“The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.” — Thomas Berry
Thank you everyone for your interest in ensuring the hard won freedoms and beauty that surrounds us is not lost in vain. By honouring our natural world, we also honour those who came before us. Here’s a quick recap from our recent online gathering to share with your friends, family, coworkers and/or networks:
The CRD currently plans to cut down 73 acres of trees in the Mount Work area to expand the Hartland Landfill
The CRD is revising its Solid Waste Management Plan with a proposal to expand the footprint of the landfill by 73 acres of forested lands before 2045. The loss of these trees will result in an increase of 9000 metric tonnes of carbon currently sequestered which is totally contrary to the region becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
An opportunity exists to enhance regional climate change policies; protect and preserve hundreds of acres of trees; adopt new and affordable technologies to reduce landfill waste to zero waste; and create affordable, clean, renewable energy.
The Municipality of Esquimalt is exploring the feasibility of a gasifier which will thermally convert non recyclable waste into a synthesis gas used to power the gasifier and provide carbon free energy for space heating. This proposal is the centrepiece of Esquimalt’s pledge to meet the goal of zero waste become carbon neutral by 2050. This is NOT incineration. This technology is used successfully all over Europe.
Creatively United and other community groups are joining forces with the Mount Work Coalition which is taking the lead on challenging the need for landfill expansion and have produced a six minute video explaining the waste to energy gasifier system to encourage the support of other municipalities, individuals and groups.
The Conversations for a One Planet Region group encourages the region to reduce it’s overall footprint by 75% by 2050 to be in keeping with living with the capacity of One Planet. The generation of waste past 2050 is incompatible with this goal on a number of fronts: continuing a consumer society; disposing waste instead of totally reusing it; loss of natural habitat and carbon storage.
We urge One Planet Saanich, individuals and groups to support the initiative to shift more quickly to zero waste and to support the Municipality of Esquimalt to complete its detailed feasibility study for the waste to energy system so it is assured to be in the public interest and can lead to a circular economy where all waste is reused.
Time is of the essence. On Monday, November 16th, Esquimalt Council is set to discuss the feasibility of the waste to energy gasifier. If you haven’t already done so, please write the following people about preventing tree loss and the need to mitigate climate change by supporting the waste to energy model currently being considered, and send it as soon as possible to:
Barb Desjardins <Barbara.Desjardins@esquimalt.ca
Mayor and Council <mayorandcouncil@esquimalt.ca>
Tricia de Macedo <Tricia.deMacedo@esquimalt.ca>
Also, please consider registering to speak at the 7 pm Monday, November 16th Township of Esquimalt council meeting via their online engagement platform. It can be as simple as congratulating the Township of Esquimalt for their forward vision and stating your support for the waste to energy gasifier system. The information to register can be found here:
https://www.esquimalt.ca/government-bylaws/council-meetings/public-input
At 1 pm Wednesday, November 18th, the CRD will meet to discuss the Hartland expansion. The Mount Work Coalition has created the following letter which we urge everyone to share with friends, family and neighbours, informing them of this situation. Here is where you can find samples of key points for CRD presentations and letters to copy, paste or modify to suit your voice.
Email your letters re: Hartland expansion before November 18th to:
<dblackwell@crd.bc.ca>, <sbrice@crd.bc.ca>, <bdesjardins@crd.bc.ca>, <fhaynes@crd.bc.ca>, <lhelps@crd.bc.ca>, <directorjdf@crd.bc.ca>, <gholman@crd.bc.ca>, <directorsgi@crd.bc.ca>, <bisitt@crd.bc.ca>, <jloveday@crd.bc.ca>, <rmartin@crd.bc.ca>, <cmcneilsmit@crd.bc.ca>, <rmersereau@crd.bc.ca>, <kmurdoch@crd.bc.ca>, <gorr@crd.bc.ca>, <crdchair@crd.bc.ca>, <johnranns@crd.bc.ca>, <dscreech@crd.bc.ca>, <lseaton@crd.bc.ca>, <mtait@crd.bc.ca>, <ntaylor@crd.bc.ca>, <kwilliams@crd.bc.ca>, <rwinsdow@crd.bc.ca>, <gyoung@crd.bc.ca> <rlapham@crd.bc.ca>
Please also consider speaking online at the CRD Board Meeting. Here is where you can register to speak at the CRD on November 18th:
Here is the video from our recent group meeting, complete with the chat information and answers to related questions, as a recap of the above:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tVHJUcqDm2_RnHgxXdcsl1NghH4DSfiyXqLBxcevNvZPTQ_YIIj5VruCoMwpRHLq.BcVze4E_7lWAkQok Passcode: !kC7@#Px