From My Bottom Step

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of London today officially launched RETHINK Energy London, a community engagement and action plan. The goal of the plan is to increase local awareness and commitment to take action on sustainable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As part of RETHINK Energy London, the City also launched the Zerofootprint London website to provide Londoners with a number of tools to help you understand and reduce your carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is a total measure of the impact of activities by an individual, organization or an event on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, and can include diet as well. For ease in understanding, it is expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide or its equivalent of greenhouse gases emitted on a per tonne or per kilogram basis.

Partnering with Zerofootprint, the online tools include a simple One Minute Calculator, a Kids Calculator, and a detailed Personal Carbon Manager. The City of London and Zerofootprint are also exploring Londoner’s interest in using carbon emission offsets to help fund local environmental projects that reduce greenhouse gases. If this idea is popular, this could provide those Londoners who are interested in hosting “carbon-neutral” events with the option of supporting local projects.

Maintaining our current energy-using habits is simply no longer sustainable. Most of our energy needs are met with dwindling fossil fuel supplies that contribute to climate change. We need to “RETHINK” how we live, how we travel, how we work in London and we need to take action now.

“RETHINK Energy provides Londoners with an opportunity to positively change the world for future generations,” says Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best. “By individually tracking and reducing our personal carbon footprints, we can collectively save energy, protect our environment, keep more money in our pockets and leave a stronger legacy for our children.”

The City has also been working on ideas for new sustainable energy and climate change programs, and wants to hear from Londoners. The RETHINK Energy London consultation process, which takes place over the next year, is intended to help determine the best mix of education-based, incentive-based, and by-law based tools to move forward on sustainable energy, climate change, and air quality issues at the community and corporate level.

The success of RETHINK Energy London depends on the participation of Londoners. The process will be open to all who are interested in sharing their feedback and advice. Given that energy touches on so many facets of our lives, the discussion will be organized along four main themes – our homes, our community, transportation, and our economy.

The consultation is intended to be inclusive and public participation is invited in a variety of ways – the City has created a webpage (www.london.ca/rethinkenergy) with links to the Zerofootprint London tools, an online survey, and discussion forum. In addition, City staff will be at a number of public events throughout the year. City staff are also interested in meeting with community groups one-on-one to help explore options for a sustainable energy future.