First Post … Why This Blog

Hi, I am Derek Wong and this is the very first post of this blog.

So why do I start this blog? It seems climate change news and discussions are already everywhere. Newspapers, magazines, televsion carry a lot of coverage on global warming, the melting of iceberg, renewable energy, etc. And yet, I have found it to be quite difficult to find information specifically focused on climate change issues faced by Canadian businesses.

We hear much about what happened at the 2009 Copenhagen climate change conference, but that’s from the global and governmental perspectives. We hear much about the recent controversy on climate change research emails, but that’s from the scientific and academic perspectives. We also hear much about how to reduce energy usage at home, but that’s from a personal and consumer perspective. What about the Canadian business’ perspective? Where can we find practical information and experiences that Canadian businesses can use in their operation and strategic planning?

If you are a business in Ontario, should you take advantage of the Feed-In Tariff Program under the new Ontario Green Energy Act to earn payment from renewable energy generation while reducing the risks you face on energy price fluctuation? Thousands have already applied for payment at rates up to 80 cents/kWh compared to Ontario Hydro’s standard rates of approximately 9 cents/kWh.

If you are a business in B.C., do you need to record your facility’s greenhouse gas emissions data to comply with the new regulatory requirement that had taken effect on January 1, 2010?

If you are curious about what levels of greenhouse gas emission your business produces, is there a quick way to do an estimation with little cost?

Well, these are some of the climate change issues faced by Canadian businesses. And that’s what this blog is about. I plan to cover these topics in future blog posts.

Are you a Canadian business with a climate change issue on your mind? Why not post it on this page? I will try to answer it the best I can. If you have experiences or best practices you would like to share, you may also post it on the same page. Or if you’d prefer to contact me in private, please send me an email.

I hope you will enjoy the many blog posts to come.