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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-11-076 - Observing Organization of Sustainable Waterloo~~~..~L 1~~ ~~1~~ G~~f~~~~~~ ~f L~~~ WWW.II~i~~~~~r.~~ REPORT T0: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETI NG: May 30, 2011 SUBMITTED BY: Alain Pinard, Director of Planning PREPARED BY: Carrie Musselman, Senior Environmental Planner 519-741-3400 x 3148 Barbara Steiner, Senior Environmental Planner, 519-741-2293 WARD(S) INVOL VED: All DATE OF REPORT: May 19, 2011 REPORT NO.: CSD-11-076 SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR THE CITY OF KITCHENER TO BECOME AN OBSERVING ORGANIZATION OF SUSTAINABLE WATERLOO RECOMMENDATION: That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute an agreement with Sustainable Waterloo, subject to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor, to enable the City of Kitchener to become a member of Sustainable Waterloo's Regional Carbon Initiative as an Observing Organization on the basis of the $5,000 membership fee being waived in the first year; and, That Mayor C. Zehr be appointed as a member of the Sustainable Waterloo Advisory Board, as a means of enhancing relationships with other organizations within Waterloo Region who are pursuing green house gas reductions; and further, That the Sustainable Waterloo membership fees be reviewed at the end of the first year. BACKGROUND: In 2009, the City provided financial support in the amount of $2,000 from Facilities Management's Energy Management Account; at that time Kitchener was identified as a sustaining partner of Sustainable Waterloo. Also in 2009, the City provided financial support through Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) in the amount of $35,000 to support the start- up of the organization; at that time, Kitchener was identified as a founding partner of Sustainable Waterloo. In 2011, the City once again provided financial support through LEAF in the amount of $43,650 to fund a business development function to assist in growing the Regional Carbon Initiative in Kitchener. At the Council meeting on May 9, 2011, Mike Morrice, Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo requested that the City of Kitchener join their membership as an "Observing Organization" on the basis of the $5,000 membership fee being waived in the first year. Mayor C. Zehr was also invited to sit as a member of their Advisory Board. Council requested that the matter be referred to the City's Environmental Committee for comment at their May 19, 2011 meeting; and a staff report including comments of the i-i 1 Staff Report Krr~.~-~~,i~iER CommunityServicesDepartment www.kitthenerta Environmental Committee be brought forward for consideration to the May 30, 2011 Community and Infrastructure Services Committee meeting. REPORT: Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are both natural and human made. Natural greenhouse gases play an important role in preventing the Earth's heat from escaping into space. The David Suzuki Foundation states that natural GHG levels in our atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, help to keep Earth warm, just like glass does in a typical greenhouse. However, the majority of today's scientists agree that human activity over the past century has increased the amount of GHGs in the Earth's atmosphere. Human made gases such as carbon dioxide (emitted from burning fossil fuels for energy or transportation), methane (emitted from cattle farming, landfills and the burning of fossil fuels) and nitrous oxide (released from chemical fertilizer and burning of fossil fuels) have increased the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. According to Sustainable Waterloo, there are four major benefits for a corporation that reduces its carbon emissions such as: • Bottom Line Cost Savings • Risk Mitigation • Attracting & Retaining Top Talent Green Branding & Reputation For the City of Kitchener, the main reasons to pursue GHG reductions would be cost savings, environmental responsibility and meeting our commitment to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection (PCP). Sustainable Waterloo's Regional Carbon Initiative Sustainable Waterloo is a not-for-profit that advances the environmental sustainability of organizations (both for-profit and not-for-profit) across Waterloo Region through collaboration. The current work of Sustainable Waterloo is focused on the Regional Carbon Initiative. Sustainable Waterloo's Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) facilitates voluntary target-setting and reductions of carbon emissions in organizations across Waterloo Region. Members of the RCI plug in to a community of support, linking like-minded organizations focused on implementing successful and cost-effective projects that result in GHG emission reductions. Reduction Framework The RCI reduction framework is a series of targets, and minimum reporting boundaries that consider organizations' need for flexibility, simplicity of data collection, and environmental concerns seriously. The first step in determining the City's potential to reduce GHG emissions is to conduct an inventory. When complete, the inventory may be used as a baseline from which a carbon reduction commitment (target) can be made and compared. The City of Kitchener has contemplated the completion of such an inventory since joining Partner for Climate Protection (PCP). 1-2 1 Staff Report Krr~:~~ivER CommunityServicesDepartment ~w.k~~~~~r~erca Working within the RCI reduction framework scope, and boundaries of an inventory and a expected reduction opportunities. Regional Carbon Initiative Member Benefits provides an opportunity to discuss the timing, baseline that accounts for available data and The following list itemizes the benefits of RCI membership: • An annual licence to Sustainable Waterloo's carbon accounting tool, with training and support for measuring and reporting carbon emission reductions; • Admission to quarterly educational forums and technical workshops, as well as access to a video archive of all previous events; • Open access to monthly peer-to-peer networking events co-hosted with Communitech; • Access to MemberLink, the RCI online community that centralizes all Sustainable Waterloo tools and services and includes a forum for member discussions; and • Credible third-party recognition of members' advancements toward environmentally sustainable operations through Sustainable Waterloo's year-end report, annual Evening of Recognition, ad-hoc media connections for members making notable reduction efforts, and the Sustainable Waterloo website. Membership Options The two membership options are as follows: • Pledging Partners report on, and work towards, carbon emission reductions through the use of services provided to members. Sustainable Waterloo publicly communicates the Pledging Partner's GHG reduction target and relevant actions. Amongst Pledging Partners, there are 3 levels: - Bronze Pledging Partners: 20%GHG reduction commitment over 10 years, or higher - Silver Pledging Partners: 40%GHG reduction commitment over 10 years, or higher - Gold Pledging Partners: 60%GHG reduction commitment over 10 years, or higher • Observing Organizations are provided with the same service offering as Pledging Partners and either use alternative programs to track and report their carbon emissions or are working towards participation in the future. Sustainable Waterloo communicates Observing Organizations actions and progress towards GHG reductions. Alianment with Partners for Climate Protection Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) is a partnership between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) - Local Governments for Sustainability. PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments who have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change. Kitchener has been a member since 1998. The PCP offers a plan (five-milestone framework to reduce GHGs), resources (members have access to useful resources and information, including case studies, templates, technical assistance and newsletters) and networking (PCP offers valuable opportunities to share 1-3 1 KITCx~i~~R Staff Re ort p Camrn unity Services Departm ent ~w.k~~~~~r~erca experiences with more than 150 participating municipalities, and with an international network of municipal governments). Becoming an Observing Organization with Sustainable Waterloo will be consistent with our membership in FCM's PCP, as both associations provide flexibility for member organizations to implement and achieve greenhouse gas reduction programs and targets as best suits their organizations. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Becoming an Observing Organization with Sustainable Waterloo supports the community priority `environment' of the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan and supports initiatives found within the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Air Quality in Kitchener. Becoming an Observing Organization will also help achieve the Citizens' Vision for the Environment (2027), in which our community focuses significant energy and resources on becoming more environmentally friendly. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The fees will be waived for the City of Kitchener in the first year of membership as an Observing Organization in light of the City's historic and current support of Sustainable Waterloo. Prior to renewing our agreement with Sustainable Waterloo the City will have an opportunity to re-evaluate the agreement and membership fees. The annual membership fee ranges from $500 to $5,000 and is determined by the number of employees within an organization as outlined below. # of Employees of Observing Organization 1-5 6-10 11-25 26-50 51- 100 101- 500 501 + Total Annual Fee $500 $700 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 Kitchener would be paying $5,000 annually if the fees were not waved. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: At the May 19, 2011 Environmental Committee meeting Mike Morrice from Sustainable Waterloo attended and gave a presentation that outlined the benefits of becoming an Observing Organization. In response to the presentation members asked the following questions: • Are there any negatives to joining? • Will joining Sustainable Waterloo be consistent with the work the City is doing? • What happens at the end of the first year? In response to the committees first two questions staff advised that there does not appear to be any harm in join Sustainable Waterloo and that becoming an Observing Organization is consistent with the work the City has agree to as a members in FCM's PCP. Mike Morrice responded to the final question and advised that at the end of the first year the City should be in 1-4 1 Staff Report Krr~.~-~~,i~iER CommunityServicesDepartment www.kitthenerta a better position to make voluntary target-setting and reductions of carbon emissions and moving towards participation as a Pledging Partner. The committee expressed support for the proposal put forth by Mike Morrice and requests that the committee endorse the recommendation contained within. CONCLUSION: The City becoming an observing organization with Sustainable vvaterloo will support a number of City environmental initiatives and continue the City's commitment towards improving air quality and climate protection by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Mike Selling, Acting Deputy CAO Community Services Department 1-5