GreenJobs BC Newsletter, Summer 2014: town hall results and more

  • Print


Summer 2014 Newsletter: Spring Town Hall Wrap-up, email list confirmation, Green Jobs reports show big steps forward

GreenJobs BC 2014 Town Halls: Spring Wrap-up

This spring, GreenJobs BC visited BC communities to get feedback on local initiatives and priorities for green job creation. Nearly 200 people attended town hall meetings across 5 communities -- Courtenay, Gibsons, Chilliwack, Castlegar, and Kimberley -- including members and staff of local environmental organizations, Labour Council and union members, MLAs and municipal officials, tradespeople, businesspeople, and members of the public. Thank you to those who participated!

We heard that views of the “green economy” use different languages depending on local industries and actions, but community values are similar in prioritizing sensible use of resources and ensuring community benefits. We also found strong foundations of a green economy everywhere we went, from hydro power in the Kootenays, to local agriculture initiatives in the Fraser Valley, to sustainable fisheries on the island.

Summaries of the sessions are being posted on our website -- starting with Courtenay and Gibsons – and further feedback is welcome as we look to develop a plan for a green economy that takes into account BC’s regional economic and environmental diversity. We will also be visiting additional communities in the fall.

Anti-Spam Legislation in effect
As you likely know from a deluge of recent emails, the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL) took effect on July 1. We will not be contacting you with commercial offers, and we hope to continue keeping you informed of activities, events, and ongoing developments in the world of Green Jobs! Green Jobs Take Center Stage in BC and Beyond
Recent weeks have seen a large number of green jobs reports:
  • Vancouver reports 19% growth in green jobs over 3 years! (summary and report here)
  • Obama’s groundbreaking announcement of regulations on coal plants is supported by Natural Resources Defense Council analysis that shows such regulations could create 274,000 jobs (article here). How can Canada benefit from Obama’s plan? Read Merran Smith’s article here.
  • World Bank analysis shows climate policies will have massive benefits in terms of jobs, GDP, health and lives (article here)
  • Australia can see big jobs benefits from protecting its environment (article here /full report here)
  • The Hill Times reports that clean tech is emerging as Canada’s fastest-growing sector – 9% growth in 2012 (article here)
  • The International Renewable Energy Agency finds 6.5 million people work in renewable energy in 2013, up 14% from the year before (article and report here)
And on the bad side, a report commissioned by US Billionaires looks at regional impacts of climate change, and yes, they’re bad (article here)

And looking forward to UN climate talks in Paris in 2015, more than 50 global unions have joined the call for a meaningful climate pact (article here). follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend Copyright © 2014 GreenJobs BC, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you attended the GreenJobs BC Retrofit & Building Forum.
Our mailing address is:
GreenJobs BC1166 Alberni StreetVancouver, Bc v6e 3z3 Canada
Add us to your address book