The first page of the Wolfville municipal website shows the
importance the town of a little under 4,000 puts on being ecologically
sustainable. Along with the budget planning notifications and community
services guide is a column dedicated to green initiatives: A green
mobility forum meeting and a town council sustainable community
planning task force unveiling a second draft of its municipal planning
strategy.
“It’s the biggest component of our work,” says Andrew Fry, the
director of community services for the Town of Wolfville, of the
municipal planning. Fry outlines changes in building height
restrictions to increase density in Wolfville’s downtown by having more
residential space above commercial storefront property, changing rules
about parking, encouraging walking by designing wider sidewalks,
benches, information kiosks, more public spaces, considering a
pedestrian street, so “you can live and work downtown and walk wherever
you go.”
Bicycle lanes are a big issue in rural areas as well, where cyclists
have to share narrow roads with trucks and cars. The town has partnered
with the Ecology Action Centre to explore sustainable transportation
possibilities and training exercises. “How do we expect people to move
towards sustainable transit if there are no bicycle lanes?” asks
Fry.
In April 2007, Wolfville was recognized by TransFair Canada as the
first Fair Trade town in Canada, meaning that it met certain
criteria—per capita use of fair trade coffee and other products in
businesses, in government offices, schools and the community—for
offering products created in both a socially and environmentally
sustainable way both at home and abroad. “It was encouraging people to
think of the impact of consumption both economically and
environmentally.”
Fry is disappointed to find that the province’s Department of
Transportation and Public Works is “essentially a department of roads
and cars” with their ongoing efforts to twin highways. He notes that
there are inexpensive electric cars manufactured in Montreal that don’t
go above 50 kilometres an hour, which are illegal on Nova Scotian
roads, but would be great people-carriers in small rural
communities.
And before you think it’s only the municipality with all the big
ideas, check out the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia
University for their wonderful collection of native plants. Or visit
Hatt En Kul eco-friendly apparel shop at 378 Main. Or go to Tempest
Restaurant at 117 Front, which specializes in local and organic food.
Or go shopping at the dynamite farmers’ market. What’s important here
is that the people have demanded change and change is happening.
“It does have to start with the consumer,” says Fry. “People have to
want to buy the product, the businesses aren’t going to just switch
over. And people [here] go into businesses and ask for fair trade and
local products.”
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2009.