GRANT STORY - GREENING SACRED SPACES
The Multifaith Action Society believes healing the planet is one of the greatest spiritual challenges of our time. However, it is not easy to know how to go green. Their Greening Sacred Spaces Program received a $15,000 grant from Vancouver Foundation to create a toolkit on how to “green” religious buildings and the surrounding land, as well as individual homes. From lighting, to what people plant in the garden, to solar panels, they provide the knowhow that helps everyone go green. Working across all denominations, Greening Sacred Spaces forges the connection between spirituality and the earth, aiming to make the kind of changes that help reduce greenhouse gases and the environmental footprint of their congregations. Because ultimately everywhere on earth is a sacred space.
DATA
Contaminants in our air
Air contaminants, such as ground-level ozone and air particulates, negatively affect our immediate and long-term health. In 2006, ground-level ozone in metro Vancouver exceeded the daily maximum threshold on three days, while the average from 2001 to 2006 was one day per year. Air particulate concentrations exceeded maximum threshold levels on one day in 2006, consistent with the annual average from 2001 to 2006. Source
More recycling but more waste
The good news is our region now recycles more waste than we send to the landfill. However, we are still generating more total waste. We can’t blame it only on population growth. The fact is we are generating more waste per capita. In 2006, we generated 1.5 tonnes of waste per person, an amount that has been on the rise since 2000. Source
Vehicles and buildings major contributors to greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change and affect our air quality. In 2005, metro Vancouver emitted 15.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. Motor vehicles emitted the largest proportion (36%), while buildings contributed 30%. Emissions from cement plants accounted for 13%, and aircraft, marine, rail, and non-road equipment made up 10%. Source
Individual steps for the environment
Each of us can take individual steps that collectively have a positive environmental impact. For example, 37% of households in metro Vancouver said they had a programmable thermostat and 72% of them used it to lower the temperature overnight, according to a Statistics Canada 2006 survey. In the same survey, 60% of metro Vancouver households said they used compact fluorescent light bulbs (the national rate was 56%).
The survey also found 23% of households in the region (not counting apartment dwellers) composted in 2006, while the rates in Toronto, Victoria and Saint John were 33%, 40%, and 62%, respectively. Source
Tap water preferred
There is currently a debate about the use of bottled versus tap water. While some people are concerned about the quality of water that comes from the tap, others worry about the quality of bottled water and contaminants from plastic containers. Bottled drinking
water also increases waste (from the bottles) and greenhouse gas emissions (from transporting it). In 2006, 67% of households surveyed in metro Vancouver used the tap as their primary source of drinking water and another 10% used both tap and bottled water. Bottled water was the main source of drinking water for 23% of households. Source
