EcoVision Report to Citizens

The following is an excerpt from the full EcoVision Annual Report 2008. For more information, contact us at env@edmonton.ca.

Introduction
Air
Land
Climate
Water

Introduction

The goal of EcoVision Annual Report 2008 is to promote environmental awareness and accountability by reporting on the condition of our environment, the environmental performance of our community and the environmental performance of the City of Edmonton.

Back to top

Air

Alberta Environment rated our air quality “good” 96.15% of the time in 2008. This result is similar to the past few years and is the highest rating available.

In 2006, Alberta Environment called for a plan to address increasing levels of ozone in the Edmonton area. In December 2008, a draft plan was submitted for review and acceptance. It proposes changes to regulations and bylaws, as well as voluntary actions.

Air Quality Index - Edmonton

   2004
% of hours		 2005
% of hours 		 2006
% of hours 		 2007
% of hours		 2008
% of hours
Good 97. 26 99. 31 96. 77 97. 51 96.15
Fair 2. 69 0. 69 3. 18 2. 47 3.81
Poor 0. 04 0.00 0. 05 0. 02 0.04
Very 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

How are we protecting our air?
  • Ozone Management Plan: In December 2008, a draft of the OMP was submitted to Alberta Environment, proposing compulsory and voluntary actions. The plan will be put into action once it has been formally accepted by the various agencies.
  • Idle Control Education Campaign: Since 2007, the City of Edmonton has led a community awareness campaign aimed at reducing idling of motor vehicles. It ran a campaign in April and September of 2008.
  • Fuel Sense Training: City of Edmonton drivers are trained to drive fuel efficiently and to avoid unnecessary idling. Audits conducted by Edmonton Transit revealed a much-improved level of compliance with its Bus Idling initiative, compared to 2007.
  • Buses: In 2008, Edmonton Transit replaced 15 older buses with new low-emissions diesel models. Total kilometers traveled by older buses were also reduced (486,800 km this year compared to 2,820,138 km last year).
  • Fleet Management: The City has started working on a Sustainable Fleet Management Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its fleet vehicles. It also established new standards and guidelines for new vehicles, looking at factors such as right-sizing, fuel efficiency, emissions and life cycle costs.
  • LRT Expansion: Construction on the first and second phase of the South LRT expansion was completed.

What can you do?
  • Make it a habit to take transit and the LRT, or carpool.
  • Travel actively, on bike and on foot.
  • Choose fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • Keep all engines well tuned.
  • Don't idle unnecessarily.
  • Have your furnace inspected each year and change filters regularly.
  • When building or renovating, use materials and paints containing ultra low volatile organic compounds.
  • Plant and water trees.

Back to top

Land

Edmonton’s biodiversity and natural habitats have decreased with time and continue to face significant challenges. Natural areas in Edmonton are under a lot of pressure due to development. Many have been degraded, fragmented or lost. Further efforts are required to conserve tableland natural areas and maintain connectivity of these lands with the river valley and other core biodiversity areas.

The City’s Waste Management Strategy serves to protect human health, property and the environment, and conserves valuable natural resources. Edmonton’s per capita residential waste production (including recyclables) grew slightly, from 0.363 tonnes (1997) to 0.379 tonnes (2008) per person per year. However the proportion of recyclables has increased, from 11.9% (1990) to 20% (2008).

Pesticides have the potential to act as environmental toxins. Impacts are largely determined by a pesticide’s mode of action or intended method of attack. Over the past decade, the City has moved away from broadcast turf herbicide spraying to spot spraying of weeds. In 2008, City pesticide use reached its lowest level of use in sixteen years.

How are we protecting land?

  • Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB): LAB is an ICLEI project that assists local governments in their efforts to conserve and manage biodiversity. 19 projects across six branches were initiated in 2008. An extensive inventory of local biodiversity protection initiatives was compiled and implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan was completed.
  • Master Naturalist Program: A volunteer program was initiated by the City to give Edmontonians an opportunity to participate directly in the monitoring and managing of natural areas.
  • Biofuels Facility: The City signed a 25-year agreement to build a biofuels facility which will process waste that cannot be recycled or composted into a synthetic gas used to produce methanol and ethanol. This will enable the City to divert more than 90% of residential waste from the landfill.
  • Electronic Waste Recycling: 7,000 tonnes of electronic waste was recycled, including e-waste collected in Edmonton prior to the operation of the facility.
  • Sand Recycling: 75,000 tonnes of  the 138,000 tonnes of sand used on city streets were recovered for reuse.
  • Physical Alternatives to Chemical Herbicides: Weedseal™ (recycled rubber strips) applications showed evidence of excellent vegetation control so far.

What can you do?

  • Generate less waste.
  • Compost food and yard waste.
  • Buy reusable, rechargeable, bulk or refillable items.
  • Choose non-toxic household cleaning products.
  • Use cloth or reusable bags – or none at all.
  • Pick up litter when you see it.
  • Participate in public hearings on land-use zoning changes.
  • Stick to the trails in parks and natural areas.
  • Participate in the annual River Valley Clean Up and Capital City Clean Up.
  • Landscape with native Alberta plants to protect biodiversity and minimize the need for weed control.
  • Mow high to discourage weeds.
  • Take household hazardous waste (paint, solvents, cleaning products, batteries) to an Eco Station.
  • Take unwanted computers, TVs and electrical appliances to an Eco Station or donate them for reuse.
  • Do not use fertilizer herbicide combination products to manage weeds on your lawn.

Other Links

Turf Maintenance

Back to top

Climate

Climate change is one of the most pressing matters in the world today. Much has been written about the changes that are occurring to the Earth’s climate, the likely causes and the implications for the future. Edmonton’s climate has been warming consistently since the mid-twentieth century, with an increase of 0.9°C in normal annual temperature over the past 59 years. Temperature changes here have been far more moderate than those of the region.

How are we addressing climate change?

  • Measurable Community GHG emissions: Community GHG emissions were reduced by 18,585 tonnes in 2008 through Carbon Dioxide Reduction Edmonton (CO2RE) initiatives such as giving away compact fluorescent light bulbs, electric power bars, high-efficiency gas furnace rebates and new home builder rebates for Built Green Gold certified homes.
  • Go Green! It’s Our Nature: Residents were asked to take two new actions to reduce their environmental footprint by June 2009. Two new tools were developed:
    • Zerofootprint Edmonton calculator: an online calculator that allows people to measure their impact in five key areas (travel, yard, energy, water and waste)
    • Green Resource Guide: a guide highlighting various environmental programs and services provided by EcoVision Edmonton.
  • Earth Hour: The City participated as an official partner for Earth Hour 2008. Edmontonians cut their power consumption by 1.5% during that hour, and City-monitored buildings’ power consumption was reduced by 15%.
  • ICLEI Community Programmes: A subcommittee for the upcoming ICLEI World Congress 2009 was established to encourage, support and coordinate community-based environmental initiatives, events and activities leading up to and delivered in parallel with the congress event.
  • Energy from Landfill Gas: Landfill gas from the Clover Bar Landfill produced enough electricity to power 4,600 homes. The facility is expected to remain in operation until 2040.
  • Energy Efficient Buildings: The City adopted as policy the LEED Silver Standard rating system for construction of new City buildings.
  • Carpool.ca: The City continued partnership with carpool.ca. By the end of 2008, 2,400 people were registered on the website.

What can you do?

  • Get an ecoENERGY audit and make your home as energy efficient as it can be.
  • Install compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer.
  • Buy local food and products to reduce your footprint and help sustain local businesses.
  • Wash in cold water and avoid using your dryer to reduce your carbon footprint as much as 250 kg a year.
  • Turn off your computer and unplug appliances when not in use.
  • Purchase green energy to encourage the shift away from fossil fuels.
  • Join and use carpool.ca.
  • Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle and keep it tuned up.
  • Drive less and avoid idling unnecessarily (10 seconds when parked; 30 seconds when warming up the vehicle).
  • Vacation at home! When was the last time you visited Fort Edmonton Park or spent a couple of days hiking the river valley?
  • Offset your travel by purchasing carbon credits.
  • Take old refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners to an Eco Station or the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.

Other Links

Carbon Dioxide Reduction Edmonton (CO2RE)

Back to top

Water

The City operates a complex drainage system that discharges into the North Saskatchewan River, including discharges from combined sewers (sanitary wastewater and surface runoff), discharges from storm sewer and the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. In 2008, treated wastewater effluent entering the river from the treatment plant improved over 2007 on almost all fronts.

Over the past three years, the City has adopted new procedures to dechlorinate and reuse water from swimming pools. Uses include irrigation of parks and street washing. Less water was reused in 2008 than in 2007 due to complications related to pool draining schedules.

Given the city’s dependency on the North Saskatchewan River, it is important for us to understand the river’s quality trends. The index values (of metals, nutrients, bacteria and pesticides) are averaged to produce an overall River Water Quality Index, with scores ranging from 0 to 100.

River Water Quality Index (North Saskatchewan River)

  96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02
Upstream of Edmonton
(Devon)		 91 97 93 86 90 98
Downstream of Edmonton
(Pakan)		 66 71 77 81 85 86

  02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07
Upstream of Edmonton
(Devon)		 97 98 97 88 98
Downstream of Edmonton
(Pakan)		 90 74 74 79 83

Legend

Excellent Good Fair Marginal Poor
96-100 81-95 66-80 46-65 0-45

How are we protecting our water?

  • Improved Treatment of Sewer Overflows: Enhanced primary treatment construction was completed at the treatment plant. This facility will provide basic treatment to sewer overflows that would otherwise discharge directly to the river during rainstorms and snowmelt.
  • Reducing Amounts of Mercury from Dental Offices: A bylaw amendment requiring dental offices to install amalgam separators came into effect in 2008. Now 98% of Edmonton dental offices use the separators, collectively preventing 25 kg of mercury from entering the environment each year.
  • Reuse of Pool Water: Approximately 3,000 cubic metres of pool water was dechlorinated and used to irrigate sports fields and parkland.
  • Tree Watering: A study was started to evaluate the benefits of new tree watering methods.

What can you do?

  • Use a rain barrel to catch water for plants and/or toilets, ensuring  that overflows are directed away from your foundation.
  • Install ENERGY STAR® rated water-efficient fixtures.
  • Purchase a low flush toilet when making renovations or purchasing a new home.
  • Shower for no more than five minutes, turning the tap off while soaping.
  • Wash your clothes less; they'll last longer while you save water.
  • Keep a jug of water in the fridge to cool rather than running excess water from the tap.
  • Keep chemicals, solid materials and other contaminants out of storm drains or manholes.
  • Do not wash your car at home, where contaminants flow into the river.
  • Do not litter or drop cigarette butts on the ground to be washed into the river.
  • Avoid applying weed killers when rain is in the forecast.
  • Don't flush unused prescription drugs, personal care products or cleaning chemicals. The wastewater treatment plant cannot remove many of these, and they end up in the river.
  • Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and fertilizers where possible.

Links

Wastewater & Sewers
EPCOR
Water Efficient Fixtures Bylaw Brochure

Back to top

City of Edmonton Logo

Copyright © 2009, City of Edmonton.