Wednesday 27 June 2012

Dawson Creek -- One of Canada's Most Sustainable Urban Communities



Last September,  Dawson Creek BC announced a new initiative to help cut greenhouse gas pollution.  The City  pays $100 for each tonne of carbon emissions from the city's buildings, vehicles and other operations to Dawson Creek Carbon Fund which, in turn supports project which reduce greenhouse gas pollution within the comnmunity.  This innovative approach to reducing its own greenhouse gas pollution works towards meeting its own commitment of carbon neutrality in its operations by 2012, as committed to under the B.C. Climate Action Charter.  Dawson Creek worked closely with the Pembina Institute to design the Carbon Fund.

Dawson Creek is a recognized leader in British Columbia in implementing forward thinking
energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and policies. We recognize that taking
action to reduce emissions is one of the most significant things a municipality can do to
combat climate change, and we are excited to meet this challenge head-on. We have
successfully taken some first steps towards fulfilling our commitment to be carbon neutral
by 2012, and there is much more to do.(1)
The B.C. Climate Action Charter was developed to encourage local governments to make operations carbon neutral by 2012; to measure and report on community emissions; and to work towards creating more compact, complete, energy efficient communities. Dawson Creek is amongst the signatories of the Charter and is committed to being carbon neutral in its municipal operations by 2012.

For more information on the subject, refer to the following link

http://www.planningforpeople.ca/is/index.asp
Dawson Creek’s Strategy
(1)  On the Path to Carbon Neutral 

Tuesday 19 June 2012

When it comes to Alberta’s agri-foods sector, is bigger really better?


http://albertaventure.com/2012/06/when-it-comes-to-alberta%e2%80%99s-agri-foods-sector-is-bigger-really-better/

The following is an excerpt -- for the entire article please refer to the link above

Sizing up the competition - Jun 11, 2012  by Robin Schroffel

If there’s one thing that stands out about Alberta’s agri-foods industry, it’s that nobody stands out. While there are plenty of big companies selling into the Alberta market (Cargill, Olymel, Maple Leaf Foods, Lucerne, Agropur and McCain, to name a few), only one – meat processor XL Foods – is actually headquartered in the province.
What exactly are agri-foods, anyway?
In this industry report, we’ve used the term “agri-foods” to refer to items that have been somehow processed or manufactured, to which value has been added. But Lynn Stegman of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development says the phrase is often used as an umbrella term covering both processed and primary agricultural and food products. It would then include things like basic crops and livestock along with manufactured goods and biofuels.
Primary products (agriculture)
Basic crops and livestock produced from the natural resources of the Earth
Examples: cattle, unprocessed grains such as wheat and barley, legumes such as chickpeas and lentils
Value-added products (food and beverage manufacturing)
Primary agricultural products that have been manufactured to increase their value
Examples: meat, prepared mustard, pet food, beer, spun yarn
Biofuels
Fuels in which energy is derived from a biological carbon source, including vegetable oils, animal fats and crops
Examples: methane from biomass, ethanol, biodiesel