D6

By Ken Maybee
N.B. Lung Association

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There is something about being hit in the pocketbook that makes us wince with pain.

Our recent pain, the result of the financial credit crisis, monopolized political campaign rhetoric in both the Canadian and the American elections. It was as if our climate crisis had simply evaporated. Somehow the link between the economy and the environment escaped public dialogue.

While politicians and economists in both countries focused on the economy, dedicated people here in New Brunswick were making their communities more livable by reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) -- and saving taxpayers' dollars in the bargain. At least eight municipalities in New Brunswick are now members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection, a network of municipal governments who have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change.

They are supported in their action planning by the New Brunswick Climate Change Hub, co-ordinated through the New Brunswick Lung Association.

The leadership shown by these municipalities in reducing greenhouse gases should be celebrated. They have risen to the challenge, educated themselves, and are now taking decisive action to deal with the underlying causes of global warming. They have understood and embraced the strong scientific evidence that greenhouse gases are largely responsible for higher average global temperatures, greater frequency and intensity of weather events, rising sea levels, and changes in a variety of sensitive ecosystems.

In New Brunswick approximately 25 per cent of all greenhouse gases are produced by transportation. To address this, several of our municipalities are making use of many excellent tools that exist for developing greenhouse gas inventories, target setting, action planning and monitoring the production of GHGs by their vehicle fleets. The Partners for Climate Protection program offers these tools.

John Ivany, Fleet Manager for the Municipality of Moncton, credits the Partners for Climate Protection program with providing a framework for action and tools to monitor progress. He appreciates being able to share ideas and initiatives with other member municipalities.

Moncton has a commitment to achieving best practices in vehicle operation and emission reduction. Through their very active Sustainable Environment Committee, initiatives are driven from both the bottom and the top. Here are some measures that are working for Moncton:

* Moncton launched its Greener Fleet initiative in 2007. Their six Smart Cars are being put to use for municipal purposes, such as parking enforcement, park maintenance and other functions.

* Staff education has helped promote fuel efficiency and climate protection efforts. Once staff understood why it's important to reduce greenhouse gases, the whole idea took on a life of its own. They have found that many naysayers eventually succumb to education and pressure from better informed peers. Their strategy of Lunch and Learn sessions featuring the Al Gore video and other leaders in the field has worked. They are also educating their staff in smart driving practices.

* The Tire Management Program has been introduced to maximize fuel efficiency. If vehicles are operating with an under-inflated tire, it results in premature wear and decreases its efficiency by up to 40 per cent. Moncton has taught them tire management best practices and has provided all operators with tire pressure gauges to check their tire pressure regularly.

* Moncton uses the Life Cycle Costing approach to vehicle management. This approach helps to understand the "cradle to grave" cost for a piece of equipment, and the true cost over time. It assists in developing a business case for when that vehicle should come off the road, which helps to secure funding for more fuel efficient vehicles.

* Benchmarking involves data collection to establish baselines in fuel usage, etc. From the baselines we can develop performance indicators e.g., idling hours, usage, number of kilometers traveled, etc. By using benchmarks, they can answer the question "Did our initiatives work?"

The City of Moncton has also put in place measures that are easy to do and not too costly, such as:

* Anti-idling policy. We know that if we reduce our idling times, we are saving fuel. And being consistent with the policy they encourage city-owned vehicles to not use drive-throughs.

* Flashing lights on vehicles are being converted to LEDs, which means vehicles can turn off the engine while the lights are flashing.

* Smart vehicle deployment. We go through a decision-making process which matches vehicle size and type to job requirement.

* Aggressive preventive maintenance program. They maintain their vehicles to maximize fuel efficiency.

John Ivany doesn't hesitate when asked what action worked best: "Educating our people. You can have the best policies in the world, but if your staff don't understand why they were brought in, things won't change for the better."

His message to other municipalities is unequivocal:

"Don't wait -- just do it!" Bring your initiatives forward. You will find your city's decision makers receptive.

The Moncton fuel efficiency measures are working. They have reduced greenhouse gas emissions, increased cost savings and improved air quality -- and no doubt the health of Moncton citizens.

Leading by example, the municipality has motivated the whole community. It is this kind of ground-up leadership that will change the world, one municipality at a time.

n Ken Maybee is the President and CEO of the New Brunswick Lung Association. For more information he may be contacted at ken.maybee@nb.lung.ca or (506) 455-8961.