Who we are
The BC Sustainable Energy Association Victoria Chapter is dedicated to helping the Greater Victoria region (and all of BC) to switch off fossil fuels and onto clean, renewable, sustainable energy.
The Victoria Chapter seeks to educate and advocate on issues related to energy use, the reduction of GHG emissions, and solutions for transitioning to a non fossil-fuel economy. The Victoria Chapter is one of the oldest and most active chapters of the BCSEA, with an extensive history and varied member base, consisting of retirees, students, sustainable energy industry members and members of government. We are excited about the bright future that we believe is coming to British Columbia, and want to ensure it is one powered by renewable energy.
We are environmentally minded people who are excited about the sustainable future we believe is possible for British Columbia and would like you to join us!
What we do
The BCSEA Victoria Chapter partners with like-minded organizations, faith based groups, NGOs and businesses to collaborate on renewable energy projects and reach the largest audience possible. We undertake regular events, educating the public about renewable energy and the energy transition. We also advocate for energy transition to our local governments.
Do you have a great idea for a sustainable energy project or activity? We would love to hear from you.
When we meet
Our Steering Committee normally meets as needed, typically on the 4th Monday evening of each month but there is some variety. We normally meet in person but we also have the capability to have a hybrid meeting with attendance via Zoom. If you would like to attend a meeting, please contact Paul Rasmussen. We are always looking for people who want to get involved.
Our Current Project
We are currently working with the University of Victoria’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems to design and build a hybrid wind solar powered battery charging station for electric bikes. If you are interested in helping us with this project as a volunteer please contact us at victoria@bcsea.org.
Volunteers
We are always looking for volunteers to help us with our various projects. To see what we are looking for check out our Volunteer Page.
Steering Committee Openings
We are currently looking for new Steering Committee members. If interested, please look at our Volunteer Page.
Personal Actions Page
One of our recent initiatives has been to create a chart of personal actions that can be taken and what their GHG impact might be compared to other actions. Check it out here!
Letters and sign-ons by our Chapter
The Victoria Chapter sometimes send letters to government agencies or other organizations to ask them to take more aggressive action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, or to support actions that we believe will help reduce emissions and make BC more sustainable. We are also sometimes asked to sign-on to letters or statements with similar intent originating from other organizations. Before signing a statement not originating with us, we always work with the other organizations to make sure that their statements are supportable, accurate, and not in conflict with positions taken by the BCSEA or the Victoria Chapter. It is not unusual for us to request changes in the text of the statement before we will sign on. To see what letters we have sent and statements we have signed onto recently and to download copies of these statements click here.
Solar on a Strata blog: Several years ago Victoria Chapter Steering Committee member Bruce Mackenzie worked with his strata council to arrange to put photovoltaic solar panels on the strata roof. Bruce has an ongoing blog about this starting here. The latest update is here.
