SUSTAINABILITY
NEWSLETTERS

The past month has seen the hottest temperatures on record in BC, accompanied by forest fires and many people dying*. Climate change is real and is being felt now. What can we do?

We’ll be looking at different ways we can adapt and mitigate. Adaptations are actions we can take to minimize the harms that are already appearing because of climate change; mitigations are actions we can take to reduce the heat-trapping gases that human activities have been adding to the atmosphere and that are impacting climate.

In each issue – there’ll be four a year – we’ll try to offer some suggestions and look at environmental sustainability more broadly, especially as it connects to housing.

• Adaptations for Co-ops (for heat)
• Building Envelopes, Energy Efficiency and Funding Options
• Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Your Food
• Reef-Safe Sunscreen
• Reflections on the 2021 BC Wildfire Season – Michael Pontinen (pdf)

Please log in to access our full Sample Policies and Procedures page. (If you’re a member of a CHF BC co-op but haven’t created an account already, please register — it doesn’t take long.)

• CHF BC Model Sustainability Policy – v1.0 (2021-12-09)
• CHF BC Sustainability Policy – Discussion Notes – v1.0 (2021-12-09)
• Another Missing Middle: Co-operative Housing and the Climate Emergency
  (report from Kathryn Sheps)
• Decolonizing Environmentalism (some links)

• Energy Conservation Assistance Program
• Small Sustainability Grants
  Have an idea with a sustainability or environmental focus that’s on a smaller scale? You might be able to make it reality through one of these small grant programs. Learn more here.
• Plant Life
  Does your co-op have some existing green space? Or are you perhaps thinking about putting in plants or a garden? Here are a few things to think about.

• Heat Pumps
  Heatwaves and extreme heat events (like the heat dome in 2021) are becoming more common, and we’ve received questions over the past while about how housing co-ops might adapt. Heat pumps are an increasingly popular tool used.
• Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program
  Electric vehicles (EVs) are more and more common here and people are looking at ways to make the switch easier. Improving access to EV chargers is one of the pieces of the puzzle, and there are financial incentives your co-op might access.
• CHF BC Sustainability Grant
  Does your co-op have an idea for a sustainability-focused project? CHF BC’s Sustainability Grant might be able to help. Applications are open until June 24, 2022!
• Environmental Racism & Justice
  Resources on environmental racism and justice.

• Energy Benchmarking Program
  Is your housing co-op interested in environmental sustainability? If you are, you might also be interested in CHF BC’s new Energy Benchmarking Program.
• CHF BC Sustainability Grant Recipient
  Congratulations to Granville Gardens Housing Co-operative in Richmond, recipient of CHF BC’s Sustainability Grant.
• Virtual Food Justice Town Hall
  Join community leaders, food policy researchers, and community members on September 27 for a discussion on the vision for a just, resilient food system in Vancouver.
• Environmental Racism & Our Food System
  Environmental racism and our food system can be interlinked in various ways. Learn more.

• Creating More Energy Efficient Homes
  Heating costs during the cold months giving you trouble? There are some accessible ways to reduce heat loss, starting with weatherstripping and sealing up gaps.
• Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Program
  The City of Vancouver is aiming to cut carbon pollution from buildings in half by 2030. This will include the introduction of regulations that require large multi-family buildings to annually report their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The City is also launching retrofit programs to help residents in multi-family buildings.
• Granville Gardens’ Grant Project
  Granville Gardens, recipient of CHF BC’s 2022 Sustainability Grant, installed a heat pump to serve its common room and created an outdoor cooling area. Here’s a quick follow up since the last newsletter: see how the project turned out!
• Greener Co-op Microgrants
  Does your co-op have an idea for a project that helps the environment? CHF Canada’s Greener Co-op Microgrants are now open for applications. Deadline to apply is March 20, 2023.