Earth Hour City Challenge: Waterloo, Fredericton, and Sudbury

It’s the first global challenge of its kind with cities from Canada, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the United States invited to participate. This year, we are proud to see nine Canadian cities take part: Waterloo, Fredericton, Surrey, Edmonton, Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver, Colwood and Sudbury. Over the next week, we’ll highlight some of their accomplishments. Canada’s three national finalists will be announced at the end of next week.
Stay tuned in March as we announce the Canadian Earth Hour winner, the People’s Choice winner, and the Global Earth Hour Capital, the grand winner of this contest.
Region of Waterloo
This region aims to stabilize their total corporate GHG emissions at 2009 levels through to the year 2019. They hope to in turn reduce the intensity of GHG emissions by 14 percent per capita by the year 2019 based on population forecasts (as a result of stabilizing the 2009 emission levels).
The region is also in the process of expanding their Travelwise Program. Travelwise encourages walking, cycling, transit and carpooling to regional worksites and for business trips. It provides online carpool matching service and trip tracking software. Incentives such as transit pass subsidies, preferred parking, access to shower facilities and participation prizes are offered to participants.
A geothermal system was installed at the Library Headquarters in Baden, and during 2006 and 2007, the region converted all signalized intersections from incandescent bulbs to light emitting diode (LED) technology.

City of Fredericton
Early in 2006, the City of Fredericton submitted its First to Kyoto Corporate Action Plan for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction for municipal operations. The City aimed to reduce corporate GHG emissions to 20 percent below 2000 by 2010, and reduce community GHG emissions to 6 percent below 2000 by 2010.
The City’s Municipal Building Initiative (MBI) aims to improve the energy efficiency of all municipal buildings by upgrading lighting, heating/ventilation, air conditioning, and arena ice plant systems.
An Anti-idling and Fuel Reduction Initiative and began with over 160 vehicles in the City’s Engineering and Public Works Department, many of which are heavy equipment vehicles. The City has significantly reduced energy consumption for streetlights through a Streetlight Rationalization Program that began in 2005.
The Fredericton Region Solid Waste Commission, which is responsible for all waste and recycling in the Fredericton region, launched its Landfill Gas Management System (LGMS) in 2006, the first of its kind in New Brunswick. The LGMS is designed to significantly reduce greenhouse gases generated through landfill garbage.

(c) City of Surrey
City of Greater Sudbury
The City aims to achieve a 30 percent corporate energy reduction on 1990 levels by 2019, and achieve a 15 percent reduction on community energy consumption. They are also planning for an 80 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2050.
As of the end of July 2012, 89 lighting retrofit projects in municipal buildings have been completed in 2012, resulting in annual perpetual operating savings of $79,108 and a reduction in consumption of 659,232 kWh.
The City developed Northern Ontario’s first landfill gas to electricity project in September 2007. The plant captures and purifies the methane produced by landfill, and then burns it in a reciprocating engine that powers and electricity generator connected to the power grid.
Launched in 2009, the Green Cart Program collects organic waste (food scraps and non-recyclable papers) and turns it into compost. Once processed, this compost will be available for sale to local residents.