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The Citizen, 2018-5-24, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018. PAGE 15. County needs to go further with green initiatives: Ginn By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County is doing a great job implementing green initiatives throughout the community, but Warden Jim Ginn feels the county needs to go even further. After a presentation by Oxford County Warden David Mayberry on his county's commitment to use 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050, Ginn said that the county needs to reach even further with its environmental initiatives. Director of Planning and Development Sandra Weber also presented a report at council's May 16 committee of the whole meeting outlining the county's ongoing "green" initiatives. She added that when you compile a list of all the work being done, it is striking how much the county is doing. Ginn agreed, however, he felt there was still work to be done. He asked staff to bring back a report taking Mayberry's presentation into account and looking at where further efficiencies could be found and where new green projects could be implemented. Weber, in her report, said that the county's Conservation Demand Management Plan has already been implemented with a goal of reducing the county's energy consumption by 2019. She said there has already been a 1.9 per cent reduction in energy usage throughout the county, but work remains to hit the goal of a 2.5 per cent reduction by the end of 2018. She added that the county has recently enrolled to become part of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority's Carbon Footprint Initiative. The county is aiming to offset much of its carbon emissions through planting trees. However, she said, council stopped short of including tracking its fleet as part of the program. Another bright spot is the Huron Clean Water Project, she said, which began in 2005 and has since been part of nearly 2,700 stewardship projects throughout the county. The project aims to work with local landowners on stewardship projects on their land to improve water quality, protect soil and establish windbreaks. Since the project began over 10 years ago, over $10 million in project value has been generated as a result. The Water Protection Steering Committee is another body within Huron County that aims to improve water quality throughout the community. The committee was established in 2004 with three goals: to bring together representatives of agencies, groups and municipalities; to prioritize and recommend implementation measures to participating agencies like the Planning and Development Department, the Huron County Health Unit, lower -tier municipalities, conservation authorities, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, watershed groups, cottage associations and the agricultural, manufacturing and tourism stakeholder communities and to co-ordinate activities on a broad level, subject to the resources of the participating agencies. Weber also said that the work of Sustainable Huron has gone a long way since it was established in 2012. The group came out of the Huron Sustainability Plan, which identified 11 priority projects to advance the social, economic and environmental well-being of the county. It has been led by a committee comprised of community leaders from various sectors in Huron. In 2015, 12 new priorities were identified, including promoting ecosystem health, advancing municipal energy conservation, marketing Huron County, enhancing the cultural sector, supporting programs for healthy children, promoting shared transportation, growing the local food sector, supporting downtown revitalization, enhancing "poverty -to -prosperity" initiatives, implementing the skills gap action plan, enhancing active transportation, increasing affordable housing and addressing homeless- ness. The county has also partnered with the Huron Stewardship Council, a local not-for-profit that promotes sustainable resource management and advancing agriculture, forest, fish and wildlife sustainability and stewardship within Huron County. Other initiatives include the efforts of Stewardship Co-ordinator Rachel White and Forest Conservation Officer Dave Pullen with the various county forests, which span over 1,500 acres, that were fragile lands retired in the 1940s and 1950s. Weber said there are also a number of green initiatives ongoing in various departments, such as the public works, emergency services and property and social services departments. Ginn said that in light of Mayberry's presentation, he was pleased to see all of the county's work, but felt Huron needed to be looking to the future and reaching even further with its efforts. His requested report will be presented at a future meeting of council. Encouraging the youth With the annual Community Show coming up, the Blyth Festival Art Gallery has wrapped up yet another successful Student Show, featuring works by students throughout the Huron and Perth public and Catholic secondary school systems. This year's winners were: Courtney Bachert of F.E. 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