I hope you are enjoying the warm weather and are able to take some vacation with loved ones — even if it is a “staycation.”
The world asks “what next,” as COVID-19 plays out. Governments reopen and close down businesses and geographic regions. Will our children be in school this September? How and when will our economy recover from the economic hit of the pandemic? How will our sector weather the coming months?
No-one knows the answers to these questions, or a myriad number of others, spawned by COVID-19. But we at Passive House Canada are working hard in a number of areas to help our members and the broader Passive House community.
High on our list is our continued advocacy with the federal government to include the Passive House building standard in its green economic recovery plan. We are joining with like-minded organizations to deliver the “green” message of economic recovery. Almost every week we hear from a government employee asking for help as they advocate for Passive House standards within their departments.
We know the government is going to budget an extraordinary amount of money to help kick-start the economy. Our message, as we meet with Members of Parliament, senior political staff and department officials, is that funding EnerPHit retrofits should be part of the recovery mix, especially as they are important to Canada reaching GHG emission reduction targets.
And speaking of GHG emission reduction targets, I’m delighted to announce PHC’s first course focused on embodied carbon was a big hit. Some 39 building professionals from across Canada gathered online for a course created and led by PHC’s own Philippe St-Jean. Philippe has also been asked to sit as our representative on a federal committee examining carbon in buildings. (Side note: PHI is willing to give professional credits for a number of our non-core PHI courses, so if you’re in need of a credit or two, check our website here to learn more.)
Why should you be a member of Passive House Canada? We work in three key areas to support our members. Members have access to a number of benefits, including reduced pricing on our courses. We advocate at all levels of the government to increase the adoption of the Passive House building standard in Canada. And finally, we are expanding the work we do to educate the broader public about Passive House and its benefits. You may have seen some of the work we’re doing on social media. Our communications team is busy getting the message out about who we are and what we do.
That brings me to an exciting initiative we’re launching this September. We’ve created a new eBook that explains the benefits of Passive House to those looking to retrofit or plan their next home or building. It’s written in an informative and engaging way and will contain links for readers to find Passive House projects across Canada.
This eBook will be highlighted in a social media campaign, which will reach millions of Canadians. We will use the eBook to shine a light on our members who have been designing and building Passive House projects across Canada.
Work with us as we expand the market for Passive House buildings across Canada. Along with our advocacy and professional training, educating Canadians is an expanding part of what Passive House Canada is doing. Watch for our emails with further information on the eBook.
In the meantime, enjoy summer — and find some time to log onto your profile page to update your information and to update any projects you’ve posted to our website. In another month, we believe there will be lots of people “poking about” on our website to learn more about Passive House buildings. Want to become a member? You can join on this page.
All the best!
Chris
