Check out photos and information related to the Municipal Survivor Climate Challenge here

The District of Highlands Council has challenged all of the AVICC (Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Local Governments to a Municipal Survivor Climate Challenge. 

You can find a copy of the memo from Councillor Ann Baird here.

The goal of the challenge is to initiate a fun and friendly local government competition with each participating Council and Board measuring their average “One-Planet Living” footprint of the Council and Board members, who then take steps in their daily lives over the next year to reduce their average footprint.  Highlands Council believes this fun competition can show community leadership while assisting in education and building local resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

The calculator we are using is: https://www.footprintcalculator.org.  This easy to use online tool gives the following data based on subjective inputs by individuals:

1. How many Earth’s would be required if everyone lived like that person
2. Ecological footprint (how many hectares of land are required)
3. Carbon footprint (tonnes of CO2)

The launch of the competition was on on Earth Day 2019 (April 22) and the competition will run for one year, until Earth Day 2020. 

What is involved?

Each council or board member would determine their personal results prior to April 22, 2019 using the footprint calculator.  The average results of your Council or Board for the three items above would be calculated and the averaged results forwarded to the District of Highlands.  Then throughout the year participants would work towards lowering their initial results.  Come Earth Day 2020 the same participants will once again take the challenge and the average for the council or board would then again be forwarded to the District of Highlands. Highlands will summarize the results and relay them back to you.  Again, these are combined averages and not individual results.

Goals of the Challenge:

• to educate
• to engage community and the region in a simple fun way
• to invite information community participation by expanding the survey to residents
• to attract media coverage
• to demonstrate community leadership in responding to the climate crisis
• to build local resilience
• to gain more support for climate policies and initiatives
• to empower individuals to take action

Join our carbon footprint duel!

2019 Participants and Average Results

Slowly the 2020 results are coming in - the table will be updated as we receive them - so far the results are promising.

2020 Participants and Average Results

Footprint Calculator Tool

Individuals or other organizations are encourage to see what their results are and perhaps start an challenge yourself!  Just click on the image to measure your Ecological Footprint.

Councillor Ann Baird has created a face book page for the Municipal Survivor Climate Challenge as well - you can find that here:  www.facebook.com/groups/2323307074618035/.