GC 2020
47 results found
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Host an sustainability ideas series (e.g. films, lectures, how to sessions)
Sustainability is a complex and difficult topic. Many people get a sense about what it is, some don't get it at all and many others think green consumerism (e.g. cloth bags, CFL lightbulbs) is all that's required to build a friendly and safe global future. A multimedia ideas series, perhaps at community centres, would be a great tool to inform people about what is actually required (e.g. reducing overall consumption) for us to build a sustainable global civilization.
10 votesWill share this idea with other organizations in the community that already have some of this type of programming.
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Encourage Community Groups
Facilitate meetings at all community centres in the city that give neighbours an opportunity to meet and discuss topics relevant to their communities. This will support community involvement and decision making.
8 votesThis kind of work is already underway all over the City, much of which is led by community organisations. Find one in your neighbourhood, or one that works on issues that you care about, and join in. This action plan includes building supports (e.g. tools, resources) to support community groups in talking about, and working toward, the greenest city.
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Partner w/ social development orgs to ensure a more holistic 'greening' + to build broader support
While the mandate of this project is specifically to 'green' the city, even the 'Greenest City' will be a failure if the overall welfare of its people isn't considered.
The strongest Greenest City strategy will be a holistic one, including key elements of social, community and local economic development.
Our Greenest City approach should include dedicated outreach to individuals and communities that have traditionally had low participation in Vancouver's Green movement -- to build broad support and to recognize shared goals between organizations.
8 votesThough this is called the Greenest City program, there has been a very strong social justice and economic lens to the work. There is a green economy working group and external advisory committee with membership from diverse community-based organisations and businesses. Staff the City’s Social Policy department are very active in the process.
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Celebrate Sufficiency
Over-consumption is at the heart of many of our environmental problems. One way to induce a reduction in consumption is to celebrate our sufficiency. Sufficiency, in this case, refers to a sense of completeness or wholeness. If we feel complete, there is less of an inclination to fill our faces with stuff we don't really need.
7 votesThis idea will be considered in the framing of the ongoing engagement work on the greenest city.
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Buying locally should not only include food but all items
I heard rumours that the City choose to purchase material for the seawall reconsturction that requires shipping from China, I wonder how much GHG are used for shipping? . Again City Internal operations need to walk the talk and set the example and be leaders.
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Stop the use of toilet paper made from virgin trees.
TP made from post-consumer waste paper is already available, and even the likes of Costco are starting to stock it. Enact a bylaw that ensures all TP sold in Vancouver is at least 30% from recycled paper.
6 votesThe City can look to this in our own operations. Purchasing choices, and their effect on ecological footprint, will form part of the engagement campaign
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Create a 'Green Capitalist' campaign that lets Vancouverites proudly participate.
A simple modification of the 'Green Capital' logo lets individuals claim ownership. Offer free 'Green Capitalist' cycling vests to commuters during bike-to-work week. Have a secret shopper team give reusable coffee mugs or 'Green Capitalist' shopping bags to people who buy local, organic or free-trade. Give high-quality water bottles to every family that signs up for a water meter. Why should Green Capital just be for trade missions? Let every citizen wear their civic green pride!
6 votesInteresting ideas to encourage a connection to the Green Capital brand with specific activities
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Encourage eco-offices
It's fine to be green at home - but what about employers? Connect with the Vancouver Board of Trade and other businesses to ensure that offices are recycling, reducing engergy, encouraging healthy food choices, and green commuting options. Give tax breaks for businesses who allow 50% of their employees to telecommute.
6 votesThis work is currently underway in our community, and being done by many owners and operators of buildings throughout town. BOMA offers a certification program to support this kind of activity: http://bomabest.com/
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City-sponsored "Sustainable Living" marketing campaign
Make it catchy, relevant, interactive, funny and shocking. Think of the new "Old Spice" marketing campaign impact. AWARENESS is key - people don't know unless you tell them. Focus on things like:
- civic engagement and participation
- community pride and unity
- alternative transportation
- connect our consumption habits to waste and wastewater output
- showcase local success stories
- encourage everyone to do their part
There's tons more we could cover, if you have ideas, share them in the comments!
5 votesThis idea is included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Foster a friendly ‘greening of the cities’ competition with other major west coast cities.
Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco all aspire to be greener cities along with Vancouver. Finding ways for the west coast cities to compete, share and inspire each other will have a positive effect in driving each other to achieve greater results more quickly and in the spirit of mutually beneficial competition. Perhaps an annual competition with progress indicators, for example.
5 votesThe “Greenest City in the World by 2020” is fostering this competition with cities globally, including those on our coast. Expanding it to a global outlook pits us against less industrialized cities, as well as cities in rapidly developing countries, and makes the contest much more interesting and challenging.
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Happy planet index
Measure the city of Vancouver's green progess by the well being of its citizens and ecological footprint. www.happyplanetindex.com
5 votesThis plan is focused on the greenest city, but there is great local expertise in assessing happiness – Dr. John Helliwell at UBC.
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Celebrate 50 inspiring green people in Vancouver in the news!
The Guardian just posted an inspiring article describing, briefly, 50 people in the UK who are creating positive environmental change via their own unique initiatives.
There are some fantastic inspiring stories!
I think it would be great to have an article written about 50 people in Vancouver that are doing similar projects. For example, one woman was given a concrete lot, and she transformed it into a garden using giant bags of soil. Another man noticed wildflower diversity in parks decreasing and started his own seed bank, and now his seeds are being used to increase diversity of wildflowers in…
4 votesCool idea, encourage your local media outlets that this is newsworthy! Greenest City awards are included in the draft plan.
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Include a class/wealth analysis in ecological footprints
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC office, released an interesting report that breaks down GHG emissions according to wealth. Surprise! The wealthier emit more GHGs. This gets at a critical justice issue about who is most affected by ecological changes, and who is responsible for causing those changes. This is a local issue as well as a global issue.
Check out the report here:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/reports/docs/CCPA_BC_ghg_emissions_distribution.pdf4 votesMay be included in research and data gathering to help develop targeted engagement strategies and ecological footprint reduction actions.
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Develop sustainable education tax incentives
Provide a venue where Vancouver residents could go online and watch educational videos about sustainable and green ideas. In order to promote and encourage residents to watch the videos provide a tax incentive on say property tax. This will make more people watch these videos with the hope that a light will turn on in their heads as to making lifestyle changes that make sense as demonstrated by the videos.
4 votesThe City only has property taxation authority which isn’t an easy link to encouraging this kind of behaviour, although some form of incentive can be explored in the review of City policies and regulations.
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Playing Movies Like Avatar, in Major Public Places, showing the reality & impact of big corporations
Making the largest impact in the shortest time, can make the difference. Continue funding Movies like Avatar which expose corporate America's environmental habits, and showing them on large public movie screens and starting change from the top. Companies with thousands of employees and systems, should be forced to change there habits, to reduce there carbon footprint. Public awareness may force the change that might otherwise take years.
4 votesGreat idea, and you are encouraged to suggest it to Fresh Air Cinemas and all of the community organisations that sponsor outdoor movies in the summer, including many of the Business Improvement Associations: http://www.freshaircinema.ca/; http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/bia/index.htm
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Encourage Influential People such as James Cameron (Avatar), to disclose impact of big corporations
on the environment, and encourage change. James Cameron is the Director of the movie Avatar which had a message of how big corporations, Mining are affecting the environment and raping the earth.
4 votesThe Greenest City Action Team is our home-grown influential team, and others are always welcome: http://vancouver.ca/greenestcity/background.htm#team
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Earth Day Corporate Challenge
Why not challenge companies in Vancouver to plant boulevards, or round-a-bouts, or empty lots for Earth Day.
3 votesThis is an interesting idea for engaging businesses in the community
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Encourage each community to establish a community sustainability plan.
A community can create and build on its vision and formal plans by adopting specific objectives, guidelines, action items, regulations, and policies. Adopt continuous learning mentality (and policy) so that feedback can be used to assess effectiveness of decisions and actions and changes can be made accordingly. Want to create resilient, adaptable, and engaged communities.
3 votesNeighbourhoods in Vancouver have been undergoing community visions and plans for many years, and most communities now have these in place. They aren’t focused specifically on sustainability, but many have a strong sustainability focus: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/cityplan/visions/
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printing
Green up the Citys Print Communications - we know the city needs to communicate, let's do it smarter. Ensure that any communication vendors have been pre-qualified with a number of Environmental and Social minimum standards. Ensure that any print is done with leading sustainable practices, Carbon Neutral, Recycled paper, Zero VOC inks, with companies that actively support the communities social and green needs. Print Less, Print smarter.
3 votesA corporate sustainability framework is currently being developed and implemented; this idea has been shared with that team, and zero waste is an aspect of their framework.
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A shared vision of sustainability
We need to work more to build ashared vision of what sustainability is and how it embraces culture and economy as well as ecology. What do we mean by 'sustainability'and how do we build resilience?
3 votesThis big picture framing questions are very important in the work of the greenest city.
