The Green Condo Page - Fall 2021 - CCI Manitoba Chapter

Article from Volume 8, Issue Number 4, 2021

The Green Condo Page - Fall 2021

By Alan Forbes | Other articles by Alan Forbes | Regular Column

Whether it improves the sustainability of your condo operations, reduces waste, increases energy efficiency, reduces water consumption or just beautifies the environment surrounding your property, we’d like to hear from you - just send us an email with a subject line of “CCI Green Condo Page”. We hope to hear from you soon.

CANADA GREENER HOMES GRANT

Some condo corporations are eligible - bungalow, townhome and some lowrise apartments. For details, check out the Natural Resources Canada website

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/23441

EFFICIENCY MANITOBA'S HEAT PUMP PROGRAM

Efficiency Manitoba’s Heat Pump Program is now accepting online applications (https://efficiencymb.ca/business/heat-pump-program/) for ground source heat pumps. Efficiency Manitoba will subsidize installations based on a prescriptive structure outlined on the program's webpage. Applications must be submitted before work begins.

Installers must be an accredited Manitoba Geothermal Energy Alliance (MGEA) members and must also register with Efficiency Manitoba’s Supplier Network in order for customers to be eligible for the rebates. Customers can also use the Supplier Network to find supplier/installers in their part of the province.

RECYCLING NON-RECYCLABLES

Sound like an oxymoron? There is a company called Terracycle, https://www.terracycle.com/en-CA, that works with manufacturers, retailers and consumer product companies to recycle materials that are not accepted by most municipal recycling programs. Examples of products that can be recycled include coffee pods, squeezable snack pouches, disposable dining products, cigarettes and packaging, PPE masks and gloves, styrofoam food containers, printer cartridges, pens, pencils and markers, shipping materials and bubble wrap - the list seems endless.

Note that there is a cost associated with some of their programs. For some programs, such as Febreeze and Swiffer, there are drop- off locations in Morden, Winkler and Rorketon. However, for most programs, you pay for a container to capture the products and then when the container is full, you ship it to them at their expense.

This type of program could be of interest to some of the larger condo corporations (CCs) that have common areas for dining or coffee breaks, and also be of interest to property management companies and cleaning companies. Commercial and retail businesses could also take advantage of this type of approach to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Keep in mind that even though there is a cost to their programs, one way or another, you are already paying for non-recyclables to be removed from your property.

I have only recently come across Terracycle as an option and have yet to try one of their programs. If you or someone you know has experience with one of their recycling programs, I would like to hear from you.

CONDOS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Has your condo board been thinking about the implications of climate change and the planned actions by various levels of government? Have you considered that you may need more money in your reserve fund than you think, in order to address the required future decreases in energy consumption and GHG emissions? If not, be sure to read the article Reserve Funds Ignore Climate Target Impacts from one of our colleagues from CCI Toronto Chapter https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/reserve-fund-studies-ignore-climate-target-impacts/.

ALAN FORBES
CCI Newsletter Committee