Whistler is Making BIG MOVES for our Climate. When we act together, small steps become BIG MOVES
Whistler’s Climate Action BIG MOVES Strategy identifies the six most impactful action areas we need to focus on as a community to reduce emissions and make Whistler a more climate resilient community. We all have a role to play! The RMOW, in partnership with Whistler’s environmental charity AWARE, has created Small Steps for BIG MOVES: 12 months of climate actions we can each take to support Whistler’s six BIG MOVES.
TAKE ACTION! This February, let’s:
Turn down the heat
Being smart about managing our heat at home and at work moves the dial on Big Move #5: Make existing buildings better.
Whistler's community energy consumption for 2019 totalled 3.5 M GJ, which represented a 3 per cent increase compared to 2018.
Electricity is the most prevalent type of energy consumed in Whistler at 39 per cent of the total consumption, followed by vehicle fuels (31 per cent), and natural gas (27 per cent). In 2019, buildings accounted for 39 per cent of Whistler’s greenhouse gas emissions, mainly related to energy use for space and water heating. The increased use of natural gas in recent years is moving Whistler in the wrong direction on our climate goals as natural gas is 16 times more emissions intensive than electricity in BC.
In the midst of the winter months we all want to keep cozy but turning that thermostat up just one degree adds between one to three per cent to your heating bill. No matter our living arrangement, managing our heating habits and electricity consumption saves money and reduces Whistler’s climate footprint.