Aviation and green-energy enthusiasts have a chance this weekend to spy an electricity-powered floatplane landing in Ganges, with a very familiar logo on its tail.
Harbour Air’s “ePlane” was set to touch down in the harbour on Friday, but came a day earlier, in anticipation of this weekend’s Electrify Salt Spring program events. A crowd of enthusiasts gathered on the docks in Ganges Harbour to see the plane’s first-ever visit to Salt Spring, piloted by company founder and CEO Greg McDougall. Kjell Liem of Salt Spring Community Energy (SSCE) said the Ganges landing was the only Gulf Islands stop this tour for the all-electric, Canadian-built de Havilland Beaver.
“The plane will continue to downtown Victoria,” said Liem, “making Salt Spring a critical recharging base.”
After landing, the ePlane will be available to view, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6, members of the ePlane team will be on site to answer questions.
Then from 2 to 5 p.m. at the GISS Multi-purpose Room, a panel called Electrifying Issues for Salt Spring and B.C. takes place.
Electrify Salt Spring is a month-long program bringing experts on electrification and renewable technologies together on the island, as well as a 10-year anniversary celebration for SSCE.
Bob McDonald – The Future is Now
Also as part of Electrify Salt Spring! Accelerating Paths to Carbon Zero event, CBC radio Quirks & Quarks show host and author Bob McDonald will give a keynote presentation at ArtSpring on Friday, May 5 called The Future is Now on the possibilities for a clean energy economy and reversing the climate crisis.
“The Future is Now starts with the good news that all the technology to go green already exists,” states SSCE information about the event. “No new inventions are needed to move to a low-carbon economy. And there is no shortage of energy. It falls out of the sky, blows on the wind, bubbles out of the ground, flows on the tides, it even grows on trees. This presentation will look at the latest in alternative energy systems, energy storage and efficiency, including re-thinking oil so energy can still be extracted without polluting the atmosphere.”
For tickets to the May 5th event, visit artspring.ca.
For details about other events, such as a May 6 panel discussion at GISS, visit saltspringcommunityenergy.com.