.

Changing the Climate emphasized three main priorities for a robust Canadian energy strategy:

• Strengthening Canada’s energy relationship with the United States and with Asia Pacific markets;
• Driving continuous improvement on environmental performance across the energy system without adversely impacting the economy; and
• Building cooperation across the Canadian federation on energy issues.

“A Canadian energy strategy must respect the constitutional division of powers and responsibilities for energy development between the federal government and the provinces and territories,” said Dr. Roger Gibbins, President & CEO of the Canada West Foundation. “Canada’s regions have unique energy circumstances; however, there is potential for shared action.”

Critical action areas that a Canadian energy framework needs to address include intergovernmental collaboration; regulatory enhancement; environmental performance; national carbon management; energy efficiency; energy market diversification; energy sector innovation; and workforce issues in the energy sector.

The greater series brought together thought leaders from business, government and the broader community in the United States and Canada to discuss and analyze energy and environmental policy issues critical to Canada’s future.

Changing the Climate was released in anticipation of the 2011 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference, hosted by Alberta from July 16 – 19, 2011, where the topic of a Canadian energy strategy will be discussed.

To download Changing the Climate: A Policy Framework for Canada’s New Energy Environment, click here.

Three new publications from the Canada West Foundation highlight the variety of views western Canadians have about environmental, energy and water issues. The results from a survey commissioned by the foundation are compiled in three separate reports under the Attitudes to Energy and the Environment Initiative.

Reading the Meter: Western Canadian Opinions on Energy Issues outlines the variety of views western Canadians have about energy issues including the economic importance of the energy sector, support for green energy, and the future of the oil sands.

Green Expectations: Western Canadian Opinions on Environmental Issues highlights a fundamental tension in the public mindset: Canadians need and want energy but worry that energy production and consumption are damaging the environment.

Water Worries: Western Canadian Opinions Toward Paying More for Water shows that western Canadians are worried about the long-term supply of fresh water and that they are willing to pay more for water if doing so results in more conservation.

“As westerners, we know that the energy sector helps butter our economic bread by providing jobs, stimulating investment and generating government revenue,” notes the survey’s principle investigator Robert Roach. “At the same time, there is a strong degree of apprehension about one of the country’s (indeed the world’s) largest natural resource assets—the Alberta oil sands. While outright opposition to the oil sands is quite low in the West, large numbers of westerners would like to see better environmental results, even if this means slowing the pace of development,” adds Roach.

The results examined in these three publications are drawn from a survey conducted by Environics Research Group Limited. The survey was conducted by telephone in late 2010 with 1,202 western Canadians (300 per province) 18 years and older. The results are accurate +/-2.8 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Attitudes to Energy and the Environment is part of the Canada West Foundation’s Powering Up for the Future Project, which focuses on public policy challenges at the interface of the economy, the environment and energy.

To download the Attitudes to Energy and Environment publications, click here.

Latest research conducted by Canada West Foundation has identified broad agreement that a well designed Canadian energy strategy would contribute to a secure and prosperous future for Canada.

Finding Common Ground: The Next Step in Developing a Canadian Energy Strategy by authors William Kimber, Vice President, Research and Dr. Roger Gibbins, President & CEO, was released today as part of the Canada West Foundation’s Powering Up Project.

Between 2009 and now, a wide range of stakeholder groups including: the energy industry, environmental organizations, leaders of Canada’s top enterprises and policy experts in academia and think tanks have released papers and statements calling for reform of Canada’s energy policy framework.

The Common Ground paper is the first to provide a synthesis of these various initiatives and points of view, and identifies eight interconnected themes from this impressive body of work. These common themes are:

• embrace Canada’s energy diversity as a strength;
• ensure robust environmental stewardship;
• set a price for carbon;
• transform the demand side of the energy system;
• strengthen Canada’s position in the world;
• promote energy security in the North American context;
• drive innovation and technological development; and
• understand that strategy is a dialogue.

“The research shows that there is much that diverse stakeholders across Canada can agree on.” Co-author Will Kimber commented. “The common view is that we need an energy strategy for Canada, and we need it now.”

While impressive progress has already been made, there is much more work to be done. The report therefore proposes three next steps to ensure that momentum for policy reform is not lost.

To download Finding Common Ground: The Next Step in Developing a Canadian Energy Strategy, click here.

Canada West Foundation has released a new report on the green economy and its potential to diversify the Western Canadian economy. The Green Grail: Economic Diversification and the Green Economy in Western Canada, by Robert Roach, Senior Economist, focuses on the connection between the green economy and its potential to contribute to the diversification of the western Canadian economy.

Eight representatives from western Canadian companies active in the green economy were interviewed to address challenges and prospects. These include:

• The hurdle of commercialization and the lack of venture capital at this critical point in the business development process;
• A domestic market that tends to shy away from home grown options in favour of what can be imported from Europe, the US or Asian and the tendency among Canadians to see early adoption as too risky;
• The preference for large and capital-intensive energy (especially electricity) projects over facilitating small-scale additions to the grid; and
• Politically inconsistent environmental mandates in jurisdictions where green companies are operating.

While the emerging green economy in western Canada faces a variety of challenges, growing cultural consciousness and the desire for government to create a positive framework around which green businesses can develop and flourish are promising.

To download the full report, The Green Grail: Economic Diversification and the Green Economy in Western Canada, click here.