Get Fired Up for Wildfire Safety!
Wildfires are as interesting as they are dangerous, very! While climate change and global warming have increased the severity of wildfires in recent years, we must remember wildfires have been a part of ecosystem management for as long as forest ecosystems have been around! Many Indigenous communities have practiced fire control and management in the form of controlled burns for ecological and cultural purposes since time immemorial. Forest fires help rid ecosystems of unwanted pests and invasive species, they contribute to nutrient cycling, and promote new growth. In fact, some tree species rely on the extreme temperatures of wildfires to sprout their seeds.
The cooler spring temperatures and higher rainfall of this year have helped to significantly reduce risk of wildfires. Currently, Alberta has 158 active wildfires. These range from fires which are safely contained, to those blazing out of control. As of June 17th 2024, wildfires have decreased area coverage by over 60% since the same time last year.
When addressing wildfire safety, we tend to first think about how the fires might affect our physical surroundings. Protecting our own health often comes as an afterthought. It is important to remember smoke can have serious consequences on our health.
Here are some ways to protect yourself during wildfire season:
Monitor the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) to see what level of outdoor activity is safe to pursue
Consider reducing, limiting, or avoiding outdoor activities depending on AQHI status
Close your windows to reduce pollution exposure
Stay hydrated!
Respect wildfire bans
Reduce personal pollution
Wildfires are only one contributing factor to higher AQHI, air pollution comes from a variety of sources, including ourselves. Reduce your carbon footprint by reevaluating daily choices like commuting and at-home energy usage (see HEET info below to learn more about reducing your energy intake)
The Red Cross has put together emergency guides for how to best prepare yourself in case of natural disasters.
What's happening at the Biosphere Institute?
Canmore Area Trail Strategy
July 24th deadline
The Canmore Area Trail Strategy (CATS) is looking to improve management, maintenance, and development on local trails.
Unmanaged human trail recreation can be deeply harmful to wildlife who live in the area. The risk of human-wildlife conflict is increased when trails do not follow guidelines and when trail users are not educated on appropriate trail etiquette. One way to prevent this is to better monitor and govern the trails we use.
CATS wants your input towards what local trail monitoring and governance should look like, and what other areas of trail management can be improved. Don't be fooled by the name, CATS is responsible for overseeing trail care from Banff’s east park gate to Seebe.
The revision process takes place over two steps
Initial information collection, fill these out today to voice your opinions!
Public engagement:
Feedback collection and revision
The deadline to complete the survey is July 24th, so act now!
Here are some elements of trails which the Biosphere Institute believes needs improving
Trail signage that effectively and accurately explains why we needs trail management
Long-term trail governance to continually improve trail care
Includes input from key stakeholders such as the municipal, provincial, and federal governments, Indigenous community members, trail community, and more.
To learn more about our contributions and opinions on CATS click here.
Things are HEETing up
Buildings in the Bow Valley account for 30% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gasses are significant contributors to the acceleration of climate change and global warming. Anything we can do to reduce these numbers helps.
The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley is thrilled to roll out our Home Energy Evaluation Toolkit (HEET) for you - a key part of our climate program, designed to help Bow Valley residents spend less on energy bills, and create fewer greenhouse gas emissions!
We have created several physical tool kits with some exciting gizmos you can use to evaluate energy use in your home, along with a user's guide to help you get the most out of those tools.
Each HEET toolkits include:
Kill-A-Watt Meter
Measures the energy demand of an electrical appliance.Digital Thermometer
Measures the temperature of areas, objects and surfaces.Imaging Infrared Camera
Locate heat-loss trouble areas, even in hard-to-reach places.Stopwatch
Records accurate time for a shower or tap flow rate test.LED Light Bulb
Use the Kill-A-Watt Meter to see the difference in energy use compared to a conventional incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulb.A Battery Charger and Rechargeable Batteries
Contact us to borrow a HEET toolkit!
Want to learn more about HEET? join us for this month's Community Climate Conversation (more info below)!
Building for Sustainability Symposium
October 27th and 28th, 2024
After much success last year at our inaugural event, we are excited our our upcoming Building For Sustainability Symposium happening this October 27th and 28th.
We'll be bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders who are working hard to progress the Bow Valley's building industry. We look forward to having you part of the conversation.
Some highlights to look forward to:
Keynote address from Vivian Manasc: Old Stories, New Ways - collaborating to create regenerative buildings
Elected leaders panel (Mayors and Reeve of Calgary, Banff, Canmore, and MD Bighorn): What our communities are doing to accelerate Building for Sustainability
Reducing carbon while increasing housing – ideas and strategies to achieve emissions-neutral buildings, a panel discussion moderated by Emissions-Neutral Building Information Exchange (ENBIX)
Your choice of 12 exceptional workshops, highlighting best practices in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada
Closing comments by students: What we Heard; our call to Action
Full event catering including: breakfast, lunch, snacks and refreshments provided by the Malcolm Hotel's renowned hospitality
Choose from an exciting list of pre-symposium field trips in the Bow Valley on Sunday 27 October
Early bird registrations are in limited supply. Get yours before they’re gone!
Building and Real Estate Industry Engagement
The Biosphere Institute is working with industry stakeholders to assess the capacity, interests, and needs of building and real estate professionals regarding high-performance buildings. We’re working to identify what building and real estate professionals within the Bow Valley need to enhance knowledge and skills; and then provide courses, workshops, and seminars through a network of partners to meet the expressed needs of industry.
Within the building industry, we’re contacting builders, developers, contractors, and trades people. For real estate professionals we’re in contact with real estate agents, property managers, mortgage brokers, commercial lenders, real estate lawyers, and inspectors. If you or someone you know fits that description, and are interested in being part of our industry research, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!
Cool Things Happening in Town
Community Climate Conversations
Join us for this month's community climate conversation at our office on Wednesday July 31st from 7:00 - 9:00pm.
We host monthly community conversations on the last Wednesday of every month to discuss various all-things climate.
Last month we talked discussed climate and food systems. This month, we will be discussing energy reduction in our homes and how we may achieve this with our new HEET program!
Meet us our office, located on the second floor of the Senior's Center in downtown Canmore: 201-600 9th St. Canmore, AB. No registration, just show up with your thoughts and ideas!
Snacks and good chats guaranteed!
Canmore Folk Fest Volunteers needed!
Come volunteer with us at this year’s Canmore Folk Fest!
Our Green Team is looking for more volunteers to help with the Folk Fest’s waste diversion initiative. Last year we proudly aided in diverting 91.2% of the event’s waste out of landfills. Let’s keep raising that number!
Volunteers who sign up for 2 time slots are eligible to receive a free full weekend pass to the Folk Fest! It’s a great opportunity to get involved with the community, help the planet, and listen to some great tunes. Sign up here and indicate that you would like to be a part of the Environment Team.
Earthware Reusable Container Program is Now Available in the Bow Valley!
Single-use items are used for just minutes and then thrown away, but the consequence to the environment is often tremendous as they contribute to landfill overflow and ocean pollution. Choosing reusable options supports sustainability efforts and promotes a cleaner, healthier planet for all.
Earthware is proud to announce expansion into the Bow Valley after success in Calgary and Edmonton. Earthware containers have a deposit on them just like bottles and cans which are refunded at all bottle depots.
How does it work? It’s simple:
1. Order your food from a restaurant using Earthware containers.
2. Enjoy your food & rinse the container.
3. Bring the container to the bottle depot and get a 50¢ refund (25¢ per lid and 25¢ per base).
Earthware then picks up the containers, inspects, washes, sanitizes, repackages, and finally puts them back into circulation. Each one reused is one less headed to the landfill.
Participating in Canmore:
● 4296 - 626 8 St Unit 3, Canmore, AB T1W 2B5
● Coming soon: The Grande Kitchen + Bar, Nutters and more.
What more can you do?
Ask your favorite restaurant to carry Earthware reusable containers and help us to reduce single use items.
For more information on the program and participating restaurants, visit earthware.me
Bow Valley Film Tour 2024
The Bow Valley Film Tour is an annual event that features a collection of stories from the Bow Valley. This set of incredible films celebrates the spirit of the mountains, water, life, and dreams. The tour is organized in and around the Bow Valley region, sharing stories from the community and with the community. The tour includes films that highlight various aspects of outdoor adventure, mountain culture, environmental issues, and human life. A small festival with a big heart.
This year, the Bow Valley Film Tour is embarking on some exciting new initiatives. They aim to integrate more diverse local art forms, making the festival more contemporary and localized.
Check out some films at one of their several stops around the Bow Valley area, including :
Canmore Artplace: August 8th & 10th
Cochrane Movie House: August 22nd
Calgary Globe Cinema: August 31st
Banff Lux Cinema: September 7th
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