Municipal Sustainability Office

Events of Interest

Guidebook for Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Areas

Adapting to Coastal Climate Change: A Guidebook for Development Planners was recently released by USAID and provides a detailed treatment of climate concerns in coastal areas. The guidebook proposes an approach for assessing vulnerability to climate change and climate variability, developing and implementing adaptation options, and integrating options into programs, development plans and projects at both the national and local level.  For a copy of the guidebook, click here.

Request for Submissions for EQuilibrium^tm Communities Initiative

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Natural Resources Canada are partnering in the EQuilibrium^TM Communities Initiative which will support and promote leading edge sustainable neighbourhood development demonstration projects in Canada.  Resources, in the form of funds (of up to $550,000), research assistance, and technical and promotional support, will be strategically directed to the selected projects.  The closing date for submissions is September 22 at 1 pm.  For more information, contact Cal Harris by telephone (613 748-2300, ext. 3655) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

David Suzuki’s Guide for Green Businesses

The David Suzuki Foundation has produced a new guid which makes a business case for developing a greenhouse gas emissions management program and will help organizations and municipalities measure, reduce and offset emissions.  A copy of Doing Business in a New Climate can be downloaded by clicking here. 

Green-collar Workers Report

Pew Charitable Trusts published a study detailing one of the fastest growing segments of the US economy:  green-collar workers, who include everyone from energy-efficiency consultants to wastewater plant operators.  The "clean-energy economy" grew 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007 to 777,000 jobs in the US.  To read the report, click here.

Climate in Peril:  A Popular Guide to the latest IPCC Reports

This resource presents the substance of the Climate Change 2007 Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in simplified language. The guide includes chapters on: key uncertainties; projected climate change and its impacts; adaptation and mitigation; and the costs of impacts, mitigation and long-term stabilization targets. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

Involving Public Health in Climate Change Policy

Public Health Law & Policy gathered a diverse group of more than 150 participants for a multi-disciplinary exchange of ideas and strategies with the goal of better engaging public health networks and agencies in climate change work. An Action Plan for Public Health:  Initial Recommendations for Involving Public Health in Climate Change Policy represents a synthesis of those recommendations and priorities and can be found by clicking here.

Citizen Engagement and Our Natural Resources

Voluntary Planning’s Natural Resources Citizen Engagement Committee recently released a report on its citizen engagement process titled, Our Common Ground: The Future of Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources. The process involved the participation of approximately 2,000 individuals from over 600 organizations.  Five key values emerged – sustainability, diversity, collaboration, transparency and informed decision-making.  The report completes the first phase of a three phase process in the preparation of a natural resources strategy scheduled for release in 2010.  A copy of the report is available by clicking here.

Request for Proposals for Integrated Community Energy System Demonstration Projects

Government of Canada recently released a request for proposals for demonstrations of efficient and effective ways to integrate renewable and clean energy technology into both the electric grid and the built environment. The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) seeks to respond to this request in a coordinated fashion, involving multiple partners for multiple demonstration sites across Canada. It seeks municipal, private sector, and utility partners of all types, specifically around the theme of integrated community energy systems. Interested municipalities should contact Ted Kantrowitz, Vice President of CGC by telephone (514 807-7559 ext. 34) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .