Okanagan municipalities team up to cut greenhouse gases
A new pilot program launched this week is bringing together the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, three partner municipalities and Okanagan College in an unique and innovative partnership to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. 
The Destination Conservation for Public Buildings pilot project will see the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen, City of Penticton, District of Summerland, Town of Oliver and Okanagan College’s Penticton Campus work together towards achieving the carbon-neutrality goals laid out in the 2007 B.C. Climate Action Charter. The project is coordinated by the Pacific Resource Conservation Society (PRCS) and sponsored by FortisBC and Terasen Gas. The Public Buildings project is modeled after the PRCS’s highly successful Destination Conservation program, which promotes carbon reduction and energy efficiency in schools. “We’re helping them build teams of staff from their organizations, including senior administrators, facilities staff, community outreach coordinators and others who will worktogether to develop sustainable transportation and energy reduction initiatives,” said Darla Simpson, Executive Director of PRCS. “Ultimately, the project participants will act as champions for sustainability in their communities to promote energy efficiency improvements and staff behavioural changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase cost savings.” The first phase of the project starts this week with a three-day training session for participants. The results of the initial project implementation and a review of the utility savings data will be completed by January 2011. “By taking a collective approach to this project, each organization will learn from each other and collaborate to bring improvements to both the individual communities and the region as a whole,” said Janice Johnson, Air Quality Program Coordinator for the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen.
