We applaud the Banff Canmore Foundation and their quick action in providing relief and support to the Jasper community. Please considering donating.
Building a Greener Future
Commercial and residential buildings have a significant impact on our greenhouse gas emissions. 1/3 of greenhouse gases emitted in the Bow Valley come from our buildings. With great emissions comes great opportunity for reduction! Initiatives to reduce these emissions can be taken from an individual, communal, and systemic approach.
Decreasing your building's emissions can be done by increasing your building-performance which will result in better indoor comfort and long-term savings of utilities. Increasing your building's performance will have upfront costs that can be made easier by some of the following programs below.
Funding to Support Green Initiatives
Are you seriously considering making energy improvements to your home and/or business? There are a range of municipal, provincial, and federal incentives and rebate programs available to help you, here are some of them:
Municipal Opportunities
Rebates available in the Town of Banff:
Residential Energy efficiency rebates
Commercial properties environmental efficiency rebates
Solar incentives (Residential and Commercial)
Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP)
A low-interest financing option for retrofits, for both residential and commercial property owners in Alberta
Currently available in Canmore and launching Banff in 2024
Available to both residential and commercial property owners
Federation of Canadian Municipalities - Green Municipal Fund
Offers grants for municipal environmental projects which include:
Plans, studies, pilot projects, capital projects
Asset Management Grants and Partner Grants
All municipal governments and partners are eligible to apply
Municipal Climate Change Action Centre
Provides capacity building for municipal staff
Please note they are no longer accepting applications for this year
Provincial Opportunities
Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) - Energy Savings for Business program
Helps Alberta businesses improve their efficiency and reduce emissions by funding cost- and energy-saving technologies
Please note they are currently fully subscribed, but they do have a waitlist
Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator Program - Launching this fall
The program will provide free coaching services to help overcome challenges when it comes to prioritizing sustainable building upgrades barriers and guide participants through the entire retrofit process.
Federal and Other Opportunities
Canada Green Homes Initiative
$5,000-$40,000 interest-free loans on a 10 year term
The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program
A national merit-based program with the objectives of improving the availability and condition of community buildings in Canadian communities experiencing higher needs, who are currently under served
Both retrofits, upgrades, and new buildings are applicable
The program runs until March, 2029
Additional Resources (Non-Funded)
Natural Resources Canada - Energy efficiency for buildings
Offers resources around energy efficiency for new and existing buildings, energy management resources, green buildings, etc.
Searchable directory of Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Programs in Canada
HEET Toolkits
Test your home-energy outputs for free!
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!
Industry Engagement
In partnership with the Town of Banff, the Biosphere Institute is working collaboratively with the development community to identify local barriers to adopting higher tiers of the National Building Code of Canada 2020. As part of this project, we will develop and deliver targeted educational opportunities to increase awareness of the benefits of high-performance buildings.
We are listening and learning from building and real estate professionals to build, partner, and execute a customized education program for Bow Valley and Albertan professionals, which will improve energy efficiency and dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of new and existing homes.
If you are a building or real estate professional we would love to hear your opinions!
Scroll Break
Take a break from scrolling to play our Wordle-style brain game!
What's happening at the Biosphere Institute?
Building for Sustainability Symposium
October 27th and 28th, 2024
After much success last year at our inaugural event, we are excited for our upcoming Building For Sustainability Symposium happening this October 27th and 28th.
In collaboration with the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association (BOWDA), 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:
5 exemplar pre-symposium field trip options to choose from, including Geo-exchange at Spring Creek, Canmore's near net-zero firehall, the Banff Pavilion, the Bow Valley Waste Commission, Canmore's Greenest Home(?)
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
Earth Talk at the Canmore Library
We are thrilled to launch this year's monthly Earth Talks at the Canmore Public Library on Monday, September 16, 2024, from 7:00pm-8:00pm.
Join us to hear fromJosh Welsh, Senior Manager of Communities & Conservation, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation who will talk about "Wise Practices for Living with Wildlife at the Scale Nature Needs".
Free to attend, but registration required. Click here to register.
Community Square Dance
Save the date: November 15th
Dust off your dancing shoes because we're kicking off our 3rd annual Community Square Dance! Ticket sales will be shared in the September Shift Newsletter.
Canmore Folk Fest Waste Report
The 2024 Green Team excelled in their mission to move Folk Fest towards zero waste, diverting 91% of waste out of the landfill! This effort has kept 0.65 tons of CO2 out of our atmosphere. That's the equivalent weight to three large female Grizzly bears!
Check out the graphic below to see how the waste was categorized.
Cool Things Happening in Town
Community Shout-Out
Canmore residents have been taking action to improve human-wildlife coexistence through theTown of Canmore fruit tree removal incentive program.
We would like to highlight Donna Jo Massie who recently removed her Mountain Ash tree. Here are some words from Donna Jo after the tree removal.
“I had my Mountain Ash tree removed and sent my invoice to the Town. I don’t want a dead bear on my conscience and I did think about the fact that there will be a poor berry crop this year and I think we’re going to have bears in town. Anyway, I hope it will inspire some other people to take down their mountain ash trees. I’m doing a little research, and looking at the WildSmart website, for tree replacement options. I think my hedges will grow in and get a little taller and I’m looking at non-fruit bearing trees that grow quickly. All of a sudden, I have more light in my living room and I can actually see the mountain now.”
Check out these before, during, and after photos of Donna Jo's Ash tree removal:
The Biosphere Institute has free pruning equipment to borrow at your convenience. With these tools you can for remove fruit from trees before they ripen, preventing hungry bears from coming into town.
Canmore Highland Games
August 31st - September 1st
Join in on Celtic culture and tradition in all its forms – dance, music and sports!
