For more information on this item please visit my blog at
http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/ or http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com
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[The provincial government in British Columbia has been a world trend setter
in setting new standards and legislation to reduce GHG emissions. They are
the first government in North America to introduce a carbon tax. They also
have mandated all public sector institutions such as universities, schools
and hospitals to be zero carbon by 2010. It is expected that other
governments in Canada and around the world will soon follow BC's lead and
implement similar policies, as public sector institutions should be seen as
leaders in addressing the challenges of global warming.
This will have a major impact on universities as eScience and
cyber-infrastructure are very energy intensive which can result in
significant increase in GHG emissions if the power comes from fossil fuel
plants. Moreover the power demand and concomitant GHG emission by computers
and cyber-infrastructure is expected to double in the next 4 years.
Networks, grids and virtualization linked with zero carbon data centers will
play a critical role in helping universities meet their carbon neutral
targets. These technologies may mean even help universities earn additional
dollars to support research and infrastructure through carbon offset
trading. Kudos to BCnet and BC university CIOs who are already arranging
strategy meetings to address this initiative. As I have always argued,
jurisdictions that are the first to address this major environmental
challenge will be the real winners in the future in creating new jobs and
business opportunities of a zero carbon society. More details on my blog.
Some excerpts from the BC legislation--BSA]
http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th3rd/3rd_read/gov44-3.htm
Targets for carbon neutral public sector
5 (1) Each public sector organization must be carbon neutral for the 2010
calendar year and for each subsequent calendar year.
(2) The Provincial government must be carbon neutral for the 2008 and 2009
calendar years in relation to its PSO greenhouse gas emissions that are
directly related to public officials travelling on public business for which
the travel expenses are covered by the consolidated revenue fund.
(3) In advance of the obligation under subsection (1), for the 2008 and 2009
calendar years, each public sector organization must pursue actions to
minimize its PSO greenhouse gas emissions.
Requirements for achieving carbon neutral status
6 (1) In order to be carbon neutral for a calendar year, a public sector
organization must
(a) pursue actions to minimize its PSO greenhouse gas emissions for the
calendar year,
(b) determine its PSO greenhouse gas emissions for that calendar year in
accordance with the regulations, and
(c) no later than the end of June in the following calendar year, apply
emission offsets in accordance with the regulations to net those emissions
to zero.
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Bill.St.Arnaud@canarie.ca
Bill.St.Arnaud@gmail.com
web: www.canarie.ca/~bstarn
skype: pocketpro
blog: http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/
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