Environmental Advisory Committee

The Committee provides recommendations, advice and information to Town Council and staff on environmental issues related to municipal policies, programs and projects, including how climate change affects our community now and in the future.

We work with Town Council to educate residents, developers, and staff on the importance of integrating environmental and climate health into our daily operations and our plans for the future. Improving energy efficiency; phasing out fossil fuels; reducing waste; keeping our air and water clean; planning for extreme weather and other climate impacts; expanding urban greenspace and local food systems; preserving and expanding habitat for native pollinators, birds, and other wildlife—these are all interrelated ways to help stabilize the climate and build a thriving community for everyone to enjoy.

We review and comment on residential, commercial, and industrial development proposals to evaluate their environmental impact and help ensure that new developments are planned with sustainability and climate resilience in mind.

We also organize Earthfest, the Town’s annual Earth Day celebration, as well as other public events throughout the year to help build a culture of environmental stewardship and climate action in our community.

Current Projects:

Environmental workshop series:

At Earthfest and throughout the year, we organize free public workshops to help residents and local businesses learn about simple, cost-effective ways to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, and take better care of our environment. Stand-alone workshops we offered in 2023-24 include:

• City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing, with author Lorraine Johnson
• Greening Your Home: How to Save Money and Help the Planet
• Waste Not! Waste Reduction & Composting in Your Home, Business, & Community
• Grow Your Own Pollinator Garden, with master gardener Dale Odorizzi

Composting and Waste Reduction Initiatives:

The Environmental Advisory Committee supports composting as an important part of our waste reduction and climate action strategy. We offer workshops on home composting and help promote Town initiatives like the FoodCycler program, the Backyard Composter and Rain Barrel Rebate Program, and Just Good Compost, a new weekly compost collection service that launched in Carleton Place in 2024.

Just Good Compost makes it easy to reduce your household waste– they pick up your kitchen scraps, do the composting for you, and also support the community by providing employment for adults with developmental disabilities. And the first 500 Carleton Place residents to sign up will receive a $75 discount off the cost of an annual subscription, subsidized by the Town of Carleton Place. For more information and to sign up, visit the Just Good Compost website.

Why composting? Most people know that composting is an easy, cost-effective way to turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil for home gardens. But did you know it also helps fight climate change? Composting improves carbon sequestration in the soil, and it helps lower greenhouse gas emissions by keeping methane-producing organic waste out of landfills. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with about 86 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide in the short term. About 23% of Canada’s methane emissions come from municipal landfills—so diverting organic waste from landfills to compost bins is a significant way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize the earth’s climate.

Waste reduction:

Did you know that the Town of Carleton Place has a free app with information and reminders about your household recycling and waste collection schedule? Did you know the app has a search function where you can look up items to see which ones are accepted for collection and which are not?   CPEAC is working on a major update to the CP Waste Solutions App for Fall 2024 which will make the app even more useful. By adding information about local organizations that re-sell or recycle items that you can’t put in your blue or yellow bin, we hope to empower residents to keep more items out of the landfill and participate in the shift to a circular economy, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45% globally.

Download the free CP Waste Solutions App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or from the Town’s Waste Collection page.

Naturalizing yards, gardens, and public green space:

We are developing ways to support residents and Town staff in naturalizing private yards and creating more naturalized areas in our public parks and green spaces.

What is naturalization and why does it matter? Naturalization means replacing cultivated landscapes, such as lawns, with native grasses, wildflowers, trees and shrubs planted in ways that mimic local ecosystems. Once landscapes are successfully naturalized, they are easier to maintain than a cultivated lawn, and help conserve water, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions because they don’t require as much watering and mowing. Naturalized areas also help store carbon and absorb rainwater for greater climate resiliency, and they protect biodiversity by providing much-needed habitat for native pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. 

Pollinator garden at Roy Brown Park:

In 2021, CPEAC planted a Pollinator Garden in Roy Brown Park (the park entrance is at the end of Lake Avenue West, across from the boat launch).

Native pollinators—wild bees, butterflies, moths, and hoverflies—are essential for healthy ecosystems and food systems. They help pollinate many agricultural crops as well as the native wildflowers, shrubs and trees that provide habitat for birds and animals. But many pollinators are now threatened or facing extinction because of habitat loss, pollution, climate change, pesticides and herbicides, disease, and competition from non-native honeybees. By planting a variety of native wildflowers, such as black-eyed susan, hairy beardtongue, wild bergamot, and heath aster, we provide the right kind of food and nesting places to help native pollinators thrive. 

At the Pollinator Garden, you can see these flowers in action, and maybe get inspired to create your own pollinator garden at home or school. We’ve provided signage to help you learn about the native plants and the pollinators they support.