Vernon wasn‘t on the list of 62 communities who signed the Climate Action Charter in Vancouver Wednesday, but Mayor Wayne Lippert said it‘s still a possibility. Lippert and other leaders from across the province are gathered at the Union of BC Municipalities this week, pushing for and learning about a range of resolutions.
Lippert said he didn‘t deliberately avoid signing the charter. “Yesterday was a busy day with ministers and with the premier, so lots has been happening down here and the schedules are pretty tight.” The main goal for communities who sign the Climate Action Charter is to become carbon neutral by 2012. In addition, local governments pledge to measure and report on greenhouse gas emissions and to create more energy-efficient communities. The province expects more communities to sign on to the charter in the coming weeks.
Lippert said there‘s a chance Vernon could be one of them. “I would expect that we will certainly be looking at doing that. We want to work through council because I myself can‘t speak for council on it,” he said. Lippert said many other communities have a handful of members represented at UBCM, while it‘s just him and chief administrative officer Leon Gous representing Vernon. The North Okanagan Regional District did not sign the charter either. Nearby communities who signed the agreement include Spallumcheen and Kelowna. Brenda Binnie, UBCM president, said most local governments have responded quickly and positively to the charter. “The challenges posed by climate change require intergovernmental partnerships at all levels, so we anticipate many more signatories in the near future.” Cities who are going carbon neutral must measure the greenhouse gas emissions from their own buildings and fleet vehicles, then reduce them to zero either by purchasing carbon offsets or developing projects to offset emissions.----------------------
Don Quixote Note: Actually last Monday the Council voted 6-0 to sign the treaty. Apparently the Blackberry Message to our UBCM reps did not get through.
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