BCSEA Victoria Chapter meeting: Community-Based Energy; Is Small Beautiful?
Event Details
| Date & Time | Monday, January 10, 2011 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm |
|---|---|
| Host | BCSEA |
| Region | Victoria |
| Location | Burnside Gorge Community Association 471 Cecelia Road Victoria, BC Google Map |
| Contact | Michael Nation |
| fentart@yahoo.com | |
Join the BCSEA Victoria Chapter at our January meeting with featured guest: industrial ecologist Stephen Salter, speaking on "Community-Based Energy; Is Small Beautiful?"
Meetings are free, open to the public, and no registration is required. Tea and coffee are provided.
When it comes to bringing green energy to life, who has the natural advantage - small communities or larger ones? Which is more important - economies of scale, or a strong connection with place?
In our communities reducing greenhouse gas emissions, managing waste, and managing costs can seem like three competing challenges. Cities in Europe however, have found a solution to all three: integrated planning to recover energy and other resources from waste, including waste energy from industry. The question is, can lessons from Europe take root in BC?
Stephen will present current examples from three BC communities, discussing how their unique social, geographic, and economic context shaped their options for green energy. Recent studies in these communities have shown that community-based energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%, and that the energy projects can be self-sustaining economically.
The presentation will engage members in a discussion of the challenges of bringing alternative energy facilities into our neighbourhoods, the differences between the approaches of European and BC cities, and the differences between large and small communities concerning green energy in BC.
Stephen Salter PEng, LEED AP® is an industrial ecologist who works with industry and communities to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, by recovering value from sources such as municipal and industrial waste heat. Stephen is the principle of Farallon Consultants Limited.
