HomeMy WebLinkAboutOS 02-13
e``q Report to
Executive Committee
OND
Report Numaer: os 02-13
Date: February 11, 2013
From: Thomas Melymuk
Director, City Development .
Subject: Sustainable Pickering Program
- 2012 Year-end Summary
- File: D-1000-003
Recommendation:
1. That Council receive Report OS 02-13 respecting the 2012 Year-end Summary for
information.
Executive Summary: This Report provides a summary of the actions and
accomplishments undertaken through the City's 2012 Sustainable Pickering Program.
. A significant amount of work in 2012 was devoted to the development of the City's
Celebrating Sustainable Neighbourhoods program, expected to launch in the spring of
2013. This new program encourages the community to engage in creative neighbourhood
projects that are aligned with the City's Sustainable Pickering program. Also, in 2012
on-going work contin'ued with the Partners for Climate Protection Program, and is
expected to be completed in early 2013. This work included collecting the latest inventories
of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from community and municipal operations as part of
the monitoring program on energy consumption and GHG reductions.
Financial Implications: The 2012 Sustainable Pickering Program was funded through
Council's budget process. Discussion
2012 Program
1. -The second version of the Measuring Sustainability Report was released in
2012.
The Measuring Sustainability Report provides baseline information and data that is
used to track our progress of transforming to a more sustainable city over time. The
second report included an update on the indicators that were first reported on in
2010, as well as additional data that better represents the number and variety of
matters the City has an interest in tracking. The 2012 Report measures 55 indicators
of sustainability. The indicators are grouped into five sections: healthy environment,
healthy economy, healthy society, responsible development, and responsible
consumption.
I
Report OS 02-13 February 11, 2013
Subject: Sustainable Pickering Program Page 2
2. Significant work was completed in 2012 on the development of the City's
Celebrating Sustainable Neighbourhoods program.
This new program is intended to be an annual,program that will be launched in the
spring of 2013. The aim is to encourage community engagement and volunteerism,
promote positive relationships between City staff, Council and members of our
community, and provide opportunities to implement creative neighbourhood projects
that are aligned with our Sustainable Pickering program.
The neighbourhood groups involved in the program will work on completing a
neighbourhood activity that supports one or more of the 55 indicators of
sustainability that are listed in Pickering's Measuring Sustainability Report. The
program is intended to run from March to November 2013 and will be followed by a
celebration event in February 2014.
3. Community and Corporate Energy and GHG Emission reports were updated.
, i
In 2012, Durham Sustain Ability was retained to provide an update on Pickering's
corporate and community energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The report
identified key challenges and barriers to fully implement the Corporate Emissions
Reduction Strategy, and to complete milestones 4 and 5 of the 5 milestone FCM
Partners for Climate Protection Program. The Partners for Climate Protection
, Program is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to
reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change, and Pickering will be one
of 13 municipalities to complete the program, out of the 88 total who took part.
4. The Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee
completed and participated in a number of important corporate and community
sustainability programs, initiatives and events in 2012.
A. Smart Commufe Durham
In 2012, the City was awarded the Smart Commute Durham Employer of the Year.
This is a significant achievement that recognizes staff's outstanding commitment to
the Smart Commute program. Smart Commute is an initiative of Metrolinx and the
Cities and Regions of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to reduce
traffic congestion and take action on climate change through the promotion of
sustainable modes of transportation. Throughout the year, Office of Sustainability
staff organized and participated in a number of Smart Commute events, including
Bike to Work Day, Clean Air Commute Week, Smart Commute Week and a Presto
giveaway.
In addition to these events, staff also undertook a commuter survey in 2012, as a
follow up to a survey conducted in 2008. The data collected is being used by staff
and Smart Commute to develop and promote effective commuting options.
Report OS 02-13 February 11, 2013
Subject: Sustainable Pickering Program Page 3
B. Sustainable Pickering Day
Staff and the Advisory Committee, in partnership with the Pickering Town Centre
(PTC), hosted the 7th annual Sustainable Pickering Day event on March 31, 2012, to
coincide with 2012 Earth Hour. The theme was `Local Food and Urban Gardening'.
Attendees participated in a variety of activities, were educated on the importance of
local food, and how to grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs, as well as given
the opportunity to purchase locally grown/made products from our vendors.
, C. Community Engagement Programs
Throughout the year, staff regularly engaged the local community in our Sustainable
Pickering program through communication tools such as news releases and
eNewsletters. At the end of 2012, approximately 450 members of the public had
subscribed to the Sustainability eNewsletter. The eNewsletters provide regular
updates on a variety of topics, including environmental initiatives and projects like
Pickering's Downtown Intensification Study.
Also, as in previous years, staff and the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee
distributed a number of Sustainable Pickering contribution packages to local
businesses. In 2012, a total of $16,700 in contributions was received from local
businesses to help fund existing and future programs. This represents a 40%
increase from 2011.
Along with traditional communication tools, staff used various social media channels
to engage the greater community in Sustainable Pickering initiatives. Sociat media
provides an opportunity to share in a two way dialogue, and although still in its early
stage, is proving to be a successful tool that staff will continue to take advantage of.
Over the course of the year, staff also participated in a number of internal staff
committees that are examining ways of enhancing the City's'communication and
engagement efforts, including the Corporate Communications Team and the
Community Engagement Core Team.
D. Corporate Engagement Initiatives
The Office of Sustainability continues to engage and promote the City's sustainability
efforts through sustainability training for all,new staff hires. Staff participated in a
workshop in 2012 with the Durham Environmental Coordinating Committee (DECC)
on developing common content and learning strategies that municipalities could ,
incorporate into their sustainability training. The office will continue to collaborate
with DECC in 2013, to better streamline our training. '
E. External Partnerships • '
The Office of Sustainability actively participated in a number of external working
groups and committees in 2012, including the Durham Environmental Coordinating
Committee, the GTA Clean Air Councit, Durham Partners in Project Green, and
Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change. These partnerships allow staff to
share their expertise with colleagues within the region and across the country, and
learn from others working in the field of sustainability.
Report OS 02-13 February 11, 2013
Subject: Sustainable Pickering Program Page 4
Durham Partners in Project Green (DPPG), a program of Durham Sustain Ability,
was launched in 2012. The program focused on addressing energy efficiency
opportunities for Durham businesses. Two of the five workshops that DPPG has
held were in Pickering. Of those attending, 37% of the total Durham participants
represented businesses in Pickering.
In late 2012, the Director, Office of Sustainability attended the `Forwarding
Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region' conference in Michigan. The three-day
conference focused on how climate change impacts cities and its residents within
the Great Lakes region. In 2013, the City of Pickering will support the Region of
Durham in their local action plan on climate change.
In 2012, staff undertook a research project in partnership with Natural Resources
Canada on compact thermal energy storage. An assessment was done on the
compact thermal energy storage technologies and their potential integration into
residential, commercial and institutional buildings for the City of Pickering. This study
was fully funded by Natural Resources Canada. It is anticipated the study results
will be released this year.
Prepared By Approved/Endorsed By:
~
Xo,
Shauna Muir Grant McGregor, MCI , RPP
(Acting) Coordinator, Sustainability Manager, Sustainability and Special Projects
Tho as Mely uk, MCIP, R
Director, City evelopment
Doug Dickerson
Deputy Mayor and Chair, Sustainable
Pickering Advisory Committee
SM:GM:Id
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City uncil
- 2-0`3
Tony Prevedel, P.Eng.
Chief Administrative Officer