Promethea Rising

Mark Jaccard is an energy and environment economist and author of The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success.Mark is a professor of sustainable energy in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. Originally from Vancouver, he did his doctorate at the Institute for Energy Economics and Policy at the University of Grenoble in 1987. Offered a position at SFU upon graduation, he leapt at the chance to return to his beloved hometown with its beautiful setting of ocean and mountains. He has been at SFU ever since, except for taking a leave from 1992 to 1997 to serve as Chairman and CEO of the British Columbia Utilities Commission.He had made significant policy contributions on energy and climate change at the national and international level.More about: Mark JaccardMore about: The Citizen's Guide to ClimateMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Eddie Oldfield has been promoting resilient community for over two decades and he is seeing progress.Eddie chairs the QUEST NB-PEI Caucus, working to advance Smart Energy Communities, and is Senior Lead, Projects, and Advisory Services at QUEST. While contributing nationally, Eddie has considerable experience working with communities in New Brunswick and they have many successes to share.More about: Eddie OldfieldMore about: QUESTMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Gaby Kalapos is passionate about local governments and the role they can play in building energy conscious communities.Gaby has been working to motivate and support local government action on clean air and climate change for over 20 years. She is currently Executive Director of the Clean Air Partnership (CAP) a charitable environmental organization launched in 2000. Gaby's passion has been on encouraging the uptake, transfer and implementation of clean air and climate change actions and the building of partnerships that enable collaboration and support between the community and all levels of government.More about: Gaby KalaposMore about: Clean Air PartnershipMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Herb Sinnock has been leading an energy transition at Sheridan College campuses that is having remarkable community benefits.We often think about community energy planning at the scale of a municipality – a city or a town. However, the practice can be equally beneficial at the scale of a neighbourhood or campus.My guest for this episode of Promethea Rising has led the development of Sheridan's first campus energy and climate master plan in 2013. Since that time, Herb and his team have been changing the campus's relationship with energy and substantially reducing emissions. Along the way, he saw the opportunity to engage the surrounding communities in a bigger conversation about sustainable city building.Herb and his team have been building the future at Sheridan. This has taught them a lot about working in a market that is not quite ready for that future and what it takes to be a market disruptor.Join for my next episode as we continue to interview people disrupting the status quo to build energy conscious communities.More about: Herb SinnockMore about: Sheridan's Campus Energy and Climate Master PlanMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Everyone loves a good map that helps us understand the world around us. My guests Kirby Calvert and Rebecca Jahns use maps to build energy conscious communities.Successful community energy planning ensures stakeholders and community members who may be impacted – either directly or indirectly – by the implementation of the plan are effectively engaged in the planning process. Engagement builds buy-in, capacity and motivation of the community for implementation.Energy mapping is a useful tool for understanding energy supply, demand, and distribution within a community.Collaborative energy mapping takes this tool and makes it an effective engagement tool. As an engagement tool, collaborate mapping supports more inclusive decision making, builds energy literacy among stakeholders and community members helping them adapt to technology and policy changes.My guests Kirby Calvert and Rebecca Jahns use collaborative energy mapping to assist municipalities understand their role in renewable energy development. They have helped communities find and map local solar, wind and biomass energy generation opportunities. Through the process, they help municipalities collaborate with stakeholders and community members to create fair and tailored initiatives that can be integrated into future community plans. More about: Kirby CalvertMore about: Rebecca JahnsMore about: Co-MappingMore about: Accelerating Implementation of Renewable Energy Music and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

A net zero neighbourhood means that no energy is drawn from the electricity grid or from pipelines and no greenhouse gases are released. Easier said than done but my guest Milfred Hammerbacher is figuring out how.Changes to the country's building codes are helping us build more energy efficient buildings but what do we miss when we only focus on buildings?Turns out, the most cost-effective pathway to a net zero building sector involves highly-energy efficient buildings combined with an integrated community-based approach that considers district energy systems - either thermal networks and electricity micro-grids. Developing  net-zero communities requires strategic, system-level interventions that engage many stakeholders. This  includes provincial, and municipal governments, planners, engineers, developers, utilities, regulators and more. The building practices, technologies, and user interface of a net-zero community are all disruptive to status-quo. Provincial legislation and regulations, municipal land-use planning policies, by-laws, and operational practices (e.g., engineering and building standards), energy regulations, utility practices, development industry business models and suppliers will all need to co-evolve. This is not easy work and comes with additional risk especially for the private sector developer. As with all sustainability transitions, there are key visionaries who make a difference. Milfred Hammerbacher and his team at S2E Technologies are such visionaries.Their Smart Community group creates healthy, resilient, and connected communities. Their goal is to develop innovative projects with a strong design aesthetic that support neighbourhoods and leave no carbon footprint. Milfred shares his thoughts about making change in the real estate sector and their bold net-zero project in London, Ontario called Eve Park.More about my guest: Milfred HammerbacherMore about: S2E TechnologiesMore about: Eve Park ProjectMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Social innovations are needed to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized energy system. My guests Matthew Day and Kate Daley are leading a collaboration dedicated to deep and sustained investment in a smart energy future.When a community has developed a community energy plan and has set goals to transition to a decarbonized future, the hard work begins. Implementation of a community energy plan is a community-wide effort. However, maintaining momentum after the initial planning stage and over many years can be challenging.Communities are learning that while the energy technologies exist to get started, the primary barrier to implementation success is the status quo – an existing energy system that prefers conventional modes of energy generation and distribution which work well within prevailing regulatory systems, utility business models, and energy markets. How will change be coordinated when there are so many moving parts to be considered?Communities are beginning to experiment with social innovations designed to sustain the engagement of key community stakeholders to achieve community energy plan goals.My guests for this episode of Promethea Rising are leading just such a social innovation - a collaboration dedicated to deep and sustained investment in a smart energy future for Waterloo Region in southern Ontario.The most effective way to challenge the status quo is through collaboration. Communities like Waterloo Region are experimenting with social innovations designed to institutionalize collaborations to catalyze and coordinate the implementation of community energy plans. Sometimes referred to as “intermediary” organizations, they do not deliver services or products. Rather, they work between the organizations that do. They serve as a backbone for collaboration across government, community organizations, businesses, and the public.In Ontario, some examples can be found in Brampton, Guelph, Oakville, and Waterloo. In each case, their mandate is to accelerate the energy transition in their community through the implementation of their community energy plans.More about my guests: Matthew Day and Kate DaleyMore about: Waterloo Region Community EnergyMore about: Our Energy GuelphMore about Future Energy OakvilleMore about: Brampton Centre for Community Energy Transformation Music and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Peter Garforth has been leading transformational change his entire life. Now he has his sight set on accelerating the energy transition in communities.Any credible plan to reduce greenhouse gas emission must address the energy performance of our existing homes and buildings in Canada. Given more than two-thirds of existing our homes and building will still be in use in thirty years, this is no small task. The technical potential is there to make a significant contribution. Canadian homes are about half as efficient as global best practice, and simple technologies exist to achieve deep savings. Yet, past retrofit programs have had limited success in impacting the efficiency of the residential sector.For over a decade, Peter has been advocating for a transformation the retrofit market to make it more attractive to homeowners, contractors, and investors.In this episode, Peter shares his experience leading transformational change and his recommended approach to residential retrofits if we want to achieve national climate goals.More about: Peter GarforthMore about: Garforth InternationalMusic and Audio Engineer: Avi CaplanMarketing: Promosaurus

Lorrie is President and Co-owner of Habit Studio, a Halifax design firm that specializes in sustainable residential work. After spending nearly twenty years designing 20 to 40 renovations per year, her goal as one of the founders of the ReCover Initiative is to reduce the financial and technical limitations of completing custom renovation projects in the face of a looming climate crisis. As a Certified Passive House Designer and a recognized building science expert, Lorrie has a Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies from the Dalhousie University Faculty of Architecture. According to climate scientists, we have just ten years left to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. To help address the climate crisis, Canada has committed to reaching a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050.  One of the quickest ways we can get to Net Zero is by increasing the energy efficiency of existing homes and buildings. Why? Because 60% of all buildings you see today will still be in use by 2050. Current methods for deep energy retrofits are not simple. They take months and are disruptive to building occupants. Every project is custom and expensive. There are not many successful deep energy retrofit examples in Canada for these reasons.In response to these challenges, the ReCover Initiative is bringing to Nova Scotia an innovative retrofit initiative based on the Dutch EnergieSprong methodology. Adapted to suit the province, this process will enable old buildings to be upgraded to net-zero ready standards in a matter of days. The ReCover Initiative is re-imagining what energy-efficient buildings look like in Nova Scotia and across Canada. More about: Habit StudioMore about: ReCover InitiativeMore about: QUESTMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Ralph Torrie has always been interested in the interface between science and society. That interest has deeply informed his contribution to promoting energy conscious communities. Like others, Ralph has concluded that the climate crisis is not limited by a lack of technology but our imagination. Change will happen quickly if we can set our imagination free. In this interview, we talk about what it will take to promote home energy retrofits in Canada and how they can be part of the green recovery in the wake of the pandemic.When asked why his work has been so important to him, he responded:“It is just unacceptable to me that the human story would end in some sort of ecological collapse. I just refuse to accept that as the final chapter.”More about: Ralph TorrieRead more at Corporate Knights: Building Back Better: Planning for a Green RecoveryMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Dr. Louise Comeau has played an instrumental role in shaping Canadian climate policy over the last 30 years. She has concluded that love and a deep caring for the planet is the primary motivator of change.Louise began her career as a climate change campaigner with Friends of the Environment and the Sierra Club of Canada. She then moved to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities where she supported municipal governments in leading sustainable change and played an important role in establishing the Green Municipal Fund. With a recent PhD in environmental ethics, she has gone back to her roots with her new consulting business, Iris Communications, supporting non-government organizations engage people, especially women, in transformational change.More about Louise and her consulting firm: Iris CommunicationsMore about: Friends of the EarthMore about: Sierra Club of CanadaMore about: Federation of Canadian MunicipalitiesMore about: Green Municipal FundMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Mike Cleland's career has dominated by energy and climate change policy through his work with government, trade associations, think tanks and academia. With early roots in political science and urban planning, he has been able to uniquely bridge national and community energy perspectives and engage effectively with a broad range of stakeholders. He currently divides his time between QUEST and Positive Energy.More about: QUESTMore about: Positive EnergyMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Deniz Ergun's interest in environmental issues began at an early age. Today, through her role at the Town of Oakville, she works with the community to make a difference on climate change. Over 400 Canadian communities have completed a community energy plan over the last decade or so. However, getting to implementation can often be elusive. One of missing elements is the lack of innovative governance solutions to support long-term community action. In our conversation, we explore Deniz's on-the-ground experience moving a community from planning to implementation – what has worked and what continues to be a challenge."If we really are serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the Paris climate commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below a point of reaching 2 degrees global warming, then we have to look at energy and we have to look at it at a community level."More about Deniz Ergun.More about Karen Farbridge.Music Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Kirby Calvert is an Associate Professor with the Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Guelph. As a social scientist, he brings an important perspective to the practice of community energy planning. Very early in his academic career, he saw the importance of engaging people in the energy transition and it has had a big influence on his approach to research. “I think that there is a deep need to maintain focus on people throughout this transition and not to get too hung up on all the technologies but to think about people. I think if we start there, we have something to work with, but there is no question that we need this transition to happen. We just need to make this transition brings people along with it.”More about KirbyMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Tonja Leach is the Executive Director of QUEST and a leading voice in Canada on Smart Energy Communities.  She talks about her work with QUEST to bring people together to build a sustainable energy future for Canadian communities."We have done the finger pointing, whether you are an environmentalist or coming at it from an economic perspective. It is time that we empower everybody to bring their own unique solutions to the table"In talking about why QUEST was established: “A number of organizations…were generally frustrated that the energy conversation in Canada was solely about supply – where were we going to get the next electron or Gigajoule from. Nobody was really talking about the opportunity that was being missed at the local level - the opportunity for the integration of energy services at the local level.”More about Tonja LeachMore about QUEST - The voice of the Smart Energy Communities marketplace in Canada.More about the Smart Energy Community Benchmark -  The Smart Energy Communities Benchmark (formerly Scorecard) is the first tool of its kind to help local governments and utilities understand where their community stands relative to its peers on a range of 10 critical community energy indicators. By driving action in each of the 10 areas, a community can capture the benefits of what we call a Smart Energy Community. Such a community benefits from new opportunities for local economic development, lower energy costs, a cleaner environment, and improved community resilience.Music Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Hi. My name is Karen Farbridge and I am host of Promethea Rising, a podcast dedicated to promoting energy conscious communities. Join me as I talk to good people working to solve a wicked global problem.Prometheus was a cultural hero in Greek mythology. He got into trouble when he defied the gods by stealing fire from them for humanity. Our modern use of energy also has unintended consequences of Promethean proportions. And like Prometheus, it is getting us into trouble.Prometheus was chained to a rock for angering the gods. An eagle was sent every day to eat his liver which grew back overnight. That might not be our punishment, but the whole planet is suffering from our use of energy.  We are surrounded by energy. The sun alone provides our planet enough solar energy in 90 minutes to power all human needs for a year. Our Promethean challenge has always been how do we harness the abundance of energy around us without unintended consequences - like climate change. My guests are tackling this challenge and generously offer their experience working with communities on transforming our energy system.I think that there is a deep need to maintain focus on people throughout this transition and not to get too hung up on all the technologies but to think about people. I think if we start there, we have something to work with, but there is no question that we need this transition to happen. We just need to make this transition brings people along with it.Dr Kirby Calvert, University of GuelphTo be conscious is to be aware of your surroundings. To be energy conscious means to be aware of how we get, distribute, and use energy in our communities.New energy technologies are also going local – so there is no better time than now for communities to become more energy conscious. The good news is communities are mobilizing around the world to help shape a low carbon and resilient energy future. Join me in the conversation.The more and more I do this work, the effort to try and continue to focus a conversation is really where the work is. It is not some analytical proof that this is important. It is really about communication and these are the vehicles that actually inspire that, so I thank you for inviting me to be part of it.Rob Kerr, Robert J Kerr and Associates Music Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees

Rob Kerr has dedicated his career to promoting energy conscious communities, globally and locally. In our conversation, we explore the growth of energy conscious communities and how the economy is an essential part of the conversation.“Talking about climate change and energy efficiency is often, even to this day, seen as a special interest issue and that there's only certain people that worry about that and some people don't. And there is a lot of division around it – especially in climate, more so than energy. And I despair at that and why that happens. I think the missing ingredient has been talking about the economy.”"The more and more I do this work, the effort to try and continue to focus a conversation is really where the work is. It is not some analytical proof that this is important. It is really about communication and these are the vehicles that actually inspire that, so I thank you for inviting me to be part of it."More about Rob - Rob Kerr, President, Robert J. Kerr & AssociatesMusic Credit: Andrew McPherson, Forest for the Trees