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One Planet fund invests in 3 real estate developments

3 years ago

The One Planet Living Real Estate Fund has approved three real estate developments in Ottawa and Guelph, Ontario, the first projects since the fund’s inception. First is Stone Abbey, a $30 million condo and townhouse project in Ottawa.

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Labatt Breweries is fuelling Canada’s economic recovery with an injection of $461.5 million through its capital program focused on sustainability. A major part of the investment is the introduction of the KeelClip packaging system – a fastener made of recyclable fibre paperboard.

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The construction of the new St. Paul’s Hospital and Health Campus in Vancouver’s False Creek is in progress, but the project won’t be completed anytime soon as the facility needs to withstand future floods caused by rising sea levels.

The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has released a six-point plan to become the world’s first net-zero carbon airport by the year 2030. That’s a significantly faster timeline than its original plan to achieve net-zero in its operations by 2050.

Yardi Pulse

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Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed a plan in 2020 for the city to be carbon-neutral by 2030.  For this progressive, midsize city to go green while the state and the power company remain tethered to coal and gas means doing it by itself.

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“All winds are blowing in the direction of microgrids,” said Annette Clayton, CEO of Schneider North America, to Microgrid Knowledge. Some of the trends spurring microgrids include electric vehicles, building electrification, corporate sustainability goals and demands for resilience.

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Now that COP26 is over, Canada needs to turn its attention to chopping our emissions in a hurry. The country’s target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is cemented in law. Here are some ideas on how we can get there.

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There is no shortage of opinions on both sides regarding whether COP26, the climate conference that concluded over the weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, was a success or failure. The debate will no doubt continue until COP27 in Egypt next November.

Anchor Corporation

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Calgary joined 517 municipalities in Canada to declare a climate emergency or similar measures and 2,043 worldwide by a 13-2 margin in a city council vote on Monday.  Calgary’s environmental plan calls for net-zero emissions by 2050.

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​A Calgary-based petrochemical firm has purchased a 295-acre site near Grande Prairie to build a $2.5 billion carbon-neutral plant to produce ammonia and methanol. The Municipal District of Greenview in northwestern Alberta signed an agreement with Northern Petrochemical Corp.

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When oil and gas companies took to Twitter during the first half of COP26, they often presented themselves as part of the solution to climate change and talked about energy security. In many ways, their messaging on social media provides a window into how these companies want the public to see the future.

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Steel production is responsible for about 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But British Columbia continues to be the Canadian leader in coal extraction and export as demand for steel continues to soar.

Toronto Real Estate Forum

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Kyra Kaszynski didn’t have a typical start to a career in sustainability. She co-founded a record company before taking on a multitude of roles and industries, from sales to marketing, many carried out during a 16-year stint at Deloitte.

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CN is officially the first North American railroad to formally commit to a net-zero target by joining the Business Ambition for 1.5°C and the United Nations’ Race To Zero campaign, aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust announced the release of its inaugural Green Financing Framework, under which the Trust may issue green bonds, green loans, or other financial instruments to fund new and existing eligible green projects.

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AIMCo Realty Investors LP has concluded the sale of $500 million of aggregate principal amount of Series 5 senior unsecured notes maturing November 4th, 2026.  The Notes are AIMCo Realty’s inaugural green bond issuance pursuant to its Green Financing Framework.

Payquad

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Soren Brothers is the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)’s curator of climate change — the first position of its kind at any museum in North America and possibly the world. Brothers wants to feature exhibits that engage visitors on climate change.

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While advocates call on governments to make stronger commitments to fight climate change, living a low-carbon lifestyle can help reduce impact on the planet. Lloyd Alter claims believing personal choices have little effect on reducing carbon emissions is a “fantasy.”

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The pandemic has forced business to change in profound ways and at an unprecedented speed. Business leaders have learned that more change is possible by engaging millennials and members of Gen Z in organizational decision-making.

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Wakefield interviewed 300 high-ranking employees between October 4th and 18th, finding that the prevailing attitude among business leaders is that certain prerequisites must be met before sustainability improvements can be made particularly an economic incentive for leaders to jump on board.

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