Our Fundraising Beneficiaries (5 weeks, $30000.00 - Nothing to it right?)

 

                                                                       BCSPCA 

WE DID IT!  It took sometime but we finally have the okay to move forward!  I am so happy.  We are going to be raising the funds for the BCSEA ($10000.00) and the BCSPCA - Sunshine Coast Branch ($20000.00) for solar panels.

You might ask why we choose who we did.  Cody loves animals and has done many camps over with the SPCA.  We wanted to choose a non-profit in order to help decrease their costs, make them greener and help benefit locally.  So this was a pretty easy one to pick (and did you know they are located on Solar Road?, Go figure!).

We also wanted to think bigger and benefit an organization within BC.  This is where the BCSEA came in.  We learned about an awesome program they provide called Cool-it.  As I am sure not many people know about the organization, here is some of what they do:

1.                  We have four local chapters in Victoria, Vancouver, Okanagan, and Kamloops that interact directly with local governments, member constituencies, volunteers and the public.  BCSEA’s reach is extended across BC through the events our chapters host, as well as public and community projects.  Activities such as a sustainable energy hackathon (Vancouver), assisting municipalities set 100% renewable energy targets (Victoria), offer British Columbians the opportunity to talk to electric vehicle owners (Okanagan), and a discussion about green investment principles (Kamloops) not only raise awareness but provide practical guidance on how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

2.                  BCSEA actively represents sustainable energy values at the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), the province’s energy regulator.  Our policy advisory team provides technical and policy input to the BCUC, engaging with major energy utilities in technical advisory groups, and provides updates for the general public through ‘Policy Corner’ articles on our website.

3.                  BCSEA hosts webinars with expert speakers on a range of renewable energy and sustainable development topics.  We attract participants from across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa in addition to our core constituency of British Columbia.

4.                  Our Cool It! Climate Leadership Training program is an interactive workshop delivering climate change education to students in grades 4 - 12.  Established in 2007, students participate in a four-week climate challenge program where they are encouraged to learn and participate in activities to make measurable greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in their homes, at school and in their wider communities.  In the past year 2,205 students participated in our workshops.  Approximately 1,340 tonnes of GHG emissions were avoided as a result of participating students enacting changes they learned through the program.  In 2021, there are 80 workshops planned to the end of June, predominantly in the Lower Mainland.

Amazing work on Staying Greener and helping Climate Change!  I hope you can see why we thought they would be a good group to help out.  We are so excited to now get the fundraising up and moving forward!  Thanks for stopping in and learning about journey.  Fundraising Sites to come out tomorrow (I hope???).