VANCOUVER ISLAND NEWS: City of Courtenay Issues its first “State of the Environment Report”
Courtenay Continuing to Reduce its Footprint on Environment
The City of Courtenay in the Comox Valley region of Vancouver Island has issued its first “State of the Environment Report” with updates on targets for air quality, water consumption, transportation, land use, waste, and energy.
“The City has committed to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020,” states Nancy Hofer, the City’s Environmental Planner and report co-author. “In order to meet that goal, the City will need to continue to explore efficiencies in transportation, buildings, and solid waste in its corporate operations as well as the community at large.”
“The State of the Environment Report is colourful, succinct and only four pages. The objective is to raise community awareness of what we mean by the phrase ‘ecological footprint’; as well as how the City is drawing on readily available data to measure impacts and set targets. For each target area, the report addresses three questions: Where are we now? How are we reaching our targets? What can you do to help?”
“So far the City has received positive feedback on the readability of the document and its ease of use. The City is exploring how to use the data from the many environmental groups and social justice groups in the Valley to incorporate the data that they have been collecting. We hope that other local governments will find the approach and format helpful in communicating key messages.”
TO LEARN MORE:
To read a story posted on the Vancouver Island Water community-of-interest, click on City of Courtenay Issues its first “State of the Environment Report”.
To download a copy of the report, click on “State of the Environment 2013”
The City is one of four Comox Valley local governments that are collaborating in a forum known as the Comox Valley Leadership Team of “Convening for Action on Vancouver Island” (CAVI). Through collaboration, the four are striving for consistent application of strategies and tools to achieve watershed goals.
