To help Edmontonians make an environmentally educated decision for the October 2010 municipal election RePower Edmonton sent out a survey and letter to all candidates which would allow us to understand their position on environmental issues and renewable power generation opportunities.
Dear Candidate
As a candidate in the 2010 Edmonton municipal election, you have the opportunity to set our city on a path to becoming energy self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable. The Sierra Club Prairie Chapter is a group which seeks to develop grassroots solutions to environmental issues in our communities and to protect the integrity of our local ecosystems. RePower Edmonton represents the Sierra Club in advocating for grassroots-inspired and transformative solutions to the current environmental and socially destructive systems of energy production and consumption practiced in Edmonton.
RePower Edmonton is pleased to invite you to take a survey which will enable Edmontonians to have a better understanding of their candidates stance on various environmental and sustainability issues. We are also seeking to endorse candidates and hope that this survey can lead to a greater mobilization of Edmonton’s environmental community in your support. Candidates that participate in this survey and indicate that they support Edmonton undertaking green initiatives that result in greater use of renewable power and community involvement in power generation, will be given enthusiastic endorsements for your environmentally-friendly candidacy. We also want to build the green capacity of city council and will offer assistance to candidates in developing their campaign policies to become more representative of the solutions Edmontonians overwhelming support. A recent survey has shown that 78 per cent of Albertans support the move towards clean and renewable energy, but do 78 per cent of our electoral candidates undertake to respect that public interest and bring in environmental initiatives into their campaigns?
This survey is representative of this widely held view and the direction Edmonton needs to take in respect to renewable clean energy and the local capacity required to address both the unsustainable energy system and its drastic environmental implications. Thank you in advanced for participating. If you have any question or would like some more information please contact RePower Edmonton at {BLANK}. We look forward to your responses and will be getting in touch with you shortly after you complete the survey. Thank you again and we look forward to creating a more socially and ecologically sustainable city with you.
RePower Edmonton
The Survey
• I commit to taking strong action to make Edmonton an environmentally responsible city powered by renewable energy sources [Options to choose on scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree.]
• I commit to prioritizing community involvement in Edmonton’s energy system. [Options to choose on scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree.]
• Do you support immediately implementing a policy to begin supplying all the LRT’s power from renewable energy sources? [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Do you support the city of Edmonton becoming a local leader in sustainable energy and greenhouse gas reduction by committing to a phasing out of coal as a source of energy for the city’s municipal operations. [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Will you support the transition to a decentralized community owned power generation system in Edmonton by facilitating the creation of a community energy cooperative ? [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Would you support a project to determine and capitalize on the solar power potential of all city buildings [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Do you support requirements to incorporate renewable energy projects into any new major land developments in the city? [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Do you support requiring all new city buildings to meet the LEED Gold standard? [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• Would you support changing zoning regulations to mandate greater density, southerly orientation where possible, and solar ready buildings. [Options to choose Yes or No, with box for response to “Please explain your position”]
• What will you do to ensure that Edmonton moves towards environmental responsibility and sustainability? [open-ended]
Solar Ready : Must have a) a roof location of suitable size, pitch and orientation b) labeled conduits from the mechanical room to the attic c) extra plumbing valves and fittings on the water heater d) an electrical outlet at the planned solar tank location e) construction plans that indicate the future component locations (Natural Resources Canada)
Community Power : Community Power is a class of sustainable energy projects that are owned, developed and controlled in full or in part (50 per cent or more) by residents of the community in which the project is located. (OSEA)
Renewable Sources : Our definition is sources of energy which are not fossil fuel related or nuclear power.
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