Energy

How will we heat our buildings when we no longer use fossil fuels? It’s a really big and urgent question that is rarely discussed.

Last week I had to address the problem for Island Health, whose facilities managers are working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of their hospitals and other buildings on Vancouver Island, here in British Columbia.

How do you heat a hospital, if you are not using oil or natural gas?

Well, not quite. Calling all electrical and mechanical engineers….

If you were asked to visit a multi-unit building complex, analyze its efficiency and recommend the best energy efficiency upgrades, how confident would you be about doing so?

How quickly should a utility ramp up or down its energy conservation programs in response to changing circumstances?

FortisBC’s electric utility in south-central BC raised that question forcefully in its latest energy conservation plan, which it has submitted to the Utilities Commission for approval.

by Jessica McIlroy

MP Elizabeth May, Mayor Diane Watts, and Chief Kim Baird have all spoken at a BC Women in Energy Network (BC WEN) because they recognise the importance in supporting women’s leadership and involvement in the industry. These high profile supporters of the BC WEN are only a small part of the community of women, and men, who have taken part in events to educate and connect those interested in the energy industry.

On Friday, September 27th, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will release Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, Part 1 of its Fifth Assessment Report.  The actual report will be available here on September 30th. 

In the run-up to its release, climate zombies around the world have been in panic mode, spreading disinformation, lies and nonsense in an attempt to confuse you as to the clearly established scientific truth about climate change. Warning: do not be fooled by these false reports. They are dangerous to your mental health, and to the health of the planet. More....

Energy issues featured prominently in the recent provincial election, with strong accents on both audacious development and sustainability. The new government faces immediate decisions on a couple of key energy issues: liquefied natural gas exports and BC Hydro’s planning. What do these look like from a sustainability perspective?

Dear Prospective Member of the BC Legislature,

Please, let’s not beat about the bush.

We know healthcare and education are important, and so are debt-repayment and many other things. But we’re all together on this one small planet, sharing our berths on the Good Ship Civilization, and as a direct result of the fuel we’ve been burning and other careless activities a god-almighty storm is bearing down on us, with the ability to toss our puny boat up in the air and down into the depths, wrecking everything we love and care about, from our children and grandchildren to our forests and food, our furry friends and our future.