As B.C.'s mayors met in Vancouver this week for the 2009 UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities) convention, the town of Whistler announced that it had committed to becoming the first carbon neutral community in Canada.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) joined 176 municipalities across B.C. in signing the B.C. Climate Action Charter, which commits municipalities to becoming carbon neutral by 2012.

Whistler has committed to reaching this goal two years ahead of schedule. The timeline commits Whistler to dropping its carbon emissions by 10 per cent next year and 30 per cent by 2015.

Under this plan, the RMOW will purchase $50,000 per year in offsets from B.C-based Pacific Carbon Trust, to bring its net emissions to zero.