By Karen Stephenson

The Forks, a riverside property located in Winnipeg is situated where the Assiniboine River flows into the Red River. With a rich history of Aboriginal settlement, the fur trade and the advent of the railway, The Forks has been a meeting place for thousands of years. Today, it is Winnipeg's most popular meeting place, attracting almost four million people every year.

This area of Winnipeg has a very impressive and aggressive goal. The Forks wants to reduce their carbon footprint to as close to zero as possible by the end of 2010. This project is labeled Target Zero and it is broken into three main sections: consumption, supply and carbon offsets.

Consumption

The Forks has been serious about what they consume and what they can do better. What may be categorized as their greatest success, which is a world-first, is how they fuel the local Zamboni. The Assiniboine Credit Union River Trail is a popular outdoor skating trail. Last summer, the Zamboni that clears this ice got outfitted with a whole new engine thanks to Western Turbo & Fuel Injection Limited of Winnipeg.

Western Turbo converted this Zamboni into a diesel engine fueled with vegetable oil waste from local eating establishments. "The mini donut you eat today will help clear the trail tomorrow," said Paul Jordan, Chief Operating Officer.

Other vehicles using vegetable oil waste are a front end loader, tractor lawn mower and a Gator utility vehicle. Western Turbo not only did the conversion, but they have been instrumental in building a "waste oil refinery." The Forks is also producing their own fuel for these vehicles.

Supply

Finding green alternatives for power, heating, cooling and water needs is important to The Forks and they have been forging ahead.

An 18 month study on measuring the wind resource at The Forks gave disappointing results. Wind turbines, at this time, are not sustainable and alternative ideas that include smaller versions of turbines called wind "turbies" are being researched.

Water crosses the supply and consumption part of Target Zero. The Forks is exploring the idea of installing rain capture tanks to collect rain water that runs off the roof of The Forks Market. Labeled grey water, this water would be used to flush toilets or irrigate the site. There is also a possibility that they can harness the heat from water used to flush toilets and divert it to heating water in the building. Solar energy options are currently being investigated in The Forks, especially in areas like heating water.

Major advancements can come from harnessing the earth's energy, and in November 2008, The Forks did just that and initiated its first geothermal project. Paul Jordan, Chief Operating Officer says, "This is an ambitious project that will save us $250,000 in heating costs every year." It is anticipated that this month the project will be completed and "the switch can be thrown on," says Jordan.

The process of converting The Forks Market to a geothermal heating and cooling system has been welcomed by many. The designated heritage site, once an old stable, measures 80,000 to 90,000 square feet. Inefficiency from this structure translates to a lot of energy dollars seeping through the walls, making energy costs a high priority for Target Zero. Geothermal energy use means when it's hot outside, heat stored in the geothermal system will be released out of The Forks Market and in winter any reserves will be used to heat the building.

Carbon Offsets

Visitors, staff and tenants of The Forks produce 5,610 tonnes of carbon every year; that's the equivalent of 1,501 Olympic-sized pools of carbon dioxide going into the air. High on the list of priorities is improving alternative ways to access The Forks while offsetting carbon emissions. The community plans to look at increased transit, more bike racks and connections to bike pathways as well as planting more trees to help absorb carbon.

Biocomposting is done on-site. The Forks would like to become a composting facility for others in downtown Winnipeg. In addition to this, they experiment with ways to capture heat from the composting process and try to find a use for it.

From recycling, biocomposting, geothermal energy and fueling machinery with vegetable oil waste from fish & chips restaurants and donut makers, The Forks is making incredible advancements in reducing their carbon footprint one step at a time!