As Earth Hour 2012 nears, Guelph residents have something to be proud of as numbers in a new report released by the Community Energy Initiative (CEI) show that energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions per capita are on a five-year decline.
“Urban areas like Guelph use 75 per cent of all energy and generate 80 per cent of all greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change,” said Glynis Logue, Executive Director of Guelph Environmental Leadership and member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy. “We are all in this together,” continued Logue, “so every person who turned down their air conditioning last summer, took public transit or walked instead of driving, turned the furnace down when they went to bed, or changed to energy efficient lighting in their home contributed to the energy reductions we have seen.”
The CEI report is a summary of data collected and analyzed by Guelph Hydro Inc. and formally presented to the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy. Based on internationally recognized measurement processes published by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the data measures consumption of electricity, gas and natural gas in the city and greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors including transportation, residential and industrial.
The report highlights a number of important trends from 2005-2010, including:
• Energy usage per capita has decreased by 13.3 per cent
• GHG Emissions per capita have decreased by 18.8 per cent
• Population increased by nearly 16 per cent
“Guelph residents should be very proud of the steps they have made to use less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge. “By turning off non-essential lights during Earth Hour this Saturday, Guelph residents have an opportunity to express their continued support for energy conservation.”
The City of Guelph’s commitment to energy conservation has led to a number of initiatives and goals such as changing the way citizens, businesses and the city government think about and use energy, promoting local renewable energy generation and building and maintaining a reliable sustainable energy supply. The Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy was developed to help the city meet its target of reducing energy usage by 50 per cent per capita by 2031.
Click here to read the full 2010 Energy Usage and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report for the City of Guelph.
Click here to read 100 ways to reduce your energy consumption.