Welcome to PURE

Community-Based Sustainable Energy Strategies for Dufferin County and the Headwaters Region

PURE - Benefits of Membership

We encourage all residents of Dufferin County and the Headwaters Region who take an interest in Ontario’s energy future to get involved with PURE. But why should you become a Co-op member? In a nutshell, if you support our mission and objectives, then your membership states your support in a tangible and effective way.

Also, PURE has several energy-related projects "in the pipeline" - some of which may become significant investment opportunities for PURE members. These include wind power, solar power, and micro-hydro project ideas, among others. Many of these projects require a great deal of research, and plenty of time, before they are successful. PURE members will get preferential access to information and investment opportunities, as these arise and come to fruition.

Some of the less tangible, but no less important benefits of PURE membership will also include:

• Participation in a centralized knowledge base - we live in an age of information, and we must all share that information to succeed
• Access to education resources - our group will conduct seminars and workshops, teaching individuals and businesses how to reduce their energy demands, and save money
• Enhancement of the renewable energy and energy conservation marketplace - your membership shows businesses and energy providers that the markets for renewable energy consumers and conservation efforts are growing; PURE will help build the linkages between all players in these markets
• Co-operative buying power, on energy-efficient lightbulbs! or other items such as efficient appliances or solar panels or energy-saving services
• A collective voice - in order to achieve our objectives, significant shifts in the way governments and the energy industry do business must be made; your voice will add weight to these discussions and make our advocacy campaigns more effective

Why a Co-op?

PURE has chosen the Co-operative business model, as our means of achieving its objectives. Why? Because it has been shown in numerous examples throughout the world that there must be community "buy-in" for renewable energy projects to get off the ground. Experience in countries such as Denmark and the UK, shows that the centralized, top-down imposition of large-scale renewable energy projects (mostly wind) will largely fail. Communities will fiercely resist change, when there is no obvious direct benefit to the community, and no community consultation or involvement occurs.

Here's an excerpt from the latest edition of "Alternatives Journal" magazine - winter 2004, and an article entitled "Blowing in the Wind" by David MacLeod, who is the treasurer of Windshare - "Canada's first green power co-operative, which is now project developer for TREC's wind power projects":

"...More than 85% of Denmark's wind power capacity is owned by private individuals or wind co-operatives and more than 100,000 families own shares in a turbine. The same phenomenon can be seen in Germany, the world's largest wind produceas much as one-third of all wind capacity has been built by associations of local landowners and nearby residents. In addition to the environmental benefits, these co-ops have provided a significant financial return, generating yields in the neighbourhood of seven percent or more. This new "cash crop" has proven to be very important for the ongoing viability of farming operations in the region."

"In contrast, wind development in the UK experienced major setbacks when large privately owned projects were proposed. Many of these faced fierce opposition from local residents who viewed the projects as being imposed on them by "outsiders". The local citizens were not involved, did not benefit and saw no reason why they should have to accommodate the wind projects. In the latter part of the 1990s, 80 to 90 percent of wind farm proposals were rejected by local councils and today the UK has only 500 megawatts of wind power. Similarly, in more populous areas of Ontario, several projects have been shelved or scaled back due to local opposition...."

He goes on to say that according to Can-WEA, Canada could easily develop 10,000 MW of wind power by 2010. Canada currently has 300 MW installed, and Denmark has 3000 MW installed, in a country with less than 1% of the landmass of Canada.

Reprinted courtesy of Alternatives Journal: Canadian Environmental Ideas and Action, 30:1 (2003). Annual subscriptions $25.00 (plus GST) - www.alternativesjournal.ca