Alan Dolan | Contributed
When Lily moved into her new home in Sooke, she was particularly pleased with the gas stove, which was the centrepiece of her kitchen. Like many cooks, Lily prefers cooking with gas.
A few years later, Lily saw a pamphlet the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) prepared on indoor air quality concerns related to gas stoves.
“Fossil fuels have significant impacts on health,” concluded CAPE, “air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is one of the leading causes of premature mortality in Canada, and children who live in homes with gas stoves have a similar risk of asthma as children living with a smoker.”
Not wanting to switch from gas, Lily did a search and found more than 50 studies linking burning gas indoors and asthma and respiratory disease in children.
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Doctors and scientists at the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and CAPE have spoken out about the health advantages of not installing gas appliances in homes and vastly improving indoor air pollution.
Meanwhile, the B.C government was revising building standards to reduce carbon emissions from new developments. Last year, the Zero Carbon Step Code was introduced to help municipalities reduce carbon emissions in new buildings.
Sooke can adopt any level, but it will likely be required to adopt the highest level, Level 4, in all new building designs by 2030.
After learning that the regional development industry supports consistent building bylaws, many municipalities, including Victoria, Saanich, View Royal, Esquimalt, Central Saanich, and Colwood, have already adopted Level 4.
Lily hopes that Sooke will adopt Level 4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code because reducing carbon emissions virtually to zero makes it unlikely that gas appliances will be installed in new homes.
A few months ago, Lily replaced her gas stove with an electric induction range, and she couldn’t be happier. She has since learned that many professional chefs have switched and prefer induction cooking to gas. So, not only is Lily reducing carbon emissions from her home, but she is also improving the quality of her indoor air and protecting her family’s health.
Lily also took the opportunity to sign a No New Gas petition, created by Transition Sooke, to encourage the District of Sooke to adopt Level 4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code for new buildings in Sooke. Says Lily: “Pay it forward for the children!”
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Alan Dolan is a Sooke resident.