Tag Archives: Colwood

Old growth forest initiative checked by aboriginal title issues

A local government initiative to protect Vancouver Island’s old growth forests may have been checked by aboriginal title issues. 

(Subsequent addition: The Capital Regional District will consider a revised motion on May 26th.)

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Environmental issues in small Vancouver Island communities

In this edition of the Folk U Radio’s Reporters Roundtable, our journalists talk about environmental issues in some small Vancouver Island communities. 

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Victoria’s Passive Houses

By Roy L Hales

When I first interviewed Rob Bernhardt in 2014, you could count the number of British Columbia’s passive houses on your fingers. The Berhardts built the first certified passive house in the Victoria region. Rob went on to become the CEO of Passive House Canada. I recently interviewed him again, during a quick peek at Victoria’s passive houses.

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The CamoSun System, a new Solar Thermal Technology

Back in the early 1970‘s, Canada led the world in the development of Solar Thermal energy. Then the oil embargo ended, prices came down, and the incentives and grants dried up. More than a decade passed before what had once been Canadian technology resurfaced in Germany. It became part of that nation’s “energiewende,” a state mandated green energy policy that has transformed Germany into the world’s foremost producer of solar energy. Yet, according to Canada’s only NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer, James Smyth, there is more potential for solar thermal technology on the West Coast.

“Looking around the street where I live, I can see that every house could gain by adopting Solar Thermal energy,” he said.

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