Minister's Advisory Council

Bill Zimmerman

Bill Zimmerman is a professional engineer and has been involved in energy and environment issues in Nova Scotia since moving to the province in 1973.

He studied engineering at MIT and received his Master's degree in 1969. He returned to university in 1989 and completed a Masters degree in Political Science at the University of Hawaii in 1991 and continued his studies at the London School of Economics on the politics of technical decision-making.

Zimmerman helped plan the People and Energy Conference which took place in Halifax in 1975.

He worked with the Institute of Man and Resources (Charlottetown) from 1975 to 1984 serving as acting research director in 1980.

He testified at the first Nova Scotia Power Public Utility Board hearings stressing conservation and demand side management as key tools for controlling consumer electrical costs.

Bill also provided consulting services on energy planning for buildings, energy policy, conservation and renewable energy development.

He served on the National Research Council Associate Committee on Solar Energy and was a contributor to the Science Council's Soft Energy Path study.

Bill was elected to the Wolfville, NS municipal council in 2004.

He just completed his term as the Chair of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities Sustainable Practices Committee and is currently Vice Chair of Kings Transit.

Energy efficiency is a subject area that is near and dear to Zimmerman's heart.

"Globally, we must move to sustainable energy consumption patterns and still meet human needs," says Zimmerman.

"In order to do this, Canadians must move to significantly lower per capita energy use to achieve a sustainable economy.

In order to do this, we must use energy only where necessary and in the most efficient possible way."