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Nanaimo first Canadian city to adopt ‘Doughnut Economy’

3 years ago

Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, has become the first city in Canada to adopt a new economic model that challenges the growth-driven capitalism that we’ve long taken for granted as the only way of doing business.

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The City of Edmonton aims to be carbon neutral by 2050 and is about to adopt a new energy transition strategy.  The Community Energy Transition Strategy is a 30-year roadmap to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

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B.C. has set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for major sectors of the economy, ranging from 33 to 38 per cent in oil and gas, up to 32 per cent for transportation, and from 38 to 43 per cent for industry.

WZMH Architects has teamed up with Ryerson University in an effort to minimize energy losses by using direct energy (DC) microgrids to power various building types.

Energy Profiles

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Mike Friedes’ company, Wash Out, is an eco-friendly laundry with pickup and delivery services for commercial and retail customers. Mueller’s company, Sharc Energy, sells systems that recover and recycle the heat from wastewater that would otherwise go down the drain.

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Brookfield Asset Management is one of 43 asset managers committed to becoming net-zero by 2050 or sooner by joining the $32trn Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative – tripling the size of the project.

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The Center for Active Design (CfAD) awarded BentallGreenOak (BGO) with this year’s Best in Building Health, Industry Leadership Award for applying Fitwel to its real estate portfolio at scale, including the rapid rollout of the Fitwel Viral Response module.

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Summit Industrial Income REIT was recognized for its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion by earning a spot on the Globe and Mail‘s 2021 Report on Business Women Lead Here list which identifies best-in-class executive gender diversity in corporate Canada.

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The head of Hydro-Québec’s energy-expertise division wants the province to mandate the use of smart thermostats in all newly built homes. Doing so would help reduce energy consumption by allowing “easy access to residential power management,” according to the documents.

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A funny thing happened as the U.S. prepared to launch an experiment to protect the nation’s future electric grids. It turned into a real-world test.

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Few people took notice this week when Vancouver-based Loop Energy Inc. announced that a German freight haulage company may order 20 of its hydrogen fuel cells for use in an electric truck fleet. The potential hardly suggests a green energy revolution.

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When it comes to decarbonizing the economy, it’s the stuff of modern life – steel, cement, fertilizer, plastics, chemicals – that will prove hardest to clean up. Fortunately, many of these products produced in Canada already have a comparatively low carbon profile.

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Raphael Rosen, CEO of California company Carbon Lighthouse, describes how rigorous data collection and advanced analytics increase energy efficiency in buildings, serving both the planet by working toward solving the climate crisis and clients by increasing profitability.

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“Paving the Road and Beyond: a market transformation roadmap for energy-efficient equipment in the building sector,” a report created by Natural Resources Canada has profound implications for the construction, HVAC, and all Canadian industry.

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A lot has changed in 50 years. Mill Woods was in its infancy and the now thriving community of Beaumont had just 400 people. Even Fred Duke’s ranch is now part of the recently approved Meltwater neighbourhood located in southeast Edmonton.

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When Peter and Lianne Hoogers would light candles on their dining room table at their Lakeview Farm home, the flames flickered if the wind blew. So, in 2017 they hired Steve Snider Construction, an R2000 and net-zero ready home builder.

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PODCAST: As part of a wider drive to make Europe’s real estate greener, a new Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation has come into play. Since March 10, SFDR puts binding ESG disclosure obligations in place for investors putting capital into Europe.

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The two major investment trends looming large over the hedge fund and asset management world – bitcoin’s stratospheric surge and investors’ rush towards responsible investing across all mandates – are now set for a “head-on clash,” Furdak said.

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The relationships between Indigenous nations and British Columbia’s mining sector are set to change as the province works to match its laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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Australian coal company Atrum Coal announced Friday it would pause operations at its Elan project, located just north of Grassy Mountain, citing upcoming consultations on coal policy scheduled by the Alberta government.

Industry Events