A bold national action plan for energy efficient buildings

A bold national action plan for energy efficient buildings

Eleven organizations are calling on the federal government to improve the energy efficiency of Canadian buildings. The organizations, ranging from think tanks to architecture and builders’ associations, say the improvements are needed to help the country meet its 2030 climate target set out in the Paris Agreement.

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Investors call on G20 nations to ratify Paris Agreement swiftly

As leaders of the world’s largest economies prepare to attend the upcoming G20 meeting in Hangzhou, China, 130 investors (with over $13 Trillion AUM) from a coalition of six organizations have written to the G20 heads of state urging them to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement this year.

Ceres.org

Finding sustainable office space no easy task

Searching for office space can require combing through hundreds of listings and running the numbers on rent, utility costs, insurance and building fees in an attempt to make an apples-to-apples comparison of different market options. Many companies and organizations must also factor in sustainability commitments, and brands based on corporate social responsibility values.

GreenBiz

With corner offices ripped out, everyone gets access to windows and light

The towering red granite Scotia Plaza building in the heart of Toronto’s financial core had two claims to fame when it was built in 1988. At 68 storeys, it was the second-tallest commercial building in Canada, and its unique, rippled-edge design allowed tenants to have as many as 22 corner offices a floor – many more than in other towers.

Globe and Mail

University of Calgary library receives LEED Gold certification

The High Density Library (HDL), which opened its doors on the Spy Hill Campus in 2010, has received LEED Gold certification, adding to the university’s already impressive collection of sustainable buildings. The university has one of the largest concentrations — 1.7 million square feet — of green buildings on any Canadian post-secondary campus.

UToday

B.C.’s 18-storey timber building stores carbon

The final wood panel was installed in the University of British Columbia’s Brock Commons, which will be the world’s tallest timber structure, this week. The student residence is scheduled to open in mid-2017 and could usher in a new era in wood construction as it has attracted international attention.

Property Biz Canada

Oxford Properties commits to greener buildings

Going green is good for business – this is no longer a question in today’s economic reality. What was once a grassroots movement is now mainstream, with building owners and operators regularly incorporating green building measures in their practices and plans.

Canadian Property Management

To save energy, concentrate on controlling waste

There is an obvious relationship between energy management and responsible handling of commercial and industrial building waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) sees the connection and, in a sense, has made it official by adding a waste and materials tracking feature to the Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

Energy Manager Today – Triple Pundit

Hotel group launchs standardized water measurement tool

ITP (International Tourism Partnership) announced a major step forward in the hotel industry’s stewardship of water, with the launch of the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI). Eighteen global hotel groups including have worked together to create the industry’s first jointly developed and consistent water measurement tool.

Green Lodging News

Real estate green bond market set for growth

Conditions are ripe for the real estate green bond market to emerge as a key growth sector, according to new research from ratings agency S&P.

Business Green

This passive house dwarves all others globally

Sitting on a piece of land roughly the size of a football field in a former freight yard in Heidelberg, Germany, a new 162-unit apartment complex called Heidelberg Village will soon be the largest passive house development in the world.

Fast Company

	Vancouver, B.C. to require zero emissions on new buildings by 2030
	Vancouver, B.C., recently adopted a new policy requiring zero greenhouse gas emissions on new buildings by 2030. All new buildings will have to be heated, cooled, and powered without any net emissions.
	BDC Network, August 29, 2016

 

Architecture professor calls for more net-zero buildings

Buildings are currently one of the world’s biggest energy consumers and emitters of carbon dioxide, a problem the sector is trying to tackle as the global climate fight gathers momentum.

Eco-Business

US government wants suppliers to disclose GHG emissions

In documents published in the Federal Register, the U.S. General Services Administration says it plans to require large- and medium-sized contractors on its Alliant2 government-wide IT contract list to inventory and publicly disclose their GHG emissions annually, and set targets for reducing those emissions.

Environmental Leader

Sea-level rise poses huge threat to U.S. property

We do not hear much about climate change from the real estate industry, but this month Zillow spoke out about the risk to coastal properties nationwide. The online property database company issued a report this week that suggested sea-level rise could cause almost $1 trillion in property losses by the end of this century.

Triple Pundit

Climate change adds to US residential flood woes

More than 2,100 properties across the U.S. enrolled in the National Flood Insurance Program have flooded and been rebuilt more than 10 times since 1978, according to a new analysis of insurance data by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Yale Environment 360

	Sustainable Biz is on Twitter
	SustainableBiz.ca opened spring of 2016 to provide news, information and commentary about environmental, social and governance issues as it pertains to sustainability.
	Follow BizSustainably, the most comprehensive news feed on Twitter for Canadian business concerned about sustainability.

 

Market Trends and Research

Here’s how you tackle climate risk

The Committee on Climate Change isn’t the only organization trying to draw attention to the risks associated with climate change. Here at Forum for the Future, as we grapple with the gargantuan challenge of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the need to build greater awareness of the risks (and indeed the opportunities) that climate change poses has become ever more central to our work.

Eco-Business

Market trends and research

Net-zero home construction poised for big gains

Although still emerging, the market for zero net energy homes (ZNEHs) is expected to be led by new construction in North America, notes Navigant Research. Other countries in select regions, such as Europe and Asia-Pacific, are also beginning to follow suit with ZNE initiatives and energy efficient building codes.

The News

Major conference set to highlight green trends

A series of research studies and breakthrough innovations focused on the intersection of business and purpose will launch at SB’16 Copenhagen. 

CSR Wire

Commercial real estate

Energy efficiency a challenge for mixed-use developments

CSE: Energy efficiency and sustainability are often a request from building owners and chief information officers (CIOs). What net zero energy and/or high-performance systems have you recently specified on specialty projects (either an existing building or new construction)?

Consulting-Specifying Engineer

Renewable Energy

Geothermal adaptation gaining ground

Geothermal heat pumps are widely recognized as one of the most popular renewable technologies in HVAC. Accordingly, the geothermal heat pump industry has seen growth on both the residential and commercial sides over the past few years.

The News

Commercial Green Buildings

Green building skills integral to construction trades

Not long ago, the principles of green building, sustainability and energy efficiency were an afterthought in architecture and construction education and training, when they were thought about at all.

Journal of Commerce

Residential Real Estate

Steel frame construction ups net-zero home game

Mark Jacobson, a professor at Stanford University, California recently commissioned the Canadian firm Bone Structure to build him a prefab net-zero home. And the result is shaping up to be quite astounding.

Jetson Green

Government Programs and Incentives

Humber College receives funds to retrofit campus buildings

Federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan announced more than $21 million on Tuesday for two projects at Humber College in Toronto involving sustainable infrastructure. The federal money will enable students to create energy-efficient living environments and will retrofit buildings on campus to lower their energy use.

CBC News

Update coming to US EnergyStar system for hotels

In one effort to gain better understanding of building energy efficiency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is searching for a more granular level of building data from the multi-billion dollar hotel industry.

Green Lodging News

Corporate Sustainability

Coca-Cola achieves sustainable water balance goal

The Coca-Cola Company and its global bottling partners today announced they have met their goal to replenish (or balance) the equivalent amount of water used in their global sales volume back to nature and communities.

Water Canada

Hotels using sustainability to attract guests

Hotel owners, executives and managers know how important it is to gain and keep a competitive advantage. They often ask themselves, “How do I bring new guests through the lobby doors while keeping past guests coming back time and time again?” The answer to that question just might be something unexpected: sustainability.

Green Lodging News

Solar power crucial to GGP’s sustainability program

In the latest episode of The REIT Report: NAREIT’s Weekly Podcast, GGP (NYSE: GGP) Executive Vice President and COO Shobi Khan discussed the results of the mall REIT’s 2016 sustainability report.

RIET.com

Transit, bikes and transportation

Transport now carbon emission leader

Transportation is a major contributor to carbon emissions, but historically it has not been the largest source. However, that has apparently changed. Transportation-related sources now account for the largest share of U.S. carbon emissions.

Green Car Reports

Electric car sales surge in Europe

A total of 91,300 electric vehicles were sold in Europe in the first six months of 2016 – a 21 percent year on year increase, according to new data released by EV Volumes.com, the electric vehicle world sales database.

Environment News Service

Water Management

Climate change could strain water infrastructure

Rising temperatures are expected to strain surface water sources, exacerbated by increasing demand for fresh water by water utility customers and industries such as energy and agriculture. 

GreenBiz

New UBC tool measures water quality

UBC engineers have created a tool that will help municipalities measure water quality, as a way to ensure clean and safe drinking water is coming out of the taps.

Water Canada

Sustainable Biz News

JLL releases sustainability report

JLL launches “Building a Better Tomorrow.” the firm’s recently released 2015 Global Sustainability Report. The report demonstrates the positive impacts we have made through our services to clients, as well as in our own global operations.

CSR Wire

Non-profits benefit from energy efficiency

Advancing energy efficiency in buildings is a pillar of our country’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy and key for Canada to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. One segment of the building stock is that owned by the non-profit community — churches, community halls, low-income housing etc.

Pembina Institute