Mission Transition: Clean Energy and Beyond

British Columbia is entering a new economy based on clean energy. What role will workers, technology, Indigenous communities and businesses play in this next economy? Who will pay for it? How will you take part? Mission: Transition is a podcast that explores this exciting transition to the new clean energy economy. This new mini-series from Sierra Club BC brings you stories from innovators across the province who are moving ahead with solutions for housing, transportation and renewable power. Moving beyond fossil fuels to the next economy is an opportunity to think about the ways we work, the ways we live and our values for the future. Your hosts Caitlyn Vernon and Susan Elrington hear from workers, business owners and everyday people who are leading the way as we chart our path forward. Subscribe to Mission: Transition today at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast or on your favourite podcast app. This is a conversation. We hope the ideas and thoughts exchanged will inspire you, your boss, your neighbours, your union or your school to join the clean energy economy. Join the conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter and tell us what you think about clean energy in BC.

There are more than 6,000 electric vehicles on the road in BC. In this episode we look at who’s flipping the switch to electric vehicles, how to charge those EV batteries, why the EV revolution isn’t going to be quiet… and what it all means for public transportation. Your hosts Susan Elrington and Caitlyn Vernon find out what local people are thinking—and doing—about the surge in electric vehicle interest. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find links to the businesses, videos and clean energy news mentioned in this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

If you’ve ever visited or lived in Victoria BC, you’ve undoubtedly seen them. Perhaps you’ve even ridden in one. The red double decker “Hop On Hop Off” sightseeing buses take visitors out to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. But engine problems and the potent diesel exhaust coming from these 1960s vintage iconic buses meant it was time to retire the fleet in the fall of 2017. However, it’s not the end of the road for these beloved old rigs: four buses will now be converted to electric power. Susan sits down with John and Andrew Wilson of Wilson’s Transportation to hear why they felt it was important to convert to electric, the opportunities and challenges they’ve faced, and what other businesses can learn from their experience. Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for all of our episodes at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

Houses made of hemp? Buildings that cut your energy use by 90 percent? In Episode 2 of Mission Transition, we look at how the clean energy economy will change the ways we build. Susan Elrington and Caitlyn Vernon examine whether it’s better to build new or to retrofit existing buildings—and what this means for jobs. Plus: how to sort through all the things you can do to cut down on energy use in your own home. Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for all of our episodes at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

It’s being called the "Lego Block" House. In this bonus interview, you’ll find out why. Susan Elrington interviews the man who’s building his house out of super energy-efficient JustBiofiber hemp blocks—and the man whose company makes them. Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

British Columbians tend to see our economy as resource based—with many people making their living in the forest industry, the oil patch or the gas fields. We’ve all heard about or benefited from the high paying jobs. In Episode 3 we challenge assumptions about energy jobs in BC and talk about what happens to jobs as we shift to the next economy. Which jobs will disappear and how will workers make the transition to clean energy? Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for all of our episodes at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

Susan Elrington sits down with Lliam Hildebrand to hear how Iron & Earth is helping oil, gas and coal workers transition to the clean energy economy. The post Bonus Interview: Skilling Up For The Next Economy appeared first on Sierra Club BC.

First Nations have been left behind by our mainstream economy. Now they are leading the way in BC when it comes to local, clean energy generation. In this episode we look at the innovative ways they’re producing clean energy and how this could spark an opportunity to work toward reconciliation. We hear from Melina Laboucan-Massimo of the Lubicon Cree First Nation, home to one of Alberta’s biggest solar projects. They also hear from Dr. Judith Sayers about her favourite examples of energy projects that are providing real benefits to First Nations Subscribe to Mission Transition and find links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about the role of First Nations in leading BC's clean energy economy.

In Episode 5 of our podcast Mission Transition we look at who owns our power - and who should own our power. Caitlyn and Sue hear from people in BC who are trying to bring energy ownership and production into their own hands. They'll find out who gets a say - and who gets to profit - when it comes to producing power in BC. As local people invest in clean energy, they’re demanding more say over how it’s generated and distributed. In this episode we talk about energy democracy and why it’s in jeopardy after the decision to continue building the Site C dam. What does the changing face of energy mean for families on a tight budget? Subscribe to Mission Transition and find links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think energy ownership should look like in BC.

Susan Elrington visits Matthias Zapatal at Northern Bioponics in Prince George to learn about aquaponics and how we can grow food locally year round. Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

Canada’s postal worker union is at the bargaining table this year – with one major issue to negotiate. It’s not what you think: the only green they’re fighting for is the environment. In Episode 6, we hear the union's inspiring plans for taking on the clean energy economy. We also hear ideas from members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce about how we can rethink the ways we live. And we talk about what you can do: how you can get involved in helping build this exciting new economy. One example in Metro Vancouver is the other “Mission Transition”: Force of Nature’s great initiative to catalyze community for a fossil fuel free future. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find links to the people and projects mentioned in this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think energy ownership should look like in BC.

Sue Elrington talks clean energy with two generations of Royal Bay Bakery owners, who converted their business from top to bottom to be a lean, green, solar-powered machine! Subscribe to Mission Transition and check out bonus content for this episode at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Tag @SierraClubBC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you think about BC's clean energy economy.

Nearly every day now, we hear of some new innovation moving the world toward clean energy. For many of us, this means installing solar panels, buying an electric vehicle or maybe giving up the car altogether. But this transition raises many questions most people haven't even started to consider. What actually counts as clean energy? Who should make decisions about how it’s produced—and how do these projects impact communities? How do we need to rethink land use in a clean energy economy? Sierra Club BC’s podcast Mission Transition: Clean Energy and Beyond dives into these questions and more with interviews from thinkers and doers who are all passionate about making the transition happen. You can subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for each episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Remember when you were 15 or 16? If you thought about your future, you could probably see a world of endless possibilities for travel, work and family. But youth today are confronted with the impacts of a climate crisis they didn’t create. And although they may feel overwhelmed now, they’re still thinking about a future filled with endless possibilities… just not the same possibilities many of us used to think about. In the first episode of Mission Transition: Season 2, we hear from three young people about their hopes for a post-carbon future. Finn Kreischer is a 15 year old Sierra Club BC volunteer, Antonia Paquin is a climate strike organizer with Youth for Climate Victoria and Hannah Gelderman is an organizer with Rise and Resist as well as #OurTime2019 which involves youth in building the vision for a Green New Deal for Canada. You can subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for each episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Every time we think we’ve seen how badly climate change is impacting us, we see another level of damage. The fall of 2018 saw the destruction of an entire California town by wildfires. Climate impacts are forcing millions of people worldwide to migrate. The need for the clean energy transition is clear, the debate is now about how fast and in what way it needs to happen. In this episode, we begin with basic questions: What makes energy clean—or not? What are “transition fuels" and do we have time to develop them? To explore them, we turn to Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting and energy policy researcher Zoë Yunker. We hear from Molly Wickham, a spokesperson for the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation on the real impacts of one so-called “transition fuel.” And we have insightful conversations with National Observer journalist Emilee Gilpin and award winning author and sustainability expert Guy Dauncey on the urgency of this transition to clean energy. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Haida Gwaii has a fossil fuel problem. Every year 30 million litres of diesel are ferried to the island to provide heat, power and gas for its 4,000 residents. The residents are determined to change this, aiming for zero diesel in just over 5 years. It’s an ambitious goal. Mission Transition takes you to Haida Gwaii to find out what fuels their passion for clean energy, how they’re making changes—large and small—and what a community needs to get to 100% renewable.  In this episode, we take you to the Haida Gwaii renewable energy symposium. We'll hear insights from a number of community members and Haida leaders including former Council of the Haida Nation President kil tlaats' gaa Peter Lantin, Haida Gwaii Museum Executive Director Jisgang Nika Collison, Yourbrook Energy co-founder Clyde Greenough, artist and Haida activist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Swiilawiid Sustainability Society Board Member Jaalen Edenshaw, Skidegate Band Councillor Trent Moreas and Haida Elder Barbara Wilson. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for this episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sometimes it seems as though we’re living in different worlds. Most people want solar panels and electric cars, yet our governments are buying pipelines and opening LNG plants. It seems no matter what communities want, bad energy choices are often being inflicted on them. Renewables offer a chance to change this. What would it mean to take back control over our power? Mission Transition explores the idea of energy democracy—one for which many people say the time has come. We hear from Dene lawyer and activist Caleb Behn about what having a stronger say would mean for Indigenous peoples in BC’s north, as well as BC Government Employees Union Executive Vice-President James Coccola about the impact on workers. We talk to Rob Baxter and Dick Bakker with the Vancouver and Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-ops about where the money for local energy generation comes from. We also return to Haida Gwaii where local leaders are taking control of their energy. We hear insights at the Haida Gwaii Renewable Energy Symposium from former Council of the Haida Nation President kil tlaats' gaa Peter Lantin, current CHN President and Swiilawiid Sustainability Society Board Member Jaalen Edenshaw, and head of the CHN Energy Committee Stephen (Buck) Grosse. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for this episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Over the past few decades, oil and gas companies have fueled and financed the pumping of billions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. They’ve cashed in, but who bears the cost now? Who’s responsible when thousands lose their homes to climate change fueled fires and floods? Who pays when crops fail in droughts? Who’s on the hook when house values plummet in hurricane zones? We're being told it’s up to us as individuals to be responsible for the shift to a climate-friendly world, but is this really fair?  In this episode, we explore who bears the burden of responsibility for this transition.  To find out, we speak with Catherine Gauthier of ENvironnement JEUnesse about their class action lawsuit against Canada over climate inaction. We hear from the Mayor of Victoria, Lisa Helps, about the burden on municipalities. And we talk to Anjali Appadurai formerly of West Coast Environmental Law about who’s really responsible, and how personal guilt is not going to help move us forward. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for this episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on about oil and gas, it’s that there’s big money in it. Governments invest big money, corporations make big money—and they stand to lose big money as solar and wind rise rapidly. And they spend big money to control the narrative about Canada’s energy and economic future. Mission Transition breaks down where your tax dollars are being invested, who owns energy, who profits, and who’s at risk of being left out in the cold. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for this episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When colonizers first set foot on this land, their goal was to claim as much of it as possible for themselves. They paid no attention to the fact that Indigenous peoples here had their own governing structures and laws already in place. To the early settlers and explorers, land equaled money and power. To this day, some of us still view the value of land simply in terms of the money it can generate, whether that’s from logging the trees, mining for gold, digging up oil and gas or developing real estate. But now we’re confronting the harsh impacts this approach has had for climate change and for Indigenous peoples. So what can we do differently? How can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past? This episode invites us to rethink our approach, and explore what we can learn from Indigenous law about being more respectful of the land as we transition to clean energy. Subscribe to Mission Transition and find bonus material for this episode at https://sierraclub.bc.ca/podcast. Join the clean energy conversation with @SierraClubBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.