Meeting by Chance - John Ho

Don and I were strolling down Haultain in Fernwood one sunny late May afternoon - just a year ago. We stopped at the corner to have a look at information that was being handed out by John about Neighbor Day. We got to talking. John expressed keen interest in our reno. In no time felt he became a champion of our cause and networker extraordinaire. Every city with ambitions to get to net zero should look to the example of intelligence, passion, practicality and energy set by John. He gives us a ton of hope in the future.

Since November 2018, John has held the position of Community Energy Specialist for the City of Victoria’s Energy & Climate Action division. His primary focus is on policy and program development to tackle Victoria’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions - existing buildings. Included in his efforts are working with community, industry, staff, and other levels of government to accelerate elimination of fossil-fuel systems and increasing energy-efficiency.

John holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Victoria where he studied Geography and Urban Development Studies. During this time, John held co-op positions at a Transportation Planning Consultancy as well as at the UVic Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability which put him on the climate action career pathway. Upon completion of his degree, John accepted a position as Sustainability Coordinator at the UVic Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability before moving on to a similar role at the University of Calgary Sustainability Office. After a short stint in Alberta, the opportunity arose to return back to Vancouver Island to accept his current role with the City of Victoria.

John is born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia and lives within a 10 minute walk of Wendy and Don’s Fernwood Reno. Outside of work, John is an outdoors enthusiast, avid traveller, and a lover of sports. During the pandemic he got engaged.

John’s Recommended Books for Book Library (John included some climate-related stuff for variety): 

1. Drawdown - https://www.drawdown.org/the-book

2. This Changes Everything - Naomi Klein https://thischangeseverything.org/book/

3. GreenSense for the Home: Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green - https://www.amazon.ca/GreenSense-Home-Rating-Payoff-Projects/dp/B005GNL80C (might be a bit outdated and very US-focused but good info)