The provincial government has legislated that all public sector organizations, including government ministries, school districts, health authorities, post-secondary institutions and Crown corporations achieve carbon neutrality by 2010! Of course, with such a short in which to develop and implement plans to become carbon neutral, this is putting huge strain on our public institutions. 

While municipalities aren’t legislated, Surrey, in addition to 122 other cities across BC, have signed onto the Climate Action Charter, which states that the signatories will achieve carbon neutrality by 2012. 

I should hope that the Sustainability Charter that the City continues to refine and develop will work towards this goal - otherwise, without such markers, it’s hard to gage where the heck we are attempting to go and what progress we are making. 

I understand that it will be a hard goal to accomplish, and I realize that it is expedient to push aside these commitments, but we should embrace this challenge, together as a city, as an opportunity to become a more sustainable society. 

Take a look at the 7 groundbreaking goals San Francisco has taken to achieve carbon neutrality:

• Climate Action: Reduce San Francisco’s contribution to global climate change to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2012
• Clean Transportation: Reduce CO2 emissions from transportation by 963,000 tons annually
• Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency: Reduce 400,000 tons of CO2 annually through energy efficiency and to displace 3,000 tons of CO2 annually through development of renewable energy resources by 2009
• Zero Waste: Achieve 75 percent landfill diversion by 2010 and zero waste by 2020
• Urban Forest: Plant and maintain 25,000 new trees in San Francisco by 2012, offsetting 2,500,000 pounds of CO2 annually
• Green Building: Ensure that all new commercial and residential buildings in San Francisco eventually meet LEED Gold Standard 

Some of the policies and strategies they are either developing or have in place to achieve these goals include:

• Creating a San Francisco Carbon Fund for local green activities designed to mitigate of “offset” greenhouse gas emissions
• Developing framework for a Carbon Tax, which may serve as an alternative to payroll taxes for San Francisco businesses
• Provide subsidies and loans to homeowners and businesses that install solar panels
• Develop legislation requiring the residential Multiple Listing Service to include a green rating for properties for sale
• Include bicycle-sharing options in new bus shelter programs
• Introduce variable pricing, possibly via legislation, for parking, city garages, and transit
• Develop legislation requiring all service stations in San Francisco to offer a biofuel alternative, in addition to conventional fossil fuels
• Incorporate green building principles into citywide planning and development processes
• Ensure municipal buildings meet LEED Silver standards
• Streamline the permitting processes and provide other assistance to encourage private sector construction and remodeling projects to meet LEED standards
• Mandate participation in diversion programs for all sectors, including banning materials, such as yard trimmings, from disposal
• Require adequate and convenient space for recycling and composting in all buildings
• Development of urban farms, community gardens, and schoolyard gardens to teach adults and children about nutritional and health benefits of growing and eating fresh produce