The District of Houston has been awarded the level three Climate Leader of 2016 by the provincial government and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Green Communities Committee, that is no small recognition.
All the efforts of our District of Houston staff and council members of making our community a forefront leader in climate action is greatly appreciated.
I am a strong advocate of reducing energy (even if I leave the light on in my room because my squirrel brain just remembered that I was cooking breakfast), and often try and find different ways where it is appropriate to be energy efficient.
I don’t turn on the outside light to the Houston Today office, unless there is a overcast where the sunroof doesn’t seem to highlight where our doors are. (I’m sure people passing through can hear me madly typing away like a writing genius.) I bike and walk everywhere I can, and on occasion will turn off the Filipino TV channel for my mom when she falls asleep.
What other ways can we as the residents—who utilize all these green and energy efficient projects and services that the district implements—do to reduce our carbon footprint?
If you are interested in calculating your carbon foot print, visit https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx for a free online calculator to give yourself an idea of what you consume and where you can reduce.
This can also be used as a resource to educate students and young children on how their actions affects the community, and the planet.
I love that at the Houston Leisure Facility—where I continue to work at on Mondays to teach entertaining aquafit classes—has signs under every light switch reminding employees to turn them off when they leave the room.
“Pack it in, pack it out,” is the motto when visiting any national park, and a stringent belief of those responsible campers at Francois Lake.
So why is it that in a shared community we rely on the thought, “that’s someone else’s job,” as an excuse to not be responsible climate advocates?
Our community leaders are working hard to creative a long standing, energy efficient town at a reduced cost. The least we can do is act on it.
