OCP Amendment for Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction Adopted
Monday, June 21, 2010
On Monday June 21, 2010, Council voted unanimously to add community greenhouse gas reduction targets and policies to its Official Community Plan.
The decision dovetails with the recently completed Community Climate Action Plan, which was finalized earlier this spring; and puts West Vancouver at the forefront of province-wide local government efforts to address climate change. The greenhouse gas reduction targets are as follows:
- Become carbon neutral with respect to municipal operations by 2012; and
- Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 33% below 2007 levels by 2020 and at least 80% below 2007 levels by 2050
In order to achieve these targets, existing OCP policies were updated and new policies added, such as:
- Home energy performance included as a criterion in the consideration of development applications and in the disposition of surplus municipal lands;
- Encourage more energy efficient buildings that help to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions, including the promotion of home energy audits;
- Collaborate with other levels of government, utilities, and non-government organizations to: raise awareness and build community-wide appreciation and support for climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Support neighbourhood and multi-family retrofit projects intended to reduce community GHG emissions; and other community-based environmental initiatives to sequester carbon, beautify public spaces and make the built environment greener and healthier; and
- Strive to reduce community GHG emissions resulting from vehicle trips through the development of policies and programs that encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation and provide increased transportation-related non-vehicular facilities throughout the community.
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