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Burns Lake receives funding for a greener future

Find out what the village has been doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The B.C. government is providing Burns Lake with $8502 as part of its climate action revenue incentive program (CARIP).

This is a conditional grant program that provides funding to local governments which signed the climate action charter in 2007 and commit to report publicly on their progress toward meeting their climate action goals.

Approximately 96 per cent of local governments - including Burns Lake - have signed the charter, which commits them to be carbon neutral in their corporate operations, to measure their community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and to create energy efficient communities.

Sheryl Worthing, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Burns Lake, said the funding will be put into a climate action reserve, which has already accumulated $44,000.

Burns Lake submitted its 2015 climate action progress report last spring. The report lists actions such as installing new energy efficient lighting at the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena's parking lot to reduce energy consumption, as well as purchasing two modernized, diesel powered sand trucks that are more fuel and energy efficient.

The report also mentions the completion of the downtown revitalization project's phase 2A, which converted a brownfield site into an RV parking with picnic areas, trees, shrubs and sod.

In addition, the report mentions that the village's official community plan is being updated to include carbon emission reduction strategies. The village is also working with the Burns Lake Rotary Club to repair and enhance the village's cemetery site with new trees and scrubs.

Furthermore, the village has adopted a new water conservation plan and signed an agreement with the community garden society last year to rehabilitate the existing community garden site.

According to the provincial government, over 40 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia are under the influence of local governments. Communities throughout B.C. will share over $6.4 million in grants from CARIP this year.

Since 2008, CARIP has granted over $39 million to help support communities in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment minister Mary Polak said local governments have been key partners in the province's success in lowering greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to grow our economy.

"Local governments can help achieve B.C.'s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets through their important role in land use planning, transportation, waste management and infrastructure development," she said. "We will continue to work closely with communities throughout the province to build strong partnerships for climate collaboration."