Category: Climate Change

Burlington receives recognition from Global Covenant of Mayors for work on climate change

June 5, 2023

Today, June 5, 2023, marks the fiftieth year since World Environment Day was declared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise awareness and generate political momentum around growing environmental concerns. This week, June 4 to 10, 2023, also marks Canadian Environment Week which was established in 1971 to celebrate Canada’s environmental accomplishments and … More Burlington receives recognition from Global Covenant of Mayors for work on climate change

Map showing study area including Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby and Sheldon Creeks

Conservation Halton’s East Burlington Creeks Flood Hazard Mapping – Upcoming Public Engagement Session

May 30, 2023

One of Conservation Halton’s (CH) top priorities is to protect life and property from natural hazards and updating hazard mapping is one of the ways they do that. East Burlington Creeks Flood Hazard Mapping CH is currently updating flood hazard mapping for Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby, and Sheldon Creeks that cross through parts of East Burlington … More Conservation Halton’s East Burlington Creeks Flood Hazard Mapping – Upcoming Public Engagement Session

Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan: We want to hear from you – part 2!

May 23, 2023

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of engagement on Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP). In the first round, you were asked for input to inform the vision, principles, goals and recommendations for the draft UFMP. The draft UFMP is now available for your review on the project page. Please provide … More Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan: We want to hear from you – part 2!

Halton Community Climate Plan Summit

May 17, 2023

All municipalities in Halton including the City of Burlington, the Towns of Halton Hills, Oakville and Milton, and Halton Region have declared climate change emergencies and are working to reduce impacts from their municipal operations and communities. Halton Community Climate Plan Building on this local momentum, Halton Environmental Network (HEN) is partnering with Halton Region … More Halton Community Climate Plan Summit

Take Action for Emergency Preparedness

May 5, 2023

Disasters and emergencies come in all types. Burlington may experience several weather related emergencies, including flooding, high winds, power outages, severe winter storms, severe summer storms or drought. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that the City declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and we are working on building our climate … More Take Action for Emergency Preparedness

Burlington recognized as a Tree City of the World

April 24, 2023

The City of Burlington has been recognized by the Arbour Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Tree City of the World. This is the first time the City of Burlington has been recognized for this prestigious status for leading the way in urban and community forestry. To … More Burlington recognized as a Tree City of the World

Cleaning up after a flood.

Reduce Your Risk of Flooding with These Programs

April 12, 2023

Our climate is changing and is becoming warmer, wetter and wilder. Floods are now the most frequent natural disaster in Canada. In 2014, about two months’ worth of rain fell during eight hours in parts of Burlington affecting 3,000 households and resulting in $90 million in insured damages. Did you know that the average cost … More Reduce Your Risk of Flooding with These Programs

Manage Rain Where it Falls

March 1, 2023

Our climate is changing, and we are experiencing warmer, wetter and wilder weather. There are things we can do to better prepare ourselves for unpredictable rainstorms and risk of flooding to increase our resiliency. Join Sasha Benevides, Community Outreach Coordinator, Conservation Halton to learn about how nature-based solutions, also known as Low Impact Development (LID), … More Manage Rain Where it Falls

Kids can tap into free rides on Burlington Transit

February 6, 2023

Transportation emissions account for about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington. Changing the way you commute to sustainable or active transportation will help us meet our greenhouse gas target to be a net carbon neutral community by 2050. Changes coming to Burlington Transit Starting March 1, 2023, Burlington Transit bus drivers will ask … More Kids can tap into free rides on Burlington Transit

Register for the Generation Green Youth Conference

February 1, 2023

Are you or do you know a Halton student in grade 7 to 12 passionate about protecting the environment and looking to earn 20 community involvement hours? If so, then you might be interested in an upcoming Generation Green opportunity. What is Generation Green? Generation Green is a youth-led initiative to engage Halton students in … More Register for the Generation Green Youth Conference

image of sweaters folded in a pile

Put on a sweater and learn about a new energy savings program

January 26, 2023

On February 2, wear your favourite sweater and celebrate National Sweater Day. What is National Sweater Day? National Sweater Day is a campaign encouraging Canadians to show their support for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. What can you do? Turn down your thermostat by 1.5 degrees Celsius or more and wear your … More Put on a sweater and learn about a new energy savings program

Upcoming Events on Energy Efficiency – Learn about Heat Pumps and More

January 9, 2023

It’s January – it’s cold and it’s dark. Does your home need an energy efficiency upgrade? Have you considered installing a heat pump? Do you want to learn more about energy incentive programs? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be interested in registering for one of these upcoming events: … More Upcoming Events on Energy Efficiency – Learn about Heat Pumps and More

Hands holding earth

2022: A Year in Review

December 8, 2022

It’s hard to believe we started the Take Action Burlington blog seven years ago as a place to highlight the City of Burlington’s environmental accomplishments, profile community initiatives and events, and promote tips for home, work and play to reduce our collective footprint. Since then, we have published 173 posts and over the past five … More 2022: A Year in Review

New online guide available to help navigate tree protection and tree permits in Burlington

December 6, 2022

The City of Burlington has created a “Guide to Tree Protection” to help property owners and applicants navigate tree protection and the City’s tree by-laws, with a focus on the Private Tree By-law. The free guide is available online at burlington.ca/forestprotection. Information in the Guide includes: The Guide also features helpful illustrations that highlight key … More New online guide available to help navigate tree protection and tree permits in Burlington

Sharing our climate action progress with the world again

November 17, 2022

The City of Burlington has received an A grade in our second year of climate reporting through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an improvement from last year’s B grade. Burlington is one of 13 municipalities in Canada and 122 municipalities around the world to get an A grade, out of over 1,000 cities, states and … More Sharing our climate action progress with the world again

Halton Children’s Water Festival – A Successful Return

October 17, 2022

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the Halton Children’s Water Festival returned to Kelso Conservation Area this past September and welcomed back about 700 students for an in-person program focused on protecting water in our community. This was the 15th year for the festival which has educated about 50,000 elementary school students with the … More Halton Children’s Water Festival – A Successful Return

October Workshops: Working with Nature to Create Healthy Gardens

October 11, 2022

Conservation Halton’s Healthy Neighboursheds workshops are back this month. Register to attend one, two or all three online Zoom sessions. This year, there’s also an in-person workshop. All sessions are $8 each. See below for additional details. Virtual Zoom Workshops, Thursdays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Getting Started: How “Rainscaping” Can Protect Your Property – Oct. … More October Workshops: Working with Nature to Create Healthy Gardens

Electric and Sustainable Mobility in Burlington

September 21, 2022

Transportation (gas/diesel-powered vehicles) is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington. To help combat this, the City partnered with BurlingtonGreen, a local non-profit environmental organization, to complete our first community based Electric Mobility Strategy. It was important to work with an organization like BurlingtonGreen to develop a community-based plan and engage with … More Electric and Sustainable Mobility in Burlington

Burlington leading by example to reduce carbon footprint

August 18, 2022

Did you know that the City is working towards net carbon neutral operations by 2040? A pathway to achieve this Vision 2040 Strategic Plan goal is laid out in the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan: 2019-2024 with progress reports presented to City Council every year. This post highlights some of the ongoing projects and … More Burlington leading by example to reduce carbon footprint