RePower Alberta

RePower Edmonton urges voters to vote for the environment this election.

15 October 2010(EDMONTON)-  RePower Edmonton, a local group of the provincial network RePower Alberta, issued a survey to the municipal candidates seeking their views on local improvements in energy efficiency, energy procurement and renewable energy development. The group changes hopes to see municipal policies to install solar installations on roofs of public buildings, energy efficiency improvements that reduce energy costs and greenhouse gasses, and efforts to create green jobs.

The survey found that while 69% of candidates "strongly agree" and 28% "agree" with taking strong action to make Edmonton an environmentally responsible city powered by renewable energy sources, candidates are less clear about how to achieve this goal. On the matter of Edmonton becoming a local leader in sustainable energy and phasing out coal as a source of the municipal supply, 78% agreed with this premise, but 22% cited the potential costs, the difficulty of local control of energy sourcing, and whether alternative energy sources are feasible and practical. On infrastructure upgrades, 59.4% support sourcing the LRT's power from renewable energy sources, while the other 40.6% are not so sure, citing issues of practicality, the need for an energy audit, the power purchase agreement with EPCOR, the lack of support from the province, and the need for more information. However, 97% of candidates did agree with supporting a project to determine and capitalize on the solar power potential of city buildings, but also cited issues of budgetary limitations, aging infrastructure, upfront costs of solar, and the need for a review of feasibility of solar panels for hospitals.

"We applaud the candidates who took the time to respond to these important issues. What we see from these results is that we need a lot more work to make Edmonton a local leader for the environment." remarks Myles Curry, Chair of RePower Edmonton. "We look forward to engaging with the successful candidates to make these initiatives a reality." RePower Edmonton has weekly meetings at the Sierra Club Prairie office that are open to the public.

The full results of the survey are available on their website, RepowerAlberta.ca/Edmonton.

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For more information, please contact: Chelsea Flook, 780-722-1226

RePower Edmonton, a local chapter of RePower Alberta, took to Edmonton's light rail transit (LRT) to engage with riders and ensure that green energy is one of the key topics in this year's municipal election. Members of the group sported green leaf pins and handed out pamphlets encouraging riders to vote for candidates that support energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. The group chose the LRT to highlight the difference between civic choices in Edmonton and Calgary-- Edmonton's transit system is run on coal power while Calgary's C-Train is powered by wind energy. The group was also promoting municipal policies to install solar installations on roofs of public buildings, switching to high-efficiency light bulbs on city streets, reducing city energy costs and providing new job opportunities.

RePower Edmonton also has sent out a survey to all the municipal candidates seeking their views on renewable energy investment and other green initiatives that are achievable at the local level. We don't have to wait for the province to take action on renewable energy, we just have to vote for the environment at the municipal level! Contact your candidates and start asking them about their views on renewable energy potentials for your city! If your municipality is heading into an election and you would like to run a similar campaign with a survey, please contact Chelsea at chelseaf@sierraclub.ca. The Edmonton group will be publishing the results soon on their new website, www.repoweralberta.ca/edmonton