Sustainability Resources
Ministry of Environment Sustainability Resources
Climate Action
We've all seen signs that our climate is changing - from devastating storms, to longer summer droughts, to the warmer winters linked to the mountain pine beetle epidemic threatening B.C. forests.
But global warming is only one part of climate change. Warming of the atmosphere affects other aspects of the climate system, such as the temperature of surface air, land and water, the water content of clouds, snow and ice, wind currents, and physical processes like precipitation and evaporation. It also affects the ocean system, including temperature, density, currents and sea level.
To confuse matters, climate change doesn’t affect all parts of the world in the same way. Some regions, including northeast Canada, are experiencing cooling, not warming.
LiveSmart BC is part of the provincial government's action plan for responding to the challenges of climate change. It encourages British Columbians – including you – to make carbon-smart choices at home, at work or school and on the road.
Looking for information on climate action projects in your community or region? The LiveSmart BC Climate Action Inventory is an interactive map that allows you to explore and connect with projects taking place in communities across British Columbia.
You probably won’t be able to figure out your carbon footprint without getting some hard numbers from your parents, but don’t let that stop you from discovering how greenhouse gas emissions can add up.
Do you need to research climate change for a school project? LiveSmart BC has compiled local and international resources to make it easy. Check out the links for youth while you’re there.
There are lots of easy things you can do to combat climate change. Check out this list of tips to get some ideas for your own personal climate action plan.
This video will give you some ideas of free actions to can take around your home to save energy. The environment, and your parents, will thank you!
Environmental Protection & Stewardship
*many of the following external links are provincially funded
Clean Air
Air Quality 101 provides a basis for understanding air quality issues in British Columbia. It explains:
- what air and the atmosphere are;
- emissions and pollutants;
- how air becomes polluted;
- the main air quality issues;
- how we monitor air quality; and
- how we can take action to protect and improve air
- Air Quality Resources for Youth and Teachers
- A Teachers Guide to Clean Air (Grade 5)
- Idle Free BC: http://www.idlefreebc.ca/
Idle-Free BC is an initiative hosted by the BC Climate Exchange and represents a partnership between the Fraser Basin Council, the Ministry of Environment and Biofleet.
Free Resources! Whether you already have an idling program in place or not, we will help you get the education and research you need to implement a program.
The following list of resources has been compiled to assist organizations, government and schools in delivering anti-idling programs. This list of resources is not exhaustive and excludes school bus programs.
Online resource and networking tool for K-12 teachers, parents and students to reduce their transportation emissions in British Columbia.
Greening Schoolyards
Evergreen Learning Grounds:
Evergreen Learning Grounds helps schools create outdoor classrooms to provide students with a healthy place to play, learn and develop a genuine respect for nature.
Conservation Brochures
Bears and Cougars: Keep your visit to BC's protected areas safe by acting responsibly and respecting the wildlife. Your actions affect the safety of future park visitors and the animals that make provincial parks their home.
Campground Companions: You don't have to travel far in BC's protected areas to encounter wildlife. Look and listen for signs of birds, mammals and other creatures around the campground.
Life at the Edge: The intertidal zone is the most accessible area of the ocean, which also makes it highly vulnerable. By understanding and respecting intertidal life, you can visit the seashore without impacting its inhabitants.
Natural Cycles of Change in Protected Areas - Part 1 and Natural Cycles of Change in Protected Areas - Part 2: Many visitors to provincial protected areas are curious about why trees are left to lie on the ground or insect attacks are sometimes left unchecked. This brochure provides information on the ecological importance of these natural processes.
Things to Do Outdoors: This brochure describes activities you can enjoy on a visit to BC's protected areas. All you need is curiosity to learn more about nature.
Wildlife Viewing - Part 1 and Wildlife Viewing - Part 2 As wildlife viewers, our goal is to watch animals behaving in natural ways in their natural habitats. We respect the needs of wild animals for space, natural vegetation and ecological community. We recognize our responsibility to know the consequences of wildlife viewing.
