Told solar wouldn’t work in their town in southern Alberta, Raymond installed solar everywhere and became the first municipality to reach net-zero electricity in Canada. Since then many have followed suit. This is their story.
Alberta burned it’s last lump of coal to produce electricity on June 16, 2024 at 10:57 pm. This represents the largest emissions reduction action in Canada. We look at what it all means and where Alberta goes from here in our interview with Scott MacDougall of the Pembina Institute.
When Vancouver’s former Mayor Gregor Robertson came up with the campaign slogan of creating the greenest city who knew it would be his most popular focus area. Robertson, Vancouver’s longest-serving mayor left office after 10 years in 2018. He’s moved on, but we look back at his idea of creating the Greenest City in the World.
On the occaision of their 10th anniversary, we speak to The Energy Mix publisher Mitchell Beer who founded the independent media service 10 years ago. Since then they have published 30,000 stories on climate change.
Edmonton has a goal of planting 2 million trees to help fight climate change and make a much more beautiful city. We dive deep to explore their efforts to plant trees, naturalize landscapes and expand the urban canopy and build a climate-resilient city.
We meet up with Sarah Delano of Parkdale Cromdale Community League to learn all about living local, food foraging, community gardens and their solar-powered community league. Parkdale Cromdale has even created its own art walk with 64 panels of local community created art spread along a trail in one of the City’s ravines.
Seattle Architect Michael Eliason believes we can build affordable, family-friendly multifamily #housing that doesn’t suck and can help with the affordable housing and climate crises. They’re called Point Access Blocks.
Stop pitting oil and gas against renewables already. Alberta could be a powerhouse in the New Energy Economy if reduces emissions in oil and gas to remain competitive and embraces the economic potential of its clean energy resources.
On the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day, we talk to Denis Hayes the coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970. Earth Day defined environmentalism in the 1970, but sadly being green in 2023 is as hard as ever as we learn from Hayes who bemoans political populism and the incredibly challenging mother of all environmental issues – Climate Change.
As a young economics grad Hazel Thayer did some reading on the climate crisis and decided the “grown-ups” were not going to solve it. So she started a TikTok channel where in 60 seconds or less she blends comedy with facts in short videos. Oh, and she’s already racked up 120k followers while doing it. This week on GreenEnergyFutures.ca meet Hazel Thayer AKA @hazelisonline She just might be the Rick Mercer of TikTok.
So many climate plans – so little action. Oslo, Norway is bucking that trend by creating the first Carbon Budget in a City and taking the boots to carbon emissions. We talk to Heidi Sorensen of the Oslo Climate Agency about what they are doing and why it’s working.
One of the coolest things about Edmonton, Alberta is its community leagues. There are 162 volunteer groups representing every neighbourhood in the city doing everything from running sports, cultural and recreational programs, to operating halls, tennis courts and skating rinks AND as it turns out taking action on Climate Change. Interest in solar, energy efficiency, local food and sustainability was so high the Edmonton Federation started the Green Leagues program – this week we find out what’s happening in the ‘hoods.
James Regulinski wanted to accelerate investment in climate solutions so he co-founded Carbon Collective, an investment advisory focused on climate action. They operate a Climate-only Portfolio of stocks based on their 2022 Climate Index.
Most of the Canadian town of Lytton, B.C. burned down in June 2021 just as they set a new national record temperature of 49.6C for Canada. Then came the floods, the snow, and bitter winter temperatures. The Kanaka Bar Indian Band is determined to build back better – but what does that look like?
Alberta’s electricity was 81% coal-fired in 1981. By 2023 it will reach 0%. Now for the hard part – getting to net-zero. Green Energy Futures talks to economist Dr. Blake Shaffer about how to go the distance and reach net-zero emissions.
We take a peek behind the scenes at COP26 at the battle over eliminating fossil fuel subsidies with Eddy Peréz of the Climate Action Network from Canada. He’s following the COP26 machinations closely and he says 1.5 degrees is only possible with the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies. Mitchell Beer of The Energy Mix talks to Eddy Peréz from COP26.
The federal government has big climate plans and cities and municipalities are where the climate action is – you’d think they would work pretty closely together. But “It’s fairly limited,” Allison Ashcroft says. “Procedurally, there’s little to no direct engagement between ministers and elected officials,” nor between policy staff at key federal governments and practitioners in local government.
#COP26TinyExplainer – Faith groups want accelerated action on climate change, but they also want a just transition. Mitchell Beer talks to Karri Munn-Venn of Citizens for Public Justice from Canada at COP26. They discuss the gap between ambition and action and social justice and the role of faith groups in fighting for climate action at COP26.
#COP26TinyExplainers – Sophia Mathur is one of the millions of youth around the world who have been inspired to fight for climate action by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. We talk to Sophia Mathur of Sudbury, Ontario from COP26 in Glasgow. She was the first Canadian youth to participate in a climate strike, was a winner of the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2019 along with Greta Thunberg and she’s at COP26 pushing for action.
#COP26TinyExplainer – Coal is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions. Binnu Jeyakamur says Canada is leading in the phase-out of coal but the question that remains is will it be replaced with clean energy? Mitchell Beer talks to Jeyakumar of the Pembina Institute about coal phase-out, replacing it with clean energy, Canada’s actions on coal and COP26.
