Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE)

This post was originally published on ABlawg.ca Conclusions This ABlawg post has critiqued the amendments to the Water Act that expand government emergency powers focusing on the ability of Cabinet to order an inter-basin transfer to deal with emergencies. With respect to inter-basin transfers, we conclude that as inter-basin transfers need prior long-term planning, have potential serious…

A presentation by Cheryl Bradley, September 2024 Thank you for inviting me to this event that recognizes World Rivers Day, the 22nd of September 2024. World Rivers Day, launched by the United Nations in 2005, is a day to celebrate rivers and create greater awareness of the need to better care for our water resources.…

The following summary is specific to Lethbridge. (Most decisions to make a residential home ‘greener’ depend on the local climate, solar incidence, water availability, sources of electricity production, costs of energy, etc.) Green Building Compared to our standard home, we have: Initial Total Heat Loss = 128 GJ Total Saved = 75 GJ Greener Home…

There are a number of things you can do to reduce the energy consumption (and the associated greenhouse gas emissions) of your home. The following discussion is based on a 30 ft x 30 ft bungalow with a full basement in Lethbridge, Alberta. Heat loss from a home has two main paths. The first is…

Solar Panels (photovoltaic, PV) create direct-current (DC) electricity when exposed to the sun. The DC electricity is converted into AC and conditioned so that it may be used in the home or sent to the grid. The grid describes the electricity generation and transmission lines used to distribute electricity to the user, like your home.…

Windows are an important consideration in reducing heat loss from a home. Designed well, they also allow for passive gains from sunlight entering the home. The main difficulty in assessing the economics of upgrading windows in a home is in the wide range of styles and materials used to make them – styles like bay…

There has been a lot of interest in using heat pumps for heating and cooling our homes, thereby reducing energy bills and reducing our carbon emission footprint in Canada. The problem is that each location has its own climate, types of energy used, and energy prices – the decision on how best to heat and…

Letter to Minister Schulz, Minister Sigurdson, Minister Loewen and Minister McIver Recent proposals for over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of irrigation agriculture expansion within the South Saskatchewan River basin have raised several concerns about environmental impacts, including potential loss of native grasslands. Native grasslands are valued by Albertans as habitat for a broad diversity of…

Bill 18 Provincial Priorities Act, Bill 20 Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act The Guardian (9 May 2024) asked the question: ‘What are the most powerful climate actions you can take?’ From the leading experts queried, the fourth top response was to reduce home heating and cooling emissions. SAGE agrees, and would add that this also…