In a unanimous decision Golden Town Council voted on Tuesday, February 15, to join 11 other communities in the Kootenay region to commit to transition to 100% renewable energy across all energy use sectors in their community. Let’s hear it for Golden!

This would not have been possible without the hard work of EcoSociety volunteer Calvin Beauschesne. We are lucky to have dedicated people like Calvin who are leading the way for rural communities across British Columbia to join the clean energy transition that is already underway.

“I’m proud that Golden has committed to moving away from fossil fuels so that our communities can be safer, cleaner and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.” – Calvin 

We released the 100% Renewable Energy Playbook in 2021 with the goal of growing this movement; Tuesday’s commitment shows that when we take common sense approaches to tackling climate change in our communities, we can inspire others to do the same. We are looking forward to supporting Golden as they move forward with the development of their 100% Renewable Energy Transition Plan, building off the blueprint outlined in the West Kootenay 100% Renewable Energy Plan that was created in collaboration with nine other local governments in 2020. Golden joins Castlegar, Creston, Fruitvale, Kaslo, Nelson, New Denver, Regional District of Central Kootenay, Rossland, Silverton, Slocan, and Warfield in accepting the commitment to transition to 100% renewable energy.   

We are excited to see that there is already momentum in Golden. From installing electric vehicle charging stations to making energy efficient upgrades to city infrastructure — saying yes to transition to 100% renewable energy is the next step for Golden’s ongoing climate leadership.

Thank you to Calvin, and to the Town of Golden’s mayor, councillors, and staff for leading the way for other rural and small towns to have a safer today and tomorrow.