Road to B.C. carbon neutrality goes through clarification

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VANCOUVER — The road to carbon neutrality will be long, complicated and expensive for B.C. schools, universities, colleges, health authorities and Crown corporations, and time is running out.

The provincial public sector has until 2010 to report its baseline greenhouse gas emissions, reduce those emissions as much as possible and purchase carbon offsets to cover the rest.

The province has provided a range of suggestions to kick-start the initiative, ranging from big-ticket items such as retrofits and more efficient vehicles to small steps such as urging staff to use stairs instead of elevators, turning off lights when not in use and using tap water instead of bottled water.

But many are still struggling to figure out what carbon neutrality really means.

“Carbon neutrality is a very difficult measure,” said Connie Denesiuk, president of the B.C. School Trustees’ Association. “Boards are making significant efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, but to actually determine carbon neutrality is a challenge.”

Meanwhile, school districts are trying to calculate what it will cost them if they aren’t carbon neutral by next year. The two largest districts — Surrey and Vancouver — believe they will have to purchase carbon offsets initially, which will compound their financial challenges.

The province has stated that public-sector bodies that are not carbon-neutral will be required to offset their emissions by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gases.

Vancouver Sun