Our friends over at Corporate Knights have released their first comprehensive environmental report card for all of Canada’s provinces and territories.
The Green Provincial Report Card considered environmental performance across ten equally weighted categories-including greenhouse gases, organic food, green energy, green jobs, water use, biodiversity and car dependency. British Columbia topped the list with an overall score of 69 per cent for its green jobs, green buildings, organic food, and energy efficiency.
Although the survey methodology adjusted for size of population and economy, Prince Edward Island pulled in at the bottom of the class due to poor energy efficiency, high car dependency, extreme paucity of protected land, and a dearth of certified green buildings.
Contrary to the dirty and clean image that contrasts Alberta with Quebec, the Wild Rose Province edged out La Belle Province. While Quebec’s abundance of large hydro dams powered it to the pinnacle of carbon efficiency per unit of economic output, in the areas of biodiversity, water use, and biodiversity protection, Alberta scored twice as high as Quebec.
The survey was based on Government of Canada web sites and reports, and data from surveys carried out by independent environmental organizations including Friends of the Earth, Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, Ecojustice, Eco Canada, Global Forest Watch, LEED Canada, and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada.
