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Passion for the environment leads to 'best job in the country'Jose Etcheverry is talking about a revolution and it has nothing to do with politics in his native Chile. Staff |
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 [ 2006-11-08 ] |
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Jose Etcheverry, one of Centennial College Premier's Award nominees for 2006, poses in the "green" rooftop garden of this Richmond Street office building.
As the climate change research and policy analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation, Etcheverry is adamant that the only way the globe can grapple with mounting greenhouse gases is to fundamentally change the way we live.
"Changing behaviour is more profound," he says, pointing to a small sticker on his computer that reminds the user to turn it off when not in use.
It's a simple message, but one that flies in the face of the complex technological solutions.
LOCAL ENERGY
"If we perfect the fuel-cell car that emits only water, we'll make it OK for everyone to drive everywhere -- but is that the answer? We'll have to pave over everything -- using oil -- to accommodate all these vehicles and we'll be no further ahead."
Instead of chasing grand technological dreams, Etcheverry reasons, the world would be better off producing energy locally rather than expending energy carrying it over long distances. Ten per cent of electricity, for example, is lost in transmission lines.
"The real solutions, the desirable ones, bring environmental, social, economic and health benefits to local communities," he says.
How to do that?
Etcheverry helped write and lobby for a new policy that will pay homeowners to generate electricity and sell it back to the grid for a fixed rate of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, or 42 cents if the owner has invested in solar equipment.
No other jurisdiction in North America has crafted such a striking policy that allows anyone to invest in sustainable energy equipment at home, such as a small wind generator or solar collectors.
"If you're a farmer, you will have a new crop: wind," he says.
"MADE A MISTAKE"
Etcheverry credits his natural curiosity for fueling his passion for the environment. He left Chile in 1989 to escape a dictatorship and came to Canada, thinking it was a francophone country.
"Landing in Toronto, I soon realized I made a mistake," he recalls with a smile.
Anxious to learn English, he enrolled in General Arts and Science at Centennial College, a catch-all program that gave him English instruction and an introduction to some science and math.
Centennial opened his eyes to the sciences. Etcheverry pursued a degree in geography and environmental studies at York University and followed it up with a master's at the University of Toronto.
UNITED NATIONS JOB
His thesis involved evaluating an ambitious solar electrification project in rural Mexico, where he witnessed how simple technology can transform communities. His study earned him a job with the United Nations' Global Environment Facility and, eventually, a post with the David Suzuki Foundation.
He attributes his success, in part, to his Centennial days. Today he shepherds a vital public policy that will help change the world we live in.
"I have the best job in the country."
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