According to the report, the city of Guelph has managed to reduce its energy use by 26.3 percent per person, with greenhouse emissions also dropping by 17.6 percent - the highest decline overall has been in the commercial sector. These figures are slightly surprising given the fact that the city's population has grown by 21.7 percent since 2006.
Municipal waste is also down by more than 43 percent due to a new composting facility. One program has involved 190 solar power installations; the Guelph Community Energy Initiative is dedicated to having 1,000 solar-panel rooftops in the city by 2020.
Other ideas include making the city more bicycle-friendly and encouraging people to take buses rather than drive their own vehicles. Rebate programs for electricity, natural gas and water conservation have also been suggested.
Speaking about the success so far, Mayor Karen Farbridge said:
“Riding bicycles to work or school, putting organic waste in green bins, reducing usage of air conditioning, installing solar panels - clearly everyone is doing their part to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases to improve our environmental footprint.”
Local authorities hope to see evidence of cuts of between 50 and 60 percent in all sectors by 2031. The council may want to publicise the progress with the help of local printing companies; this may even encourage others to get involved.