News: Environment

Home safety and energy-efficiency options

Free information night offered in Clayburn Village for broader community on August 25th

The Clayburn Village Community Society invites all interested Abbotsford and Mission residents to a free information night slated for August 25th, starting at 6:30pm at the old Clayburn Schoolhouse at 4315 Wright Street.

Two topics will be covered at this event.

At 6:30pm, Kelly Pater (Coordinator, Operations Support Branch of Abbotsford Community Policing) will present information and specific tips on how to work towards crime-proofing cars and homes. Covered will be ‘lights, locks, and landscaping’... the best ways to make your home less attractive to criminals:  how landscaping and the use of lights can impact property safety and neighbourhood values. Also discussed will be ‘Common Sense to Crime Prevention’: the Crime Triangle and how to avoid being a victim. Finally, Kelly will share the Rules of Opportunists: criminals are opportunists with their own set of rules, which we can thwart, reducing crime in our communities.

At 7:30pm, David Swan of EmpowerGHG will discuss options with respect to energy efficiency equipment for homes and vehicles. Mr. Swan’s presentation will cover news of specific building technologies and equipment, plus vehicle options, and ways to track efficiencies and savings. For buildings, these technologies include heat pumps, instantaneous hot water systems, high efficiency furnaces, solar panels, waste water heat systems, insulation, and more. Supports for vehicles include upgrades to up-to-date models, hybrids, plug-in electric cars, and compressed natural gas systems. Finally, participants will be introduced to possibilities for real-time monitoring of energy use, which includes sensors, smart thermostats, and Google PowerMeters.

For more information about the session, please contact Stacey Corriveau at staceyc@uniserve.com

Additional free parking is available at Clayburn Park on Clayburn Road, directly across from the Clayburn Store.

Abbotsford Soil Conservation Association

Farm Fest 2010

Climate Change and Nutrient Management

September 14, 2010

The Abbotsford Soil Conservation Association presents Farm Fest 2010: a one-day workshop on climate change and nutrient management.
Farm Fest 2010 presents widely respected keynote speakers from throughout Western North America, addressing information about

• whole-farm nutrient management,
• soil conservation and sustainability,
• greenhouse gas mitigation,
• and more…

Technological advancements, such as software that calculates whole-farm greenhouse gas emissions and forecasts changes in those emissions with adoption of various farm management practices, will be featured throughout the day.

To register, and for more information including agenda, list of speakers and costs, please visit http://www.abbotsfordsoilconservation.com