| La ville de Prince George passe au vert |
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À l'instar d'autres municipalités progressives au Canada, la ville de Prince George du nord de la Colombie-Britannique est arrivée à la conclusion que les avantages à long terme de se convertir au vert surclassent les difficultés et les défis qui surviendront au cours du périple...
Like other progressive municipalities in Canada, the City of Prince George in Northern British Columbia concluded that the long-term benefits of going green outweigh the difficulties and challenges that will be faced along the way. As Mayor Colin Kinsley pointed out, “Energy reduction makes sense, both environmentally and financially”.1 To ensure continued commitment to the project, The City of Prince George has awarded Energy Advantage Inc the position of Energy Management Coordinator to gain expertise on future energy management projects, overcome initial challenges and make the most of the opportunities of going green. The City of Prince George, which has a population of 77,000, has committed itself to reducing total community emissions to 2% below 2002 levels by 2012. It is a project that is estimated to cost $825,000. And Mayor Kinsley hopes that they will succeed over and above this goal. An immediate area of concern that prompted the Municipality to engage in energy reducing projects was a perceived reduction in air quality in the city of Prince George. Large factories and businesses that conformed to outdated environmental legislation were now seen to be emitting excessive quantities of pollutants to the detriment of the local environment. As local concerns mounted, wider global preoccupations with climate change and Social Responsibility also became more pressing. According to data gathered by the city, Prince George produced 1.237 million tonnes of GHG (greenhouse gases) in 2002, of which 7,080 tonnes were emitted by the City of Prince George’s operations and facilities. If the city were to continue emitting at this level without doing anything, emissions were estimated to grow to 1.352 million tonnes by 2012.2 Clearly something needed to be done… Since taking the decision to reduce energy consumption and emissions, The City of Prince George has embarked on a Community Energy System where water will be heated at a central plant before being supplied to city buildings. Individual boilers will fast become redundant, which will see an immediate decrease in buildings’ energy consumption. Furthermore, the central plant will be fuelled by renewables, such as biomass, which will reduce the level of GHGs and pollutants being emitted. The City of Prince George is also the first in Canada to pilot an energy saving streetlight system. The project involves testing light-sensing controls in 170 streetlights. During off peak hours when there are few pedestrians and vehicles around, the streetlights will be dimmed. The city expects to reduce its energy use and costs by approximately 40% through this system.3 “The City of Prince George is a model of how municipal governments should be dealing with energy and the environment. A portfolio approach of new alternative energy sources, efficiency projects, and community-involved awareness programs will lead to a variety of benefits for the city, and not just the typical fiscal cost reduction benefits, but many city’s find that energy projects are a strong community building platform for the government” says Roslyn McMann, Energy Advantage Account Manager for The City of Prince George, Both projects, funded in part by the BC Hydro Power Smart Energy Managers program, will play an important role in helping the city reach the targets it has set for itself. In addition to these two projects the City of Prince George is looking to become a leader in energy efficiency in their own facilities. As Energy Management Coordinator for the City, Energy Advantage will use its Total Energy & Environmental Management Approach to find efficiency opportunities and create a sustainable program to reduce energy usage. Solutions can range from building energy awareness and an energy conservation mentality, to retrofitting lights, to developing optimized operational and maintenance procedures or simulating building design. It will also develop plans that allow The City employees to implement and sustain ongoing energy efficiency practices. - 30 -
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1http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/pages/media2005/2005_01_06.html |