The 2015 Report on the Environment shows the City of St. Albert has beaten most of its environmental targets, five years early. The report tracks residential and city efforts on nine goals for air, water, land and people.
Before we pat ourselves on the back, it is worth noting that St. Albert exceeded its collective targets largely due to actions outside its control. The provincial grid that we depend on for power became greener as wind and natural gas replaced coal as energy sources.
Some of the drop is not because St. Albert is doing better, “it’s because Alberta is doing better,” noted Leah Kongsrude, the city’s director of strategic services.
The report also shows our shortcomings. Every city resident uses on average 252 litres of water per day, a figure that has changed little since 2013. This is a far cry from the 200 L a day per capita goal the city hopes to achieve by 2020. The amount of pesticides used by city residents has increased every year since 2012. Transit ridership actually dropped nearly eight per cent since 2013. (Low gas prices are considered one of the factors that kept people in their cars, rather than riding the more energy-efficient buses.)
The city of St. Albert is taking steps to reduce energy and water use in city buildings with audits on 11 of its buildings recommending solar and energy efficiency. A water conservation bylaw is set to take effect in January 2018. The law will set water efficiency standards for fixtures in all new homes, restrict daytime watering during the summer. (The daytime water restriction alone is expected to reduce summer water use by 15 per cent.) The city is also encouraging residents to use less energy and water, and to divert waste from the landfill through recycling and composting. The city is loaning out energy audit kits to help people discover what appliances are energy hogs so they can make smarter energy choices. Use of rain barrels is recommended to recycle rainwater for lawns and gardens to reduce the amount of treated water used outdoors.
It is clear that greater effort is needed if we are to meet or exceed our greenhouse gas reduction targets. A $50 rebate for installation of low-flow toilets resulted in saving 27 million litres of water last year. Two efforts that could improve water conservation would be to continue the toilet rebate this year (something the city is considering) and smart water meters that would give residents real time feedback on their water uses.
Reducing our energy and water consumption begins with small changes that each of us could make. Walk or ride the bus for some of your errands. Reduce water consumption by turning off the water when shaving, brushing your teeth, or shampooing your hair. Installing low-flow showerheads and/or reducing your shower time by even one minute can save litres of water.
Reducing our carbon footprint is critical. The planet and our grandchildren are depending on us.
