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City gets green thumbs-up |
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Written by Gerald Gauthier
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Friday, July 17 2009, 9:37 PM |
Some of Alberta’s key environmental leaders are in Lethbridge this weekend to rally their local counterparts and to offer kudos to city council for its stand on green energy.
Officials from the Pembina Institute arrived Friday to join local environmentalists in meeting with Mayor Bob Tarleck and to take part in a workshop today on the renewable energy industry.
“Lethbridge has put itself right at the front of the charge on promoting green energy in Alberta by passing a resolution asking the provincial government to appoint a renewable power expert panel,” said Steve Kennett, senior policy adviser for the Pembina Institute, an independent organization dedicated to promoting sustainable energy production and consumption.
Also visiting is Tim Weis, the institute’s director for renewable energy and efficiency. He’s to speak at this morning’s workshop about Greening the Grid, a study paper he wrote which asserts that, within 20 years, Alberta could realistically go from relying on coal-fired production for 70 per cent of its electricity to having the same percentage generated by renewable energy sources instead.
Although the province has appointed panels to examine carbon capture and nuclear energy, Kennett said, it has given only passing consideration to renewable energy options.
“I think there’s more information that needs to be put on the table about the tremendous potential we have for renewable and local power in this province,” he said.
“There’s tremendous momentum globally for this kind of transformation and a big risk that Alberta’s going to be left in the dust,” he said. “We’d really like to see (the Alberta government) follow the advice of Lethbridge city council and appoint a renewable power expert panel so we can get that information in front of Albertans and encourage a full debate on all of our energy options.
Council passed its resolution in early June after hearing a presentation on the issue from local green energy advocates GREENSENCE — Green Sustainable Non-nuclear Chinook Enterprise. The province’s anti-nuclear movement has since touted the resolution as a model for other municipalities to follow.
“We’re encouraged that municipalities like Lethbridge, Okotoks and other cities and towns in Alberta are embracing green renewable energy while at the same time we’re gravely concerned that the Alberta government is lagging behind and, at most, showing only tokenism in this important direction,” said Rena Woss, GREENSENCE co-chairman.
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