The challenge is on, with Grande Prairie leading the way!
On Jan. 17, the environment committee in Grande Prairie passed a motion requesting that Mayor Bill Given write a letter to municipalities across the province challenging them to participate in the Green Grouch Environmental Initiative.
On Jan. 24, the motion was again passed, making it official. Grande Prairie is challenging other Alberta cities to see which one is the most environmentally friendly!
It’s easy to simply declare that your city is the most environmentally friendly. Vancouver has stated that they want to become the world’s greenest city by 2020, a model for others to follow. In 2009, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson outlined a 10-point plan detailing how Vancouver will achieve this goal.
While this sounds impressive, and is certainly a noble goal, it is difficult to prove. Think-tanks can conduct various studies on a city’s carbon footprint and other ecological measures and come up with jargon to convince us about almost anything.
But I don’t think we should simply depend on our civic leaders to bring forth green initiatives and then proclaim their city to be the greenest in the land. I believe that the truest measure an environmentally friendly a city is lies in the actions of its citizens.
Grande Prairie isn’t merely talking. Its citizens are taking action. In fact, Grande Prairie has motivated me to take The Green Grouch to the next level!
Let me explain. In 2009, a friend came up with an idea to get people interested in improving the environment. And, let me be clear — we really do need to stop talking about changes and actually make them. The next time you’re in a coffee shop, take note of how many people have bothered to bring a reusable coffee cup. I’d be surprised if you spot anybody.
Anyway, my friend’s idea was to have a contest to see which city’s citizens step up to the plate, in terms of people making changes. His quiet determination convinced me to partner up with him, bringing my programming skills to the table.
We launched a site, just in time for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Then we waited, listening to the voice of James Earl Jones, saying “build it and they will come.”
Finally, they did come: the people of Grande Prairie! On Jan. 10, Michelle Gairdner logged into our website, filled out the environmental checklist, and invited several others to join. Within a week, dozens of new accounts were created.
But, she didn’t stop there. She brought the idea to Grande Prairie’s city council, resulting in the mayor issuing a public challenge to other Alberta cities to beat Grande Prairie in an environmental showdown to determine which Alberta city is the most environmentally friendly.
The contest is being hosted by The Green Grouch website. And, unlike the idle chatter we hear from Vancouver about being a green leader, this contest will truly illuminate which city has ordinary citizens who are actually willing to make changes for a better world. In fact, I would be surprised if Vancouver even finishes up in the top 10. The same goes for all the major cities, like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.
My prediction is that it will be the smaller cities, like Red Deer and Grande Prairie, that take the top spots. In fact, if I was a betting man, I would put all my money on Grande Prairie.
Barry Moore is the creator of www.greengrouch.com, along with his partner Robert Perry.