Whistler was one of the first communities in BC to develop a community energy and greenhouse gas emission plan. The Resort Municipality of Whistler set ambitious emissions reductions targets and now has more than 15 years of detailed monitoring and reporting data publicly available on its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint.
BC Energy Step Code
The RMOW has initiated community and stakeholder engagement on the potential integration of the BC Energy Step Code into Whistler’s Building Bylaw.
In general terms, the Energy Step Code (ESC) is a new, incremental and consistent approach to achieving more energy-efficient new buildings.
Developed over a number of years by a provincial working group that included builders, developers, trades and professionals, utilities, local governments, as well as NGO representatives, the ESC establishes a series of measurable, performance-based energy efficiency requirements for construction that builders can choose to build to, and communities can choose to adopt in local bylaws and policies.
How could the Energy Step Code be integrated in Whistler?
Ongoing dialogue with a local stakeholder working group began in February 2018 and will continue through a Public Information Session on Thursday, April 26 (5:15 to 7 p.m.) – Millar Room, Myrtle Phillip Community School.
- Find out more about the upcoming Public Information Session.
- Information Session materials will be posted on April 27.
- An Energy Step Code community survey will be available online from April 27 to May 18.
- Additional provincial information is available at BC Energy Step Code.
Official Community Plan
Whistler’s Official Community Plan (OCP) commits Whistler to community-level greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 33 per cent by 2020, 80 per cent by 2050 and 90 per cent by 2060, as compared to 2007 levels.
Regarding this commitment, the plan includes more than 30 specific policies across the following four goals:
- Substantially reduce GHG emissions from stationary sources
- Substantially reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources
- Substantially reduce GHG emissions associated with solid waste management
- Ensure municipal decision making is structured to achieve energy goal and GHG reduction targets.
In addition to the GHG reduction target, the OCP also includes a commitment to lead a community-wide effort to reduce total energy consumption to a level 10 per cent below 2007 levels by the year 2020.
Learn more about the Climate Action Chapter in Whistler's OCP.
Whistler2020
Through Whistler2020, Whistler’s vision and integrated community sustainability plan, Whistler has committed to the following sustainability objectives:
- Reduce and eventually eliminate the RMOW’s contributions to systematic increases in concentrations of substances from the Earth’s crust (e.g. by increasing energy efficiency)
- Reduce and eventually eliminate the RMOW’s contributions to systematic increases in concentrations of substances produced by society (e.g. through 100 per cent recycling)
- Reduce and eventually eliminate the RMOW’s contribution to systematic physical degradations of nature (e.g. by purchasing certified wood)
- Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to systematically undermining the ability of others to meet their basic human needs (e.g. by purchasing FairTrade)
Learn more about Whistler2020.
Carbon Neutral Operations Plan
The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) Carbon Neutral Operations Plan commits the RMOW to GHG educations through a three-step process:
- Measuring and reporting annual corporate GHG emissions;
- Aggressively reducing carbon emissions across the organization according to the following target schedule: 10 per cent by 2010, 20 per cent by 2013, and 30 per cent by 2015; and,
- Responsibly offsetting all remaining emissions such that total emissions net to zero.
Download the RMOW Carbon Neutral Operations Plan.
Learn more about Corporate Energy and GHG Performance.
Green Building Policy
RMOW adopted a Green Building Policy in 2008 to encourage the efficient use of energy and resources in building. In 2005, Whistler also developed the Whistler Green Building Rating System and associated builder checklists.
View the Green Building Policy Whistler Green Checklist.
Learn more about building and development in Whistler.
Other Initiatives
- Cheakamus Crossing District Energy System
- Lost Lake PassivHaus: First certified passivhaus in Canada
- Seven publicly available electric vehicle charge stations in Whistler
- Heat recovery from the Whistler Compost Facility
- Meadow Park Sports Centre: Solar hot water for domestic hot water and geoexchange retrofit for pool heating
- Fleet Vehicle right-sizing across each department
- Whistler Public Library: LEED Gold certified
- Spruce Grove Field House: First geoexchange building in the RMOW’s corporate building inventory
- Spring Creek Fire Hall: First LEED certified building in the RMOW’s corporate building inventory
- Corporate building energy efficiency upgrade studies were undertaken in 2010 for Municipal Hall, Public Safety Building and Public Works Yard
- The RMOW was one of the first signatories of the BC Climate Action Charter and is a designated SolarBC community.
- The RMOW was the first community in Canada to complete an Integrated Energy, Air Quality and GHG Management Plan in 2003.
Resources
Contact
Ted Battiston
Director, Corporate, Economic & Environmental Services
604-935-8205
tbattiston@whistler.ca
