BC Parks Additions Strengthen Protection of Wildlife Habitat, Ecosystems

Increased protection for diverse wildlife habitat, wetlands, and bolstering the natural legacy of existing parks are all parts of strategic land additions to strengthen B.C.’s system of parks and protected areas.

Legislation has been introduced to expand the parks and protected areas system, contributing to existing ecosystem conservation and expanding opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The additions, proposed through legislative amendments to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act, include the following lands in the Thompson Okanagan region:

• Blue River Black Spruce Park (near Blue River): 59 hectares to protect a wetland and the ecological integrity of the North Thompson River.

• Edge Hills Park (near Clinton): 50 hectares to enhance wildlife connectivity and protection of the Fraser River bluffs.

• Okanagan Mountain Park (near Kelowna): 21 hectares to enhance wildlife connectivity and species protection, along with the addition of the Golden Mile Trail for recreation.

• Gladstone Park (near Christina Lake): six hectares to add additional shorefront lands on the north end of Christina Lake, which is an important kokanee spawning area.

To further protect lake values, 27 hectares of lake foreshore would be added to Christina Lake Park, Kootenay Lake Park, Gladstone Park, and Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park.

Boundary modifications to correct administrative errors and address safety issues would also be made at Big White Mountain Ecological Reserve.

This continues the Province’s efforts to enhance protection of wildlife habitat, better reflect Indigenous Peoples’ history and cultures in parks for a deeper understanding of connection to the land, and create more opportunities for camping and outdoor recreation.

During the past four years, more than 1,700 campsites have been added to provincial parks and recreation sites, including the new Skyview Campground in E.C. Manning Park, which has 62 fully serviced campsites available in winter and 92 sites in summer.

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Largest Solar Power Wall in North America

Toronto is getting the largest solar power generating wall in North America!

A relatively recent innovation is changing these preconceived notions of power generation being ugly, the advent of photovoltaic walls integrated into building cladding opening up the doors for green energy production in the most unexpected places.

Known as building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV, these panels replicate the exterior finishes of typical buildings you see walking down any city street, all while harnessing the green energy of the sun. In most cases, passersby would have few clues alerting them to the eco-friendly power plants hidden in these panels.

Though it's still in its infancy, the technology is taking a big leap right here in Toronto, where an enormous 7,000-square-foot wall — the largest BIPV wall in North America to date — is being installed. The record breaking wall is expected to generate 90,000 kWh of energy for the building annually, slashing it carbon footprint in the process.

And while you'd think these systems would add astronomical construction costs to a new building, they're actually relatively cheap, and can pay for themselves through off-grid power generation in just a few years.

Green energy incentives like federal funding of $10 billion through the Canada Infrastructure Bank towards green power projects are among the policy moves from above that might be able to sway more movers and shakers to implement this tech in the future.

Hotel Footprinting a Free Online Resource for Hotels

About Hotel Footprinting

Hotel Footprinting is designed to help hotels to benchmark their footprint with other sample hotels in their region and market using real data supplied by the industry.

The tool offers two functions:

• Benchmarking: shows the carbon and energy footprint data for an example hotel across different market segments in different geographies. Includes comparison data per occupied room and per square metre of meeting room space.

• Footprinting: allows hotels to generate carbon footprint reports for hotel stays and meetings based on hotel capacity and location. These can be completed for single or multiple properties and support with corporate reporting.

The tool is available at hotelfootprints.org.

Who is it for?

Hotel Footprinting is designed to be used for free by any hotel anywhere in the world (where data is available). It applies to individual hotels or multiple properties.

The tool can support hotels to:

• benchmark their carbon emissions and energy usage

• prepare corporate reports for hotel companies or corporate client requests

• assist customers in their booking decisions

How was it created?

Hotel Footprinting was created in collaboration with Greenview. The dataset for benchmarking comes from the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Tool (CHSB). Hotel Footprinting uses the methodology from our Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI).

Kal Grad 2022 Globox™ Fundraiser | Raffle Ends March 15, 2022

Building on the successful Globox™ fundraiser of 2021, the 2022 graduating class of Kalamalka Secondary School in Vernon are again working with Glohaven Community Hub to support their fundraising efforts.

KSS usually raises 10K-12K through their annual Apple Pie Fundraiser, however the event was unable to proceed in 2021 due to COVID. Instead, the Kal Grad Globox™ Raffle 2021 raised over $14,000 - making it the single most successful fundraiser in the history of Kal High School.

The 2022 online raffle ticket campaign has launched with nearly $12,000 worth of amazing prizes from an incredible 45 local Okanagan businesses, including Indigenous businesses and Biosphere Committed Companies.

Prizes include:

• 2 Indigenous Globoxes™ (featured experiences: a getaway to Spirit Ridge Resort and a Moccasin Trails excursion)

• 1 Remarkably Loved Globox™ (featured experience: a getaway to Sparkling Hill Resort).

• 1 Family Fun Globox™ (featured experience: Sicamous Houseboats Vacation package)

• 1 Eldorado Resort VIP Globox™ (featuring a getaway to the Eldorado Resort in Kelowna)

View Prizes & Buy Tickets →

1 for $20, 3 for $50, OR 7 for $100!

Raffle Ends: March 15th at 11:59 pm

About

This type of fundraising campaign is one of the ways Glohaven is supporting communities, partners, and the creators of local products and experiences (Glohaven offers to purchase their products / experiences).

They call this a TRIPLE WIN; the 2022 Kalamalka High School Grads WIN with their graduation expenses being covered, the local businesses involved WIN with fabulous exposure, and the recipients of the 5 fabulous Globox™ prizes WIN! Anything that is raised in surplus, will be left as a legacy gift for the school and put towards an outdoor learning structure.

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If you have products or experiences that you would like to participate in these fundraising opportunities to spread the word about your business, contact: angela@glohaven.com.