Sustainability

Caring for our environment and preparing for the future

Our community is united in caring for our land, water and air, supporting local farmers, and building our resilience to wildfires and drought, all while considering affordability.

Learn about our vision for regional sustainability and see our commitments to sustainability here.

The RDCK supports many sustainability initiatives that address our community’s shared values, including:

• Public transit and low-carbon transportation
  • Trails to explore

• Wildfire risk reduction and emergency management
  • Free FireSmart home assessments and access to rebates
  • Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program
  • Emergency preparedness for yourself and your family

• Support for farmers

• Affordable housing
  • RDCK Housing Action Plan

• Energy efficiency in homes
• Regional Energy Efficiency Program to save you energy and help you access financing options and rebates when doing retrofits
• EnerGuide Home Evaluations are the first step in determining how to save energy in your existing home. (See the Energy Advisor contact list and the Working with an Energy Advisor brochure.)
• Energy efficiency grants and rebates for new and existing homes and buildings
• Energy Conservation Assistance Program (FortisBC) and Income Qualified Program (CleanBC) for renters and those with limited incomes to improve their home energy efficiency
• See the Heat thermal cameras you can borrow to see where your home’s energy efficiency could be improved
• Rebates if residents want to upgrade their wood stoves
• Support for builders (Training related to energy efficiency and support in meeting Provincial Step Code requirements for new homes)

• Water protection and conservation
  • Protecting watersheds
  • Water quality measures for RDCK-operated water systems
  • Water conservation, including a xeriscape demonstration garden

• Resource recovery
  • Recycling
  • Organics diversion and backyard composting
  • Waste disposal

• Grid resilience
  • Lardeau Valley grid sustainability pilot program (This Nelson Star article explains the pilot program.)
  • Bioenergy research on options to reduce wood waste
  • Creston and District Community Complex solar panels

• Regional parks to enjoy

• Conserving significant lands and places

• Community planning
  • Community planning is a process where community members and organizations develop a vision for their community.

• Climate action
  • The annual RDCK State of Climate Action report lists all current RDCK climate actions that are underway.
  • RDCK Ideas for Climate Action is a list of additional climate actions that the RDCK is exploring.

• Additional environmental initiatives, including Bear Aware programming and preventing the spread of invasive plants

Taking action towards our vision

The RDCK Board is committed to reducing greenhouse gases, increasing renewable energy, increasing local food production, supporting water conservation and source water protection, increasing active transportation, and increasing affordable housing.

To advance the goals of the RDCK, there is work happening with residents from across the region, within the RDCK’s seven departments, and with the Board of Directors. The RDCK leverages its assets—relationships, information, infrastructure, funds, policy, project, staff time, and administrative function—to identify best practices and support ongoing efforts towards our vision for this region.

The RDCK is advancing sustainability in the region through collaborative processes, common vision and an integration of ecological, social and economic values.

The RDCK has made the following commitments:

• Signing the BC Climate Action Charter
• 100% Renewable Energy by 2050
• Reduce 50% of carbon pollution by 2030 and 100% by 2050

Provincial programs supporting RDCK operations

• Clean BC & the Roadmap to 2030

Regional vision for sustainability

The RDCK’s vision for sustainability has its roots in the Integrated Community Sustainable Planning (ICSP) process. This initiative—SustainABLE Central Kootenay—gathered input and engaged citizens in a dialogue about sustainability in our region in 2009, and was intended to guide discussions on sustainability in our region.

The RDCK’s vision for sustainability emerged from this process:
Read the RDCK’s vision statement and a summary of community input from the ICSP.

The deliverables of the SustainABLE Central Kootenay initiative, which include jurisdiction-specific vision statements and greenhouse gas backgrounders, will promote ongoing dialogue on how the RDCK can orient its services towards the achievement of long-term regional goals. The project reported on seven themes which emerged as priorities for area residents:

1. Economic Development
2. Health and social well-being
3. Energy and Climate Change
4. Water protection & advocacy
5. Transportation
6. Natural Areas
7. Food and Agriculture 

SustainABLE Central Kootenay established a baseline of emission targets that have helped inform subsequent action.

The RDCK continues to advance sustainability in the region through collaborative processes, common vision and an integration of ecological, social and economic values.

 

The content on this page was last updated June 5 2024 at 9:23 AM

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