Vancouver’s green buildings policy is good news

Vancouver’s green buildings policy is good news

Vancouver is taking an important step toward making our homes and buildings healthier, greener, and more efficient. On May 1, the City of Vancouver’s updated Green Buildings Policy for Rezonings comes into effect, mandating that new commercial and multi-unit residential buildings be built to standards that ensure they are airtight and soundproof, and have excellent insulation and ventilation.

Pembina Institute – Vancouver Sun: Opinion – Western Investor

Inside Toronto’s strategy to wean the city off greenhouse gases

To get Toronto on track for an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Torontonians say goodbye to gas and diesel-fuelled vehicles entirely, dramatically expanding transit and building denser communities where schools and services are all a short walk away. Also saying goodbye to gas and diesel-fuelled vehicles entirely, dramatically expanding transit and building denser communities.

CBC

Green ‘Blitz’ highlights Toronto LEED leaders

The greenest of the green were showcased by the Greater Toronto Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council recently as the organization held a Building Blitz featuring six outstanding Ontario projects. The host space, One York, the Menkes development at the foot of York Street in Toronto, was a seventh noteworthy project at its Spring Open event.

Daily Commercial News

CaGBC set to unveil Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

TheCanada Green Building Council will unveil its Zero Carbon Buildings Standard  publicly at its Build Lasting Change Conference May 31-June 1 in Vancouver. The document is the result of more than 18 months of work led by Mark Hutchinson, the CaGBC vice- president of green building programs.

Sustainable Biz Canada

Greening retail: Walmart leads the way

Walmart’s traditional obsession with efficiency is no longer just a matter of saving money. Greening retail has become a true double entendre, with carbon and cash both essential to figuring out how to remove 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its extended supply chain by the end of the next decade.

Forbes – Environmental Leader

First global standard for sustainable procurement hits the market

After four years of development, the first international standard for sustainable procurement was launched late last week by the International Standards Organisation (ISO). The first standard of its kind in the world, ISO 20400 aims to help companies make better purchasing choices throughout their supply chains by establishing guidelines for companies to judge suppliers on ethical and sustainability issues.

GreenBiz

Flooding happens because governments let it happen: Editorial

The ongoing flooding in Quebec and Ontario is a perennial natural occurrence, as predictable as the blooms on a cherry tree. Equally predictable is the fact that some of the flood waters have damaged homes and buildings located near rivers and lakes, and forced the evacuations of more than 1,000 people. It’s predictable because, in Canada, we do almost nothing to prevent flood damage in urban areas.

Globe and Mail

	Gimme a thermal break .. on all buildings
	One end of the concrete slab was refrigerated to the point that there was frost on it, condensed out of the air; the other side was warm to the touch. In between was a Schöck thermal break.
	TreeHugger, May 8, 2017

 

Flood. Rinse. Repeat: The costly cycle that must end

Once again, homes located alongside a Canadian river have flooded, affected homeowners are shocked, the local government is wringing its hands, the respective provincial government is ramping up to provide taxpayer-funded disaster assistance and the feds are deploying the Armed Forces.  In Canada, its doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Globe and Mail

Energy-as-a-service reduces expenses: Citigroup’s Steven Avadek

Citigroup’s real estate portfolio covers millions of square feet in 160 countries. The investment banking and financial services corporation’s locations aren’t set in stone, though. “We’re constantly moving,” says Steven Avadek, director and global head of sustainability for Citi Realty Services at Citigroup. As a result, Citi has dynamic energy management needs.

Energy Manager Today

Westin Ottawa targets 30% energy savings by 2020

Recognizing the Westin Ottawa nearly 10 years ago for its innovative conservation projects and strong environmental leadership, Hydro Ottawa continues to work with the downtown hotel as it becomes one of the first Westin hotels to reduce 30 per cent of its energy use by the year 2020, in addition to a 20 per cent water reduction target.

OBJ.ca

Canada’s largest solar carport at Sheridan College

UGE International Ltd. (UGE-X), a global leader in solar energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sector, announces it has been selected by The Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning to design and build a solar carport at its largest campus located in Brampton. Ontario.

Stockhouse

	Trump’s first 100 days, fail on climate change
	On President Trump’s hundredth day in office, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in D.C. and all over the country to show their support for a low-carbon economy and strong U.S. leadership on climate change.
	Ceres, May, 2017

 

Millenials’ views on sustainability could influence the workplace

Millenials’ strong views on sustainability could influence the design of workplaces and business practices. Nine out of ten Millennials (ages 18-34) say it is important that they work for a sustainable company, according to the study “Recycling in the Workplace: A Millennial View,” conducted by Lightspeed for Rubbermaid Commercial Products. 

BDC Network

Greenbuild 2017 challenges us to get closer to zero waste

Have you ever wondered where your trash ends up? I live in downtown Boston, and twice a week, a garbage truck comes through my North End neighborhood and picks up my trash. It magically disappears, but where does it go? Do you know where your trash goes?

US GBC

Why so many businesses want to save Energy Star

When the Trump Administration published its proposed budget in March, most government programs aimed at investing in energy efficiency were on the chopping block, including one of the most successful public-private collaborations of all time: the Energy Star program created under George H.W. Bush and managed by the Department of Energy.

GreenBiz

How Miami Beach is trying to save itself

Sea levels are rising faster than expected. And there are already floods caused by annual high tides, called king tides. So Miami Beach is embarking on the second stage of a $400- to $500-million project to raise the city’s roads and install new pumps — and safeguard the city’s future.

Toronto Star

Products, Technology and Design

How architects can take action on climate change

Architects have a big responsibility for the role the built environment plays in climate change. Globally, buildings consume 35 percent of all energy and 60 percent of all generated electricity — much of which is produced by fossil fuels. As the largest end-use energy sector, buildings account for more than one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Biz

SkyCity Challenge: How to use the world’s tallest prefab

TreeHugger has been following the work of Broad Sustainable Buildings since 2010 when they built their first hotel in in a week. Broad has developed a flat-pack prefabrication system that lets them build on site extremely quickly and the buildings are energy efficient.

TreeHugger

	Sustainable Biz advertising opportunity!
	Sustainable Biz Canada (SBC) launched in 2016 and already has thousands of page views available for advertisers. Website exposure on RENX.ca, ads in the Green Real Estate Newsletter, writing services and more.
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Market trends and research

Green buildings don’t have to cost more

The business case for sustainable design keeps getting stronger. Consider these takeaways from the World Green Building Trends 2016 Smart Market Report.

BDC Network

Commercial real estate

3 low-carbon lessons from China for U.S. companies

Each year in China, 10 billion square feet of towering urban residential and commercial building space are added to an existing stock that’s already well over 200 billion square feet. Decarbonizing this massive amount of building space is an important undertaking for China, which stands by its 2016 ratification of the Paris Agreement.

GreenBiz

Co-operators helps 10C create space for change

The Co-operators announced a contribution of $50,000 to 10 Carden in support of a redevelopment project that will create a new multi-purpose facility in downtown Guelph, Ontario known as 10C. When the redevelopment is complete, 15,000 square feet will be available for community collaboration.

Canada Newswire

Residential Green Buildings

Increased certification of new homes in Calgary: Built Green

More homes in the Calgary area were enrolled to be put through the paces of the Built Green Canada program over the first three months of 2017 than the same time last year.  Built Green Canada is a national organization with a certification program that rates the level at which a home is energy-efficient.

Calgary Herald

Green building ratings

PCL Construction joins Ontario’s Green Leaf Challenge

Today, Forests Ontario welcomes PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) as a major supporter of Ontario’s Green Leaf Challenge. Launched in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, the Green Leaf Challenge celebrates Ontario150 by inviting Ontarians to plant and count three million trees in 2017.

Canada Newswire

Government Programs and Incentives

Ontario’s budget provides positive outlook

There were no real expectations for pomp and circumstance for the infrastructure industry as Charles Sousa delivered his 2017 Budget for Ontario. After all, the expansive spending for infrastructure had already been announced as part of the province’s long-term infrastructure plan, and a steady stream of projects continue to flow through Infrastructure Ontario.

ReNew Canada

By going green, New York agencies save $20M

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on April 28 that green policies at state agencies have saved taxpayers $19.6 million in the first five years of his administration. In addition, the state has introduced green purchasing specifications during Cuomo’s term in office.

Energy Manager Today

Corporate Sustainability

Future-proofing sustainable business

The world is changing. Challenging economic times, volatile world events, a deteriorating environment, a growing social divide and fast-changing technology are leaving businesses more vulnerable than ever. There is an urgent need to adapt to risks that are inevitable (such as those linked to climate change).

Eco-business

Hatch signs on to join carbon capture project

Mississauga-based engineering firm Hatch recently announced it has agreed to provide engineering and project delivery services in support of the Valorisation Carbone Quebec carbon capture project.  The work is part of a collaborative agreement with CO2 Solutions Inc. that focuses on carbon capture and reuse systems.

Daily Commercial

IBI Group joins Smart Cities Council North America

IBI Group announces it has joined the Smart Cities Council as a North America Lead Partner. A globally integrated design and technology firm, IBI has been at the forefront of designing livable and sustainable urban environments for over 40 years.

Marketwired

Municipal Policy and Urban Issues

Northern leaders praise recommendations for sustainable communities

A new report from Mary Simon, the Minister’s Special Representative on Arctic Leadership, has recommendations for the federal government on how to create sustainable communities in Canada’s North. The report’s suggestions are based around the central theme that healthy, educated people are key for sustainable development in the North.

CBC.ca

	Sustainable Biz followers on Twitter
	Follower The Buildings Performance Institute EU is a Brussels based think-tank delivering policy analysis, advice and implementation support for buildings energy performance.
	Follow BizSustainably, the most comprehensive news feed on Twitter for Canadian business concerned about sustainability.

 

Cities and Towns

Atlanta sets goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035

Whenever national environmental policy is getting you down, it’s always good to look to the cities. Cities are where big positive changes often happen before they become nation-wide movements. Yesterday, the city of Atlanta announced that it would be powered by 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.

TreeHugger

City pledges to build green

St. Albert’s first branch library will be built green under a new sustainable building policy approved by council this week.  The policy requires all new city buildings bigger than 500 square metres and all renovations of city-owned properties that cost over $1 million to meet an industry recognized third-party verified green rating certification.

St. Albert Gazette

Reducing risks in urban centres: think ‘local, local, local’

Most urban centres in sub-Saharan Africa and many in Asia and Latin America are dangerous places to live and work. This can be seen in aggregate statistics for nations’ urban populations that show (for instance) high infant, child and maternal mortality rates.

Eco-business

Water Management

Urbanization effect on hydrology

Changing atmospheric temperatures are forcing changes in the water cycle—higher evaporation rates, more frequent and intense rainstorms, and less precipitation as snow. Together these changes mean precipitation patterns, and the corresponding flow responses in rivers, have become less predictable.

Water Canada

Lake Ontario residents seethe over floods

Four months after an international body approved a new plan for regulating Lake Ontario’s water level, property owners who had claimed the rules favoured muskrat lodges over lakeside homes are piling sandbags against just the kind of floodwaters they had feared.

National Post