Home & Community Choices | Shopping Choices | Workplace & Commuting Choices | Recreation and Leisure Choices

State of Environment Reporting

What Can I Do?

Home and Community Choices

Natural Resources Canada

• This site has information on energy efficient household appliances and heating and cooling systems. You can also compare fuel consumption of different vehicles.

Power Smart at Home

• (604-431-9463 in the Lower Mainland or 1-877-431-9463 in the rest of BC)
• BC Hydro's online Home Energy Learning Program offers several features, including the home energy profile and information about buying energy efficient appliances and other products.

Capital Regional District Water Department

• Check the site's water efficiency section for water-saving tips and information about rain barrels.

WaterWiser

• WaterWiser is a "water efficiency clearinghouse." Its web site features the drip calculator and more than 5,000 references.

Greater Vancouver Regional District

• Compost Hotline: 604-736-2250
• Whether you live in the GVRD or elsewhere in BC, this site has useful information about waste reduction, recycling and composting for homeowners.

Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre

• (250-386-9676)
• The centre offers educational programs and a demonstration garden in Victoria. Its web site is a good place to learn about backyard and indoor (worm bin) composting.

Recycling Council of British Columbia

• BC Recycling Hotline: 1-800-667-4321 from anywhere in BC or R-E-C-Y-C-L-E [732-9253] in Greater Vancouver
• In addition to resource materials, event listings and contact information, this site also has an online Household Hazardous Waste Toxics Toolkit.

Toxic Smart program

• (250-753-3459)
• The Georgia Strait Alliance's Toxic Smart program tell you how to rid your home and workplace of toxic chemicals.

SmartGrowth BC

• (604-915-5234)
• The aim of SmartGrowthBC is to increase the profile of urban development issues and assist established organizations to create livable communities, contain urban sprawl, preserve agricultural and forest land, promote more sustainable transportation, and ensure adequate affordable housing.

James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Livable Environments

• This University of British Columbia research and outreach organization demonstrates how to design and build affordable, equitable and ecologically healthy communities.

Douglas College Institute of Urban Ecology

• The institute's mission is to sustain the livability and health of urban areas, especially BC's Lower Mainland, through the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment. They sponsor the Green Links Backyard Habitat Enhancement Challenge and have information on backyard and balcony habitats on their web site.

BC Stewardship Centre online

• Stewardship publications accessible from this site include: BC Grasslands Stewardship Guide: A Guide for Ranchers and Recreation Users; Community Greenways: Linking Communities to Country, and People to Nature; Community Stewardship: A Guide to Establishing Your Own Group; Naturescape British Columbia: Caring For Wildlife Habitat at Home; The Streamkeepers Handbook; Wetland Keepers Handbook; and Watershed Stewardship: A Guide for Agriculture.

Living By Water Project

• (250-832-7405)
• Focusing on shorelines along all types of water bodies (rivers, streams, creeks, canals, lakes, ponds, wetlands, reservoirs, estuaries and marine waters), this project promotes the value of keeping shorelines healthy, and provides informational programs, services and materials.

Nature Conservancy

• (250-479-3191)
  
• Land Trust Alliance of BC (250-538-0112)
• The Nature Conservancy is one of several organizations that accept ecological gifts from landowner's in the form of land donations or conservation easements. Others are listed on the Land Trust Alliance's web site.

Shopping Choices

Buy Green

• This site provides information on environmentally preferred, environmentally responsible or environmentally sound products and services, and advice for individuals and organizations on establishing and maintaining a green procurement program that considers recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and pollution prevention.

Secondhand Saavy

• Buying secondhand reduces the use of resources and energy. This site provides extensive information about secondhand shopping in British Columbia.

Certified Organic Associations of BC

• This site offers information for consumers seeking organic produce or wanting to check a farm's current organic certification status, as well as anyone looking for information on organic growing and production in British Columbia.

Farm Folk / City Folk

• FarmFolk/CityFolk promotes farming practices that contribute to the health of the planet. A list of BC organic food delivery services can be found on their web site.

Greener Cars web site

• Greener vehicles are those that achieve a high standard of efficiency, low emissions and clean production. On this web site the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy gives Green Scores for a wide range of vehicles and tells how to select a vehicle that does the least harm to the planet while meeting your transportation needs.

Co-operative Auto Network (in Vancouver) (604-685-1393)
Victoria Car Share Co-op (250-995-0265)

• These co-ops provide car sharing opportunities as an alternative to individual car ownership.

Workplace & Commuting Choices

Reach for Unbleached

• (604-879-2992)
• Through its Office Paper Buying Club, Reach for Unbleached offers chlorine-free, recycled paper at 27 percent below regular retail price. The organization's web site also provides simple instructions on how to reduce office paper use by adjusting document settings.

Green Buildings BC

• This initiative has been established to reduce the environmental impact of provincially-funded buildings and, in the process, foster the growth of BC's environmental industry. It includes a New Buildings program and a Retrofit program.

Power Smart Business Solutions

• BC Hydro offers advice on how to improve your business's energy efficiency.

Better Environmentally Sound Transport

• (604-669-2860)
• BEST is working to solve problems of pollution, climate change, traffic congestion and urban sprawl and to make Lower Mainland communities healthier places to live by promoting sustainable transportation, land-use planning and neigbourhoods oriented to pedestrian use, cycling and public transit.

GoGreen

• GoGreen is a multi-agency initiative that promotes responsible use of, and alternatives to, the single occupant vehicle in the Lower Mainland and other BC communities.

Jack Bell RideShare program

• (604-879-RIDE [7433] within the Lower Mainland and 380-7433 or 1-888-380-7433 within the Capital Regional District)
  
• The RideShare program operates on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, arranging van pools for groups of seven to eight commuters and car pools for smaller groups.

British Columbia Cycling Coalition

• Cyclist commuters can make local connections through BCCC, a provincial umbrella organization that seeks to secure the recognition of cyclists and their needs in policies and programs affecting transportational cycling in BC.

Recreation & Leisure Choices

Green Boating program

• (250-753-3459)
• The Georgia Strait Alliance's Green Boating program helps boaters avoid problems such as sewage, bilge and greywater discharges, fuel spills, toxic paints, cleaning and maintenance products, and disruptive interactions with wildlife.

Oceans Blue Foundation

• (604-684-2583)
• This foundation promotes environmentally responsible tourism in coastal areas and on the ocean. One of their initiatives focuses on the cruise ship industry.

The Land Conservancy of BC

• (250-479-8053)
• TLC Working Holidays provide a unique opportunity to get involved with the work of The Land Conservancy of BC, meet other volunteer stewards and gain valuable knowledge about the biodiversity of British Columbia's landscapes in places like South Winchelsea Island and Reynolds Talking Mountain Ranch.

British Columbia Environmental Network

• (604-879-2279)
• A wide range of volunteering opportunities can be tracked through the BCEN, a network of community-based British Columbia environmental organizations.

NatureWatch programs

• (Canadian Nature Federation toll-free: 1-800-267-4088)
• This series of national volunteer monitoring programs give "citizen scientists" a chance to help identify and track environmental changes. Schools, community groups, individuals, naturalists, backyard enthusiasts, Guides and Scouts collect data through programs such as FrogWatch, IceWatch, PlantWatch and WormWatch. The programs are administered by the Canadian Nature Federation, Environment Canada and the University of Guelph