We work with purpose... all the time. For over 25 years, we have channeled provincial, federal and private funding to the community level to prepare energy and emissions plans and implement low carbon projects and programs.
We centre people and communities... your success contributes to global emission reductions. We know what works and how to make it happen. As a non-profit consultant, all proceeds from our work goes back into advancing solutions for community climate action.
We collaborate...really well. One partner or twelve; planning or implementing climate actions; a small town or an entire region - we know how to help communities meet their goals, wherever they are on their low carbon journey.
Our STORY
A multi-partner association, CEA originated in 1993 as an advisory group to the BC Energy Council. In 1995, a Memorandum of Understanding between the British Columbia Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and UBCM recognized the important role of local governments in creating energy efficient communities. Under the MOU, the advisory group was formalized into the BC Energy Aware Committee, with a mandate to raise local government awareness with respect to energy efficiency, community energy planning and relationship building.
In 2003, the committee incorporated as the Community Energy Association, whose board is constituted from member organizations, including governments, transit authorities, utilities and other organizations. CEA became a Canadian registered charity in 2004, as such we are strictly non-partisan. Our charitable registration number is 89615 9308 BC0001 and while our head office is in Vancouver, BC, our staff is distributed across the Province of British Columbia. As a non-profit society, we are interested in servicing the communities we work with and any net revenue is recycled into supporting communities.
Our PEOPLE
Our important work requires the ongoing commitment and dedication of a resilient and talented team. At CEA, we understand that our biggest strength is our people. The health, well-being and passion of our team is inextricably linked to the quality of services and support we offer clients, partners and associates. And, ultimately, our effectiveness in saving energy, emissions and money.
Even though our team is distributed across BC, we continually inspire each other by being profoundly committed, each day, to our shared purpose and to delivering high-quality, impactful work. To continue to empower personal and organizational excellence, CEA respects and supports each staff as necessary, including work flexibility and professional development.
Our team is guided and managed by our Executive Director and a Board of Directors. We are grateful for the support and guidance offered by this diverse, accomplished and passionate group of Directors. With their expertise, CEA staff are equipped with the tools and motivation to continue supporting communities.
Our PARTNERS
CEA is made up of respectful, caring relationships with our staff, our members who provide sage direction, our clients who we serve, and the governments, utilities, and others with whom we collaborate on behalf of communities.
These long term collaborations and partnerships have informed and strengthened our ability to bring the best science-based climate solutions to local governments.
Our SOLUTIONS
We have the passion, technical capability, experience and capacity to guide communities through bold and globally impactful climate action. Our solutions are relentlessly pragmatic and designed to meet communities where they are, connecting them to proven strategies, funders and like minded communities.
As a full-service advisor to local governments on climate and energy, CEA supports communities at every stage of their climate action in both mitigation and adaptation.
Research & Planning
Coaching
Turnkey Implementation
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Why Community Climate Action?
Communities and regional districts play an important role in climate mitigation and adaptation. Almost every British Columbia local government has committed to some degree of action under the B.C. Climate Action Charter.
The B.C. Climate Action Charter is a voluntary agreement between the Province of British Columbia, the Union of B.C. Municipalities, and individual local-government signatories, which commit to:
- Carbon neutrality in corporate operations;
- Measure and report their community’s greenhouse gas emissions; and
- Create complete, compact, and more energy-efficient communities.
Across Canada, local and regional governments influence approximately 60 per cent of the nation’s overall energy use and 50 per cent of its GHG emissions, and have varying degrees of influence over different sources of emissions within their boundaries:
They can use the tools at their disposal to enable their residents and businesses to rapidly cut emissions, making the green choice the easy choice.
Enable choice through infrastructure decisions
Shape choice through policy and regulation
Support choice through engagement and outreach
A New Era for Local Government Climate Action
In response to the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the increasingly acute climate impacts felt in British Columbia communities, and an ongoing youth-led public mobilization, a growing number of Canadian jurisdictions are committing to more ambitious climate action. To date, more than 30 British Columbia local governments have declared a local climate emergency or crisis. For the first time, we are witnessing widespread momentum to aggressively address carbon at the local-government level across British Columbia.
And there are many good reasons to do so. In acting on emissions and embracing a low carbon future, local governments capture benefits that extend well beyond the climate. These include creating healthier and more liveable communities for people of all ages and abilities, and leveraging external funding sources to drive local job growth and economic development.
