Community Action

Everybody has the potential to be an environmental champion.

Community action or "sustainability culture" is about creating heightened environmental awareness in everyone. We aim to reach a point where Council, Region staff, citizens and businesses routinely look for opportunities for continuous environmental improvement in their daily lives and work.

Update on 2012 completed Community Environmental Fund Projects

Enclosed below are examples of a few completed projects that were financially supported by the Region of Waterloo’s Community Environmental Fund.  New projects will be highlighted here as time goes by so visit this webpage for future updates.

Grand River Carshare Purchase of an Electric Vehicle: $15,000 Grant

The Region of Waterloo 2012 Community Environmental Fund helped Grand River Carshare fund the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV), the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, to demonstrate and promote electric vehicle technology and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project allowed carshare members to try the new technology and reduced approximately 525 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions over the first 5 months of use (Aug. 29, 2012 – Jan. 31, 2013). Grand River Carshare will be conducting a survey to assess members’ experience with the i-MiEV as well as analyzing the spring and summer usage data during 2013, when they typically experience higher vehicle usage. The project has also highlighted the need for more charging infrastructure to support the use of the new technology within Waterloo Region as there are several EV models available at local auto dealerships. 

Grand River CarShare’s EV is also bullfrog powered with 100% green electricity. This means that Bullfrog Power injects carbon-free green power into the Ontario grid to match the amount of electricity that Grand River CarShare uses for their electric vehicle in addition to their offices.  All of the electricity injected on the CarShare’s behalf is sourced exclusively from wind and low-impact hydro power producers who meet or exceed EcoLogo standards for renewable energy.

Foodlink Waterloo Region – Buy Local Buy Fresh mapping application for mobile devices: $5,000 grant

The Region of Waterloo 2012 Community Environmental Fund helped fund the development of a free software application to expand access to Foodlink’s local food database via handheld devices (previously only available as a printed map) to give users access to the local food market and support the Local Food movement. The App was successfully launched in May 2012 with nearly 600 downloads by Blackberry users of the application at the completion of the first phase of the roll out and included the most efficient bus and cycling routes, encouraging alternative carbon friendly transportation options. A more extensive marketing campaign is planned for the second phase which includes expanding to all smart phone platforms and monitoring user statistics. This App will allowed Region of Waterloo citizens to forgo the paper version of the “Buy Local Buy Fresh” map (reducing printing and paper costs). Foodlink actively promoted this app at events such as ‘Taste Local! Taste Fresh!’ and the 2012 International Plowing Match.

Other ways we encourage people to make easy, basic changes that will contribute to a quality of life that is sustainable:

• Buy Local Buy Fresh
  For over a decade, the Region has encouraged people to eat more locally produced food, both as a way to support our farmers and to reduce transport-related air emissions. Look for the Buy Local Buy Fresh logo to identify local food at your favourite food store or farmers' market. Or grow your own food in your backyard or in one of the network of Community Gardens in the Region.
• Travelwise
  There are many ways to travel to work, including transit, carpooling, cycling, walking, or combinations of them. Employees can make sustainable travel choices like these more easily using programs and incentives offered through the Region's Travelwise project. You can become more physically fit, save money and help the environment by commuting in sustainable and active ways.
  

Watch for news of our Environmental Sustainability Fund and the Environmental Footprint calculator.