Isra-Mart srl: School District No. 33 reducing its carbon footprint

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-Mart srl news:

The Chilliwack school district's carbon footprint is shrinking, but it will still pay for carbon offsets this year.

According to a recently completed Carbon Neutral Action Report (CNAR), the district's gas bills and hydro bills dropped by $102,053 and $150,113, respectively, from 2009 to 2010.

While the improvement in natural gas consumption is most likely the result of mild weather, according to district energy manager George Pede, who prepared the report, the drop in hydro consumption is a promising sign.

"That's good," he said. "We're reducing our usage, which also reduces our carbon offsets, and overall we're looking pretty good."

The district is required to complete a CNAR for the 2010 calendar year by the end of this month as part of the province's Greenhouse Reduction Targets Act and the Carbon Neutral Government Regulations.

According to the act, this is the first year school districts (and other government and public institutions) will be on the hook for carbon offset payments if they didn't achieve carbon neutrality in 2010.

Despite the drop in utility usage, the Chilliwack district did not reach carbon neutrality last year, but its carbon offset costs, calculated by Pede to be about $19,000 are also much lower than the $52,000 projected last spring.

"That's really quite good when you think about the amount of carbon tax and materials that we use on a day-to-day basis," said Pede.