ReThink Red Deer
Planning Ahead
What sustainability and environmental events, courses or activities is your group working on? Share your information here, so that as a community we can collaborate in scheduling, planning, and building momentum for sustainability.
Posted in Collaboration - Group to Group by: lornedaniel 2010/04/17 1 Comments
It's too late to hope for sustainability
The Cover of Saturday's Red Deer Advocate (03/20/10):
"It's too late to hope for sustainability"
Professor says our best response is to embrace change from global warming
by Paul Cowley - Advocate Staff
In the face of global climate change, communities should stop thinking in terms of sustainability or the status quo, says a Univeristy of Alberta professor.
"You need to start thnking in terms of resilience," said Debra Davidson, an associate professor in the Edmonton university's Department of Renewable Resources. Sustainability - which has become a buzzword in most municipal planning - suggests achieving some cort of stable state that can be maintained.
These days are gone, Davidson suggested at the Local Government Administration Association's Annual Conference in Red Deer earlier this week. "What climate change is really telling us is there is no normal anymore - there is no going back."
In that environment, it makes sense to embrace change and make sure communities have the infrastructure and organization to adapt to new challenges. Davidson counts herself among those who have given up on the United Nations' ability to effectively respond to climate change. Local government has a better chance of responding more progressively.
For Alberta, climate change is most likely to lead to longer, although not necessarily hotter, summers, warmer winters, and extreme weather patterns. which could spawn more droughts, floods or blizzards. Water cycles could be affected by earlier spring runoffs and smaller snow melts.
"We're more than likely to experience once-in-a-lifetime storms more than once in a lifetime."
Local governments can take action, first, by undertaking a vulnerability assessment to see where they are most vulnerable. Davidson recommends communities create buffers to cope with shortages of water, food, energy, and other necessities. Being prepared could also mean ensuring drainage systems are able to cope with higher-than-normal runoff or other environmental changes.
And while economists have been calling for improved efficiency for decades, communities must look at increasing redundancy so they are not reliant on one critical piece of infrastructure.
"If all your water is in a single place and that reservoir gets compromised you're in trouble."
While climate change remains sobering, Davidson offers some hope. Humans are contradictory in that they typically loathe change, but are at the same time, amazingly able to adapt. "Generally, when change happens we have the capability and the capacity to adjust."
Posted in General Sustainability by: renemichalak 2010/03/21 1 Comments
Getting from Guilty to Green
Do you feel sometimes feel guilty about not being 'green' enough?
Here's an opinion post that you might identify with, from Life As A Human.
Posted in General Sustainability by: lornedaniel 2010/03/09 0 Comments
City annouces environmental plan
City to develop environmental plan
The City of Red Deer will develop its first comprehensive Environmental Master Plan as a key step towards identifying, prioritizing and addressing Red Deer’s environmental issues.
City council approved to spend $200,000 within the 2010 operating budget on the planning document.
“We’re looking at an environmental master plan that will guide the city over the next 20 to 25 years,” said Environmental Services manager Tom Warder.
Warder said the city will look at a wide range of issues, including water and air quality, land resources and energy consumption.
The public will be asked to give input on concerns and priorities.
Extensive research will also be done on current corporate environmental initiatives and anticipated environmental regulatory requirements.
When it’s finished, the plan is expected to guide decisions on the design of major capital projects and infrastructure upgrades to anticipate future requirements.
The master plan didn’t receive unanimous approval.
Councillor Gail Parks voted against the plan because she said the city shouldn’t be spending so much during tougher economic times.
“The economic picture coming out of Ottawa is slow,” Parks said later. “Ultimately, we need that study but I thought it could wait.”
Parks said $40,000 of the budgeted amount will be tax-supported. The remainder would be utility funded through water, wastewater and waste management fees.
Overall, the Environmental Services Department has budgeted $54.7 million in total expenditures, $54.1 million in revenues, with a net tax levy of more than $600,000.
- Red Deer Advocate, Tuesday January 19, 2010
Posted in City Planning by: from Red Deer Advocate 2010/01/19 0 Comments
Mayor Flewwelling on Sustainability
We are pleased to announce that Mayor Morris Flewwelling will be joining City Manager Craig Curtis for the first ReThink Red Deer presentation of 2010. The Mayor and City Manager will provide information on steps that The City is taking to meet its sustainability goals.
Join us at the RDC Margaret Parsons Theatre on January 21 for a discussion.
Posted in City Planning by: lornedaniel 2010/01/11 0 Comments
