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Online Tools for Community Climate Action
Supplementary materials to presentation given at the North East Climate Action Exchange, Dawson Creek, October 15-16, 2012. Presentation: http://prezi.com/n_hdtn3qd00u/online-tools-for-climate-action/ Alia Lamaadar, COO CleanTech Community Gateway alia.lamaadar@ctcg.org 778.866.9433

Climate Action Related Tools

Free tools to help your community take action.

Getting Started. CTCG - Planning for Prosperity: Online document outlining the steps for community energy and emissions planning. BC Climate Action Toolkit: Extensive directory of climate action guides, funding sources, groups, and resources. BC Climate Action Secretariat CEEI: The Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI) represents energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from community activities in onroad transportation, buildings and solid waste. Estimates of land-use change from deforestation activities and Agricultural sector are also available at the Regional District level. Sustainability Solutions Group GHG Proof: GHGProof is designed to help local and regional governments explore and analyze the impacts of land-use planning on greenhouse gas emissions and public and private energy costs.

Telling the Story. EPA GHG Equivalency Calculator: Ever wonder what reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million metric tons means in everyday terms? The greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator can help you understand just that, translating abstract measurements into concrete terms you can understand, such as "equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of 183,000 cars annually." This calculator may be useful in communicating your greenhouse gas reduction strategy, reduction targets, or other initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium Plan2Adapt Tool: Climate change impacts do not affect every region of British Columbia in the same way. The Plan2Adapt tool generates maps, plots, and data describing projected future climate conditions for regions throughout British Columbia.

Establishing Where You Are. The Tyees BC Carbon Map: The B.C. interactive carbon map is the Tyee Solutions Society's first attempt to visualize the choices British Columbians face in confronting climate change. The objective is to put British Columbia's most important carbon sources (emissions to the atmosphere) and carbon sinks (removals from the atmosphere) on the map -- literally -- along with the ability for viewers to see what the carbon "bottom line" might look like if some of those weren't in the picture. BC Energy Map: The goal of the BC Energy Map is to support clean energy opportunities in communities and regions throughout British Columbia. If you're an investor exploring energy opportunities, a policy maker or an industry developer wishing to attract investment or make decisions regarding project location and operation, this map will have something for you.

Other Useful Tools

There is a host of online tools specifically designed to help communities take climate action, but sometimes the most important tools are those designed to help groups organize and collaborate around their projects, engage with others, share results, or find the financial support required to make a project a success.

Get Organized. Base Camp: is a project management tool. It allows everyone involved in a project to work together, and offers full control over who sees which project, and who sees each other. Doodle: is a free, online tool to simplify the process of scheduling events. It allows an organizer to propose a date to a group of attendees and have them individually input their availability. Dropbox: is a free service that provides universal access to your photos, documents, and videos and lets you easily share them with collaborators.

Visualize and Present. Tableau: Free data analysis and visualization software. Allows users to take complex data sets and create engaging visuals that can be shared online. Lovely Charts: Lovely Charts is a diagramming application that allows you to create professional looking diagrams of all kinds, such as flowcharts, sitemaps, business processes, organization charts, wireframes and whatever else you can dream up. Prezi: a dynamic tool for creating and sharing online presentations.

Share. Youtube, Facebook, LinkedIn: Anywhere social is a potential forum to share the work that you have accomplished. Innovative uses of these sites will grab even more attention. Scribd: The worlds largest online library. Read, publish, and share documents and other written works. LiveSmart Leaders Community: a social network built and administrated by the Province of British Columbia's Climate Action Secretariat to providing tools and resources to individuals and organizations to help them reduce their GHG emissions.

Fund Projects and Save on Costs. Green Source Funding Database: designed to help Canadian communities identify sources and resources to fund environmental projects that will benefit our natural environment. Canadian Environmental Grants Database: an online searchable database that contains information about grants made in support of the Canadian environment. Hello Fax: Free and low cost online faxing. Gmail Phone: Free online calling to anywhere in Canada or the U.S.

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If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau

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