Town of Banff

Environment

Pine Cone Hanging from a Fence Photo: Bill Marsh

Given its location in Banff National Park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Town of Banff has both an opportunity and an obligation to strive toward becoming a model community for environmental stewardship. Beyond provincial standards and recycling, environmental respect and responsibility can be incorporated into all aspects of life.

The Environmental Stewardship Policy is a cornerstone of Banff's efforts to be a model community with respect to environmental practices. It means that the future cumulative effect of municipal decisions on the ecological well being of the surrounding Park should be positive.

• Environmental Stewardship Policy ( PDF - 118 kb)

The Town will ensure that ecological integrity is protected while employing a balanced approach to social and economic development. The Town will pursue the fundamental objective of nurturing and maintaining a high quality environment, making Banff a place for people without compromising it as a place for nature.

The Town will lead Banff towards an environmentally sustainable future by:

• meeting or surpassing all applicable legal and regulatory requirements
• continually improving environmental performance through ongoing assessment, planning, monitoring and management
• ensuring that environmental protection and enhancement is considered in all decision-making for planning, growth, development and operations
• striving to maintain and enhance a community culture that respects, appreciates and reflects the surrounding environment
• providing its citizens, businesses, Parks Canada and other stakeholders with the opportunity to be involved in promoting a sustainable community

It is the role of the Environmental Services Coordinator to deliver these programs, research alternatives, offer creative environmental solutions, and instil an understanding of how our actions can affect the national park community.

Current priority areas for education and improvements include:

• waste diversion and recycling
• energy efficiency
• organics, composting, and bio-solids
• municipal sustainable building policy
• pollution / spill / incident avoidance
• advice on Town practices, purchasing, facilities, developments and events