Natural Resources committee  We have examples as well that we can provide. I think Regent Park is a good example, where they're looking at energy within the redevelopment of Regent Park. Strathcona County is a smaller community with an urban centre that's looking at an integrated approach. It isn't just the large urban centres we have to emphasize.

Natural Resources committee  Since Thomas has covered buildings, I'll go with transportation as a big bet. One of the biggest barriers is coordination and partnerships and the will to move forward. We haven't talked much about transportation and energy today, but that is a huge component of community energy planning that needs to be addressed.

Natural Resources committee  Well, in communities, the transportation sector represents about a third of all energy and GHG emissions from it. So supporting public transit is a winner in all aspects, if you go through the sustainability principles of financial, economic, and social. That would be a prime focus.

Natural Resources committee  Some have, yes, and there are leaders out there. Calgary is one, and there are others. Through our funding, we would encourage that type of long-term approach to take place. It is tied to your capital estimates around infrastructure projects and so on. How that's actually applied still remains to be seen.

Natural Resources committee  I'll try to answer that. Is that within the economic question of economic development or the financial situation of a municipality?

Natural Resources committee  Again, first and foremost, I think it's probably getting the resources to fund that type of system. I don't see any problems once it's up and running. You'll need to maintain that system. It's one of those things you hear about in terms of win-win-win, because once you have....

Natural Resources committee  A model to apply, if that scenario needs to be explored more, is the Green Municipal Fund, where we do have private sector partners involved in some of the projects that we fund. Again, it's a matter of lining up these programs to see what each of them is funding and then to see if there's a possibility of adding in the green component, or that additional incremental environmental aspect, to the program.

Natural Resources committee  If I were to encapsulate it, I'd say it's in the manufacturing, sale, design, development, or production of technologies that can contribute to an environmental benefit. That could include renewable energy, production energy, or conservation technologies, as Thomas has mentioned, green building technologies and approaches, design, and so on.

Natural Resources committee  It depends on the type of system you're speaking of. For the individual homeowner, I think it would only be practicable at certain points. Again, as Thomas has mentioned, let's say your furnace dies on you. You, at that point, have the option to purchase a geothermal system. It's going to cost you more initially, but where you're going to save on it is in your operating costs of your home.

Natural Resources committee  Just on the Green Municipal Fund, the province has to have seen the projects that come to the fund before we would consider them. Typically, in all of the projects, or a lot of them, there are provincial investments involved in those as well.

Natural Resources committee  Sure. The town of Senneterre is one that we just funded, an excellent example of a town with an integrated approach to energy, where the plant will be sending off its waste heat to local facilities around the plant. That's one example. Benny Farm is another example of where we've been involved in Montreal, where they're looking at a new or revised development that would be energy efficient.

Natural Resources committee  For individual homes, I'm just trying to understand your question. A geothermal heat unit for an individual home is an option, supplemented by solar and wind power, and so on. Mostly what we're looking at through the Green Municipal Fund would be district systems. I think you've heard about Okotoks, for example.

Natural Resources committee  Absolutely. There would be a filtering system that would take the waste away once it's melted. It would be treated as per the guidelines the municipality has.

Natural Resources committee  It's uses the water as a cooling source, if I'm not mistaken.

Natural Resources committee  Just to follow up on that, the premise is that you wouldn't need air conditioning.