This Fall, over 1,100 high pressure sodium (HPS) decorative streetlights in Millcroft and the Orchard will be replaced with light emitting diodes (LEDs). This is part of a larger effort to convert remaining HPS bulbs in the city to LEDs to make street lighting in Burlington greener! High Pressure Sodium and Light Emitting Diodes, What’s … More Making Streetlighting Green
Our Environmental Sustainability and Emergency Management team had a wonderful time speaking with residents at Food for Feedback on Saturday. If you weren’t able to attend the event, but would still like to give us your feedback, don’t worry! Our online survey is still open until Sept. 28. Our climate is changing, and our weather … More Preparing for Climate Impacts Survey
Join our local environmental organization BurlingtonGreen for a variety of fun and rewarding opportunities to connect with nature this fall. Sign up early as registration is limited for some activities. Celebrate National Forest Week Sept. 20 to 26 is National Forest Week! To celebrate, you are invited to learn more about Canada’s forest heritage and … More Fall Eco Action Events
With summer vacations winding down, families throughout Burlington are looking to go back to school and work next week. Try adding some of these sustainable travel options when planning your new routine to get to work, school, or elsewhere around Burlington! Walking and Rolling Ontario Active School Travel has resources and materials for families looking … More Sustainable Commutes to School and Work
After getting lots of use this summer, it’s hard to imagine that backyard pools across Burlington will be closing for the season soon. Whether you are backwashing the pool before an end-of-summer party, or thinking ahead to closing time, it is important to brush up on some basic maintenance actions to ensure your pool doesn’t impact your neighbour’s property or the natural environment. Good eco-friendly pool, spa and hot tub maintenance … More Backyard Pool Maintenance: Do You Know Where Your Pool Water Goes?
The City of Burlington is implementing a policy for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on City property (PWS-06-26). Starting Oct. 1, 2026, hourly fees will be introduced for using City-owned EV charging stations. The fee structure will vary based on location (downtown vs. community facilities), time of day and charger type (Level 2 vs. Level … More Upcoming Fee Introduction for City Owned EV Charging Stations
Our climate is changing, and our weather is becoming warmer, wetter and wilder. As our climate gets warmer, blacklegged ticks are expanding their range further north, including Burlington. We will likely to see both an increase in the number and variety of ticks, and the diseases they carry. Vector-borne diseases (diseases spread through insects) can affect everyone’s health. By taking the steps to prepare for ticks, we can make sure everyone … More Be Prepared: Vector-Borne Diseases
Our climate is changing, and our weather is becoming warmer, wetter and wilder. Heat events are becoming more frequent, longer and hotter in Burlington. While poor air quality events can happen at any time, they often occur from May to September because air pollution concentrations can be higher in hotter weather. In addition, wildfire season in Canada is expected to increase in severity and duration, which … More Be Prepared: Air Quality
Our climate is changing, and our weather is becoming warmer, wetter and wilder. Heat events are becoming more frequent, longer and hotter in Burlington. Heat events can affect everyone’s health. By taking the steps to prepare for heat events, we can make sure everyone has a safe and fun summer. What is a Heat Warning? Environment and Climate Change Canada will issue … More Be Prepared: Extreme Heat
In 2022, City Council approved Burlington’s first plan related to climate adaptation called Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. The CRB plan includes a 10-year action plan with 32 actions identified under five themes to manage the highest risks to the City associated with our changing climate. Climate adaptation is only one half of our climate work. The City also has two plans related to climate mitigation, or reducing … More Climate Resilient Burlington Plan – Year 4 Progress Update
Happy Bike Month, Burlington! Bike Month is a celebration of cycling to encourage everyone to get cycling, learn new riding skills or joining fun events to connect with new people! Ride your bike for your commute to work, a lunch break, running errands in your neighbourhood, or a ride with friends and family. Biking in Burlington In 2021, the City of … More Ready, Set, Bike!
Happy Canadian Environment Week, Burlington! Established in 1971, Canadian Environment Week celebrates our environmental accomplishments and encourages Canadians to contribute to conserving and protecting their environment. This year, Canadian Environmental Week is taking place from May 31 to June 6, 2026. Two special days include Clean Air Day on June 3 and World Environment Day on June 5. To celebrate, we wanted to highlight 10 ways we’re making a difference for the … More Canadian Environment Week: Ten Ways We Are Making a Difference
Going solar is a smart move – but the process can be overwhelming. Different technologies, confusing incentives, installers making different promises. Where do you even start? Burlington residents now have a free resource for going solar. The Home Solar Accelerator from The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) is a non-profit concierge-style service that guides homeowners through the … More Home Solar Accelerator Program Launch
Emergency Preparedness Week is May 3 to 9. This year, the City of Burlington is partnering with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) to focus on one key piece of preparedness that is often overlooked: home insurance and how it works when you need it most. The webinar covers how insurance works in practice, what is typically covered when it … More Emergency Preparedness Week: Watch, learn about home insurance & win an emergency kit
Now is the time to see the amazing natural event that is annual spring bird migration! Spring migration begins in mid-March and ramps up through April, before peaking in mid-May with the arrival of the colourful warblers. Some birds are returning to the Burlington area to choose a breeding territory, while others stop over briefly … More Take Action for Birds
Spring is in the air, and the e-scooters are back on the Centennial Trail for the season! The Centennial Trail E-Scooter Pilot is part of the City’s Integrated Mobility Plan to explore new ways for people to move around the city safely and sustainably. E-scooters are one emerging mode of micro-mobility that provide a convenient … More E-Scooters are Back!
Earth Day takes place on April 22, but the message to protect our planet lives in our hearts every day of the year. This spring, take action on climate change, clean up our environment, and learn about nature through these amazing events hosted by Burlington Public Library and BurlingtonGreen. Earth Day Story Time Come out … More Spring into Action for Earth Day
Since 2007, Earth Hour has been known for the symbolic “lights off” movement, where people are asked to turn off their lights for one hour in the evening to take action for the planet. This year on March 28, let’s go beyond the switch off, and give 60 minutes of our time doing something – anything – that makes a positive impact for our planet. Looking for ideas? Keep reading! Get … More Give an Hour for Earth
March 22nd is World Water Day! In a previous blog post, we spoke about the largest use of water in your house – toilets. This time, we will cover off the second largest use of water in your house, the shower, as well as the water heater. Are you draining the lake with your shower? … More Save Water and Money in Your Home
Burlington Transit is going green! On March 9, 2026, two new hybrid-electric buses hit the road to service Routes 80 & 81. How Does a Hybrid Bus Work? The new hybrid-electric buses feature a small diesel engine, a battery system and an electric motor to drive the wheels. The motor is powered by both its … More Hybrid Buses Hit the Road
Don’t hibernate, celebrate! Winter Commute Month is all about embracing the season, building sustainable habits and tracking your impact along the way. With the right gear, sustainable travel shouldn’t stop when the temperature drops. Each trip – whether by bike, carpool, public transit, or on foot – can reduce emissions, ease traffic congestion, and contribute to … More February is Winter Commute Month
At the beginning of the 2025, we announced that the City’s Climate Action Plan is getting an update and asked for your feedback on the proposed priorities for the updated plan. Since then, staff have been hard at work developing the updated plan and are happy to announce it was approved by Council in March … More Burlington Climate Plan: Taking Action to Reduce Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The City of Burlington has been recognized by CDP (formerly named the Carbon Disclosure Project), the global environmental non-profit, for its leadership in transparency and action, securing a place on CDP’s respected ‘A’ List. CDP operates the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system, with over 1,000 cities, states and regions reporting environmental data through CDP in 2025. Achieving an … More Burlington Achieves CDP ‘A’ Score for Environmental Reporting
Happy New Year Burlington! In keeping with our annual tradition, we will be starting the new year with a summary of our achievements from last year. In 2025, we published 29 posts to Take Action Burlington and had another record year for views and visitors. We also celebrated Take Action Burlington’s tenth birthday! Climate Mitigation … More 2025: A Year in Review
‘Tis the season for snow and ice. With the official first day of winter right around the corner, we wanted to share some reminders about winter walkway maintenance. City Snow Removal The City of Burlington provides snow removal services throughout the city, maintaining 1,900 km of road and 850 km of sidewalks. Snowplows clear roads in priority order based on road classification. View our online road plowing priority map to discover which roads are designated as primary, secondary and … More Walking in a Winter Wonderland
