Advocates raise a glass to help green the capital

By Jennifer Doede

About 40 local residents with a passion for the environment raised their glasses on Feb. 9 to a thoughtful discussion regarding carbon accounting and all things green at the Fox & Feather Pub and Grill on Elgin Street.

According to Raymonde Lemire, who works in business services at SMARTNet Alliance, the monthly gathering has grown over the past 18 months from about 10 regular attendees to 40.

SMARTNet Alliance is a business incubator and accelerator for the Canadian sustainability sector. Lemire said she hopes the number of participants doubles by the end of this year.

Green Drinks is an international monthly gathering that takes place in various cities in countries from around the world.

Green Drinks Ottawa invites environment enthusiasts and people working in green businesses to discuss updates and upcoming events on green projects happening in their communities, while enjoying a pint or two.

SMARTNet Alliance also invites guest speakers to provide 20-minute presentations on their environmental areas of interest or expertise.

Attendees are encouraged to mingle with each other and learn more about projects and trends that pique their interest.

“Green Drinks Ottawa has become more than an event. It has become a community and we work together on projects outside of Green Drinks,” said Paul Cairns, executive director of SMARTNet Alliance.

One of the ongoing projects is the solar cellphone challenge, which tasks participants to get their cellphones off the grid by using solar panels.

Participant David Mazur-Goulet, communications manager for Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op, said that organization is also planning free screenings for two documentaries in March at the Mayfair.

OREC and the German Embassy in Ottawa are partnering with Ecology Ottawa for the March 6 Ottawa premiere of the film Power to Change, which details the conflict Germany is currently facing with its transition to clean energy.

A few years ago, SMARTNet Alliance took on the role of organizing and providing a more structured schedule for Green Drinks Ottawa gatherings. The events take place on the second Thursday of each month at the Fox & Feather.

SMARTNet Alliance also provides a free round of appetizers every month.

“We all work together and know each other by name,” said Cairns. “We’re all invested in each other and what we are doing, and we’re all invested in something bigger than us.”

The guest speaker for this month’s gathering was Stu Campana, the program coordinator for Carbon 613.

Campana spoke about the subject of carbon accounting — the process of defining and calculating the greenhouse gases emitted by organizations — and Carbon 613’s role in helping local businesses reduce greenhouse gases.

Carbon 613 is a target-based sustainability program that helps Ottawa-area businesses set and meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.

For example, Carbon 613 assisted one of its members, Your Credit Union, in switching to more efficient lighting for a relatively new building the organization retrofitted.

“Their lighting could have been more efficient, so we brought in another Carbon 613 member, Lightenco, and got them to connect and partner,” said Campana. “As a result, Your Credit Union was able to improve their lighting and reduced the electricity use at their head office.”

According to Campana, Carbon 613’s goal is to be the hub for business sustainability in Ottawa. Currently, the Carbon 613 program has 19 members across Ottawa.

“This is a great event to bring together people working on environmental issues. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to get updates on the projects from people working in different environmental sectors,” said Angela Plant, an energy programs assistant at EnviroCentre, a non-profit organization on Rideau Street that helps people and organizations conserve energy and reduce their impact on the environment.

“It’s very important that we all connect and work together,” she added, “because there are so many people in Centretown that have a broad interest in how to make environmental changes, and we need leadership.”