Theme EN 1: Energy, Air and Climate Change

Theme Statement

Kingston is capable of producing all of the energy that residents and industry consume, and is responsible for offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions created by the community. Kingston has clean, fresh, and breathable air because the community has minimized emissions that could be harmful to the health of the community, the environment, or the atmosphere.

Indicators

Energy Use (Total and per capita energy use).
GHG Emissions (Total and per capita GHG emissions).
Air Quality Index (AQI) (Number of days per year where the AQI is greater than 50).

Goals

Reduce the amount of energy that residents and industry consume.
Generate enough local renewable energy to meet all of our needs.
Reduce and/or mitigate our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to become carbon neutral.
Minimize aerial emissions including volatile organic compounds (VOCs).¹⁹
Minimize noise pollution.
Work within our power to reduce the number of smog days to zero. Recognizing our limitations in achieving this goal, we will encourage neighbouring communities to do the same.

Actions

Action	Action Lead	Target	Status
Streamlining Technology Reduce energy through the use of mobile devices. This will eliminate the need for servers, and computers. It provides for a more virtual office capability.	Strategic Benefits & Insurance Services Ltd.	Reduce energy consumption through technology and practice.	Ongoing
Electric Charging Station	Ambassador Conference Resort	To allow guests to come, plug in and recharge their batteries .	Completed
Energy, Air and Climate Change Reduce energy required in office by using energy efficient lighting, using power-saving plugs for electronics, promoting alternate forms of transportation to work to reduce the office’s carbon footprint.	WESA	Reducing energy used in office by 5% by using power-saving plugs; getting more people involved in alternate forms of transportation including public transportation.	Ongoing
Green Procurement Policy	St. Lawrence College	Procure responsible environmentally friendly and energy efficient products and services wherever possible.	Ongoing
Energy Conservation Efforts At KIHC, not only are we able to make a diffence by encourageing individuals to adopt environmentally sustainable practices for the benefit of their health and community, but as a locally-owned and operated healthcare instutuion, KIHC has the flexibility to reduce our environmental footprint and set an example for our patients.	Kingston Integrated Healthcare	To conserve energy and reduce green house gas emissions.	Ongoing
Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation The bike tour is envionmentally sustainable and reduced motor vehicle usage.	Kingston by Bike!	To lower greenhouse gases and other pollutants	Ongoing
Promote Green Products We identify manufacturers that provide green products such as goods made of recycled materials and/or are easily recycled, and promote them to our customers. We provide documentation to our customers on products that will contribute points towards LEED buildings. We also give preference to manufacturers who use green energy in their manufacturing processes.	Upper Canada Office Systems	Encourage customers to be cognisant of the environment when making their purchasing choices and encourage those manufactures who are making the effort to be more environmentally friendly.	Ongoing
Solar Panel Installation As part of the Ontario Solar FIT program, 48 solar panels were installed onto the roof of our facility at 40 Grant Timmins Drive. The electricity generated from these panels feeds directly to the grid.	Upper Canada Office Systems	Increase the amount of sustainable energy produced.	Ongoing
Energy Savings - Partial deployment of LEDs - Motion activated washroom lights - Set back thermostat - T8 fluorescents in kitchen	Iron Duke on Wellington	Reduce energy consumption through technology and practice	Ongoing
Energy Meters Energy meters can be borrowed free of charge at all library branches.	Kingston Frontenac Public Library	To help with energy conservation.	Ongoing
Solar Energy Both the Central Library and the Kingscourt Branch library have rooftop solar panels as part of the City's energy program.	Kingston Frontenac Public Library	To supply clean energy to the utility grid.	Ongoing
Cement 2020 Project The Cement 2020 Project is an initiative that has been active since January 2010 and has been coordinating scientific reports for the Asia Pacific Partnership project and fuel evaluations through the Green(er) Fuel Protocol.	Lafarge	To examine the sustainability of the cement industry including low carbon coal alternatives from a triple bottom line persective of social, economic and environmental impact.	Ongoing
Build a demonstration plant to research cleaner fuel use in cement plants	Lafarge	To implement the recommendations arising from the Cement 2020 project wherein cleaner fuels are adopted.	Public consultation and relevant background testing and paperwork in progress.
Ribbon of Life Shoreline Protection Program Susan Moore has assisted the Friends of the Salmon River (FSR) in developing a Ribbon of Life program to encourage shoreline landowners to create and maintain a naturalized buffer zone along the Salmon River. Natural buffer zones protect water quality, reduce soil erosion, stabilize river banks, help prevent flooding, and provide increased habitat for wildlife. Ten properties have received surveys and reports on their shorelines and recommendations for action. Funding is provided for the surveying, reporting and tree planting activities. Many more landowners are scheduled for the next phase. The Ribbon of Life will be a model for many other river communities.	Moore Partners	The goal is to provide easy, no-cost access to a constructive shoreline protection program.The long-range plan is to extend the Ribbon of Life program throughout the Salmon River and to provide a model for other river communities.	Ongoing
Using Sustainable Energy Sources For our heat source, we are currently burning a multifuel pellet stove on Canadian source clean wood pellets, formerly a waste product in milling operations. We are in the process of investigating the viability of using locally produced switch grass pellets.	Living Rooms :: EcoLogical Living + Building	Full use of sustainable energies - one day operating "off-grid" capability.	Ongoing
350.org Rallies Organize local events to advocate for 350.org, a global grassroots movement to cut CO2 emissions and build a global movement for climate solutions, focusing on the number 350 ppm, the level many scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in the atmosphere.	Goal Patrol	To bring awareness to the 350.org movement.	Ongoing
Printing on Recycled Paper All of our magazines are printed on FSC-certified post-consumer recycled content (10%).	Kingston Publications	By printing on FSC-certified recycled paper, we help to preserve trees, save wastewater flow and use less greenhouse gas.	Ongoing
Sustainability Assessment Team The Sustainability Assessment Team will be dedicated to evaluating the sustainability of events hosted by the Alma Mater Society. With their sustainable events checklist, they will drop in on events and see what sustainable practices are being employed and more importantly, where there is room for improvement. By the end of the year, the CES will have an idea of the greatest sustainable issues facing the AMS.	Queen's University Alma Mater Society (AMS)	To complete 20 event assessments.	Ongoing
Greenovations Greenovations began in 2007 as a project to offset the carbon emissions generated by student travel through Destinations (now Tricolour Outlet) by completing free energy-saving retrofits on homes in the student village. The committee has since expanded to hosting retrofit workshops and providing home retrofit kits to students. This initiative encompasses all pillars of sustainability: the retrofits have environmental benefits with reduced energy consumption, economic benefits with lowered utility bills, and social benefits through the provision of information on energy use and urban sustainability to students.	Queen's University Alma Mater Society (AMS)	Complete 12 retrofits on houses in the University District and host two bulb exchanges.	Ongoing
Solar Thermal Sales and Design Promote and sell solar thermal heating systems. Solar thermal collectors provide a supplemental heat source.	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	Help Kingston and area residents reduce energy usage and their carbon footprint.	Ongoing
ENERGY STAR Evaluation for New Homes ENERGY STAR is the international symbol of premium energy efficiency. Homes that display the ENERGY STAR symbol have been tested according to prescribed procedures and have been found to meet or exceed higher energy efficiency levels without compromising performance.	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	Continue to preform ENGERY STAR evalutions for our community.	Ongoing
Sales Team Vehicle Upgrades Upgrade sales team vehicle fleet to Ford Transit Connect from full sized pickup trucks.	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	Continue to upgrade when necessary.	Ongoing
Active Transportation and Centralized Food Pickup Locations - Multiple locations for convenient fresh food pickup. - Bicycle/tricycle delivery in downtown Kingston for convenience.	Main Street Market	Eliminate barriers to help people access the freshest local food.	Ongoing
Drive Free Fridays All sales team members participate in Drive Free Friday. This takes our vehicle fleet off the road for one day a week. All sales meetings are done via telephone or web-based software. Our sales staff drive approximately 100,000 km per year. Taking the fleet off the road for one day a week results in approx. 96 tonnes* of CO2 from the atmosphere.	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	Continue to encourage all staff to drive less and when they have to, drive efficiently.	Ongoing
Heating System Upgrades Programmable thermostats were installed to allow for night time set back.	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	Include A/C units in this upgrade.	Ongoing
Factory Lighting Upgrades All factory lighting has been upgraded to T8 florescence bulbs .	Tackaberry Heating and Refrigeration	To upgrade all office lighting.	Ongoing
Community Development - Provide and track mechanisms through which residents can take action at home or in their lifestyle. - Stimulate demand for green products, technologies and services.	New Energy Project	Residents of the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington region.	Ongoing
Queen’s Solar Demonstration Home The Queen’s Solar Demonstration Home is a prefabricated home that will be outfitted with sustainable technologies, including solar energy. The home will firstly act as a research tool for engineering students at Queen’s. Beyond its research purposes, the Demonstration Home will also act as an education tool for the community at large. We hope to use the home to inspire the Kingston community to demand more from their homes. Within the home, we will be featuring energy-efficient products and technologies from local retailers in the hopes that Kingston homeowners will retrofit their homes and strive to live more sustainably. Furthermore, we plan to hold educational tours to local high schools and elementary schools.	Queen’s Solar Design Team	We hope to have 10% of the Queen’s population (including administration and faculty) visit the home. We will also have visitors fill out scorecards to measure their experience within the home, specifically evaluating how enjoyable and educational they found the home and materials to be. Ideally, we aim to have a response of 75% top-box satisfaction (i.e. a rating of 4 or 5 out of 5). We also hope to have at least 5 local school visits.	Ongoing
Solar Air-heating Panel Sales and Installation Promote, sell and install solar air heating systems. Solar air-heating panels provide a supplemental heat source.	New Leaf Custom Homes	Help Kingston and area residents reduce energy usage and their carbon footprint.	Ongoing
Passivhaus Promotion as a Building Standard for Energy Efficiency Promote the popular European Passivhaus (Passive Building) energy standard in Kingston. Passivhaus is the world most rigorous and proven standard for energy efficiency.	New Leaf Custom Homes	Build Kingston's first house/building certified to the Passivhaus standard.	Ongoing
K-Town Sources Sustainability Series A community programming spotlight on sustainable initiatives that the average homeowner in Kingston can make. This is an ongoing series of 4-5 minute segments that aired on the weekly news magazine program K-Town Source.	TVCOGECO	To increase local awareness of environmental issues and how to have a greener home.	Ongoing
Energy Savings Through Reduced Temperature Management - We have not used air conditioning at all for the past 5 years. - Our office is kept at 18C at all times during cold months between 6AM and 6PM, after which the temperature is dropped to 5C. Only the bathroom is left at 18C at all times to prevent pipes from freezing.	Aureus Solutions Inc.	- Eliminate all air conditioning use at office. - Keep office temperature at 18C during office operation and 5C during off hours.	Successful and ongoing
Eliminate Transportation to and from Office We currently have an office within 10 min walk of our homes. We purposely purchased downtown locations within a small radius and selected a downtown office within that zone, allowing both business owners to walk to work, resulting in 0 GHGs due to transportation.	Aureus Solutions Inc.	- All office employees walk to work every day.	Successful and ongoing
Environmental Responsibility Initiatives include: - Low VOC materials are used in property; paint, carpeting and air fresheners. - Preference is given to environmentally responsible service providers, including integrated pest management. - Air filtration in place and available for guestrooms. - Moisture detecting equipment in use to detect leakage, ensuring timely repair. - Guests are provided with walking maps and information on public transportation.	Ambassador Conference Resort	Lead though actions to promote and encourage environmental friendly activities.	Ongoing
Energy Consumption Initiatives include: - Lights, air conditioning/heat turned off in meeting rooms when not in use; drapes are closed when possible in summer months. - Energy efficient lighting in hallways, exit signs, public guestrooms and meeting rooms. - Timers on lighting in public washrooms. - Faucet aerators used on water fixtures. - Installation of DECTRON Humidification System which recycles humidity generated within the indoor water park into heat that is utilized for the pool and waterslide.	Ambassador Conference Resort	We have replaced 40% of our light bulbs to energy efficient ones and our goal is to have 100% of guestroom light bulbs replaced over the next 24-36 months.	Ongoing
Environmental Responsibility Initiatives include: - Low VOC materials are used in property; paint, carpeting and air fresheners. - Preference is given to environmentally responsible service providers, including integrated pest management. - Air filtration in place and available for guestrooms. - Moisture detecting equipment in use to detect leakage, ensuring timely repair. - Guests are provided with walking maps and information on public transportation.	Four Points by Sheraton	Lead though actions to promote and encourage environmental friendly activities. 2010-annual CO2e emissions per room down 7.61% from 2009.	Ongoing
Energy Consumption Initiatives include: - Lights, air conditioning/heat turned off in meeting rooms when not in use; drapes are closed when possible in summer months. - Energy efficient lighting in hallways, exit signs, public guestrooms and meeting rooms. - Timers on lighting in public washrooms. - Faucet aerators used on water fixtures. - Installation of DECTRON Humidification System which recycles humidity generated within the Indoor Water Park into heat that is utilized for the pool and waterslide.	Four Points by Sheraton	Continue to reduce energy consumption. 2010-Annual energy usage per room down 4.10% from 2009. We have also converted our lighting systems by 97% to more efficient lighting.	Ongoing
Nedco Green Program Bringing innovative energy saving products to the local community.	Nedco (A Division of Rexel)	To help the local commmunity to reach energy saving targets.	Ongoing
Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Space - Replace old refrigeration units with Energy Star units. - Replace older light fixtures with efficient Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). - Upgrade building envelope insulation.	Windmills Restaurant	Reduce energy costs and environmental burden.	Completed.
Solar Thermal Water Heater Rental Program This program provides affordable options for residents and businesses to reduce conventional fuel use through solar technology.	Utilities Kingston	Provide affordable sustainable energy option to all Kingston and area residents.	Ongoing
1000 Solar Rooftops Program The program includes a door to door educational initiative and outreach through community events completed in 2010. An interactive map allows you to learn more about solar installations in your neighbourhood and throughout the Kingston area.	SWITCH	Become the first city of its size to achieve 1,000 solar panel rooftop installations.	Database work ongoing
Campus Energy Efficiency Retrofits and Energy Management Plan	St. Lawrence College	Tricampus annual savings of $5,000 and 1400t of GHG emissions.	Ongoing
250kW Rooftop Solar Installation The largest post-secondary installation in Canada	St. Lawrence College	Over $200,000 in annual revenue generation; varied hardware and design choice to generate industry data and educational opportunities.	Completed Spring 2012
Bullfrog Power Purchasing Find out more about this initiative under Green Energy.	Science ’44 Co-op Inc.	Continuous investment in Green energy.	Ongoing
Window Replacement Program Find out more about the program under Environmental Initiatives.	Science ’44 Co-op Inc.	Have all property windows replaced with double-paned, argon-filled insulating windows.	Ongoing
Join the Journey A youth-led project designed to engage Kingstonians in a way that empowers individuals to change their thinking and take action. Using a written pledge, the mission is to inspire families to decrease waste production and conserve water and energy. The Summer 2010 component of the program was designed by 3 enthusiastic post-secondary students leading a committed and energetic team of 8 high school students. This team visited over 11,000 homes and participated in 7 community events.	Kingston Sustainability Centre	To engage in 3,000 conversations to seek 1,600 pledges. The team executed 4,271 conversations and secured 1,810 pledges to take action that equate to an annual reduction of 1,200 tonnes of green house gas emissions.	Completed and successful
Smart Metering - Help residents address rising energy costs by shifting use to lower cost periods. - Education about how electricity is produced and distributed and what drives increasing costs.	Kingston Hydro	Shift time of use — lower peak, get away from coal generation or high cost generation.	Time of use billing to be implemented in Kingston Hydro territory by end of 2011.
Distributed & Renewable Energy Connections - Assist local generators in getting hooked up. - Assist SWITCH, St. Lawrence College, Queen’s and other community partners in education and advocacy.	Kingston Hydro	Expand implementation and understanding of distributed and renewable energy options and to continue to help hook up local generators.	Ongoing
Energy Conservation Programs - Over 12 new rebate, coupon, audit, retrofit, capacity building, and educational programs for all types of Kingston Hydro customers. - Ontario Power Authority's province-wide programs and potential programs targeted to specific needs of Kingston Hydro customers.	Kingston Hydro	- 6.6 MW of peak demand reduction and 37 GWh of electricity consumption reduction by Dec. 31, 2014. - Peak target — equivalent to shutting off CFB Kingston on a hot summer afternoon. - Consumption — equivalent to 445 hour-long blackouts at average loading over the 4 year period. - Targets are a condition of Kingston Hydro’s license.	Ongoing (2011–2014)
Public Health Environmental Committee An internal committee that leads in the identification, development, and promotion of strategies to foster a culture that supports active stewardship of the environment.	KFL&A Public Health	To establish a workplace culture that makes choosing to protect the environment the right and the easy choice.	Ongoing
Reduce Consumption Internally Reduce consumption of energy and resources and reduce waste by encouraging staff through an email and poster campaign to turn off computers/lights when not in use and default to double-sided print. Will introduce recycling of plastic/glass instead of just paper.	KEYS Job Centre d'emploi	Become more environmentally sustainable and lead to the community we serve by example.	Ongoing
Faith Building Evaluations Offer and expand its energy evaluations on faith buildings. In many cases, large, older buildings that are used only at certain times of the week can give rise to high utility bills which divert funds from other organizational activities and goals. An audit identifies energy efficiency opportunities and helps groups determine necessary building upgrades and changes.	Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative	To evaluate 20 faith buildings in 2011.	Ongoing
Commercial Energy Evaluations Will offer and expand its commercial evaluations designed for store fronts and small businesses. This will allow business owners to reduce their energy consumption and GHG emissions while increasing their business profitability.	Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative	To conduct 30 small commercial energy evaluations in 2011.	Ongoing
Residential Home Energy Evaluations Will provide a variety of home energy evaluations for members of the community. Each retrofitted home can prevent an average of 2 tonnes of green house gas (GHG) emissions from being released into the atmosphere each and every year! This program is dependent on the return of ecoEnergy, a federal government grant program.)	Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative	To evaluate 100-400 homes in 2011.	Ongoing
Community Green House Gas Inventory Determine how many tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted by the entire Kingston community. More information is available on the website.	City of Kingston	Update GHG emissions inventory for the City of Kingston (non-municipal operations).	Inventory for year 2000 completed. Inventory for year 2006 completed. Inventory for 2008 is in progress.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Municipal Operations	City of Kingston	Update GHG emissions inventory for the City of Kingston operations (garbage collection, snowplowing, building operation, etc.).	Inventories for 2000, 2006 completed. Inventory for 2008 is in progress.
Create Heritage Walking Tours Program and Sir John A. Macdonald Audio Walking Tours A full description of each program is available on the website.	City of Kingston	Provide a series of brochures and audio podcasts to support informative walking tours of Kingston for those interested in Sir John A. Macdonald and the heritage buildings of Kingston.	Completed and available
Reforestation (tree-planting) at Lemoine Point Conservation Area This initiative is in partnership with Friends of Lemoine Point volunteers.	Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority	Restore natural woodland on areas previously cleared for farming.	Ongoing (annual program)

19 See EC 4 Infrastructure for transportation goals related to public transportation use, networks, and linkages, fuel efficient vehicles, and reduction of single occupancy vehicles.