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How can we reach our 2020
Greenest City Targets?

GC 2020

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62 results found

  1. Compost, compost, COMPOST!

    Encourage people to compost!!!!! Send out info to people and they will build it! And rainwater cachement systems are GREAT too.

    20 votes
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    started  ·  2 comments  ·  Reduce waste  ·  Admin →
  2. solar trash compactor

    City of Vancouver has 2,400 public space litter bins on streets, transit stops and parks. By introducing a wireless capable solar trash compactor system to replace this system significant financial and environmental benefits can be realized. Operating costs will be reduced by 70% as well as Green House Gas emissions from the Diesel powered waste collection vehicle that go out at least once per day to pick up each of these 2,400 bins. Imagine having the collection take place once per week instead of seven times per week and have the reduced trip frequency pay for all this equipment in…

    1 vote
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    The City is piloting over 20 solar-powered trash compacting bins in South East False Creek and Cambie Street.

    However, this idea isn’t included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan. Compacting waste reduces volume and makes collection more efficient, but it doesn’t reduce the tonnes of waste sent to landfill or incinerator. The proposed Zero Waste target is to reduce 50% (by weight) of garbage sent to landfill or incinerator by 2020.

  3. Energy Retrofit Financing

    Provide low-cost financing for building and home owners to retrofit our built environment with energy efficient measures and technologies. Look towards PACE & On-bill structures and incorporate energy management software to database and report the savings to all invovled parties.

    44 votes
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  4. Expand the Yellow Fish Markers on Storm Drain Sewers Program

    Historically, industrial man has been accustomed to using our waterways as a dumping ground for unwanted waste. Sadly this has led to our ocean becoming a toxic soup for animals and plants. Agricultural fertilizer runoff cause algal blooms. Inefficient or excessive garbage has caused many massive garbage (mostly plastic) islands to appear in the oceans and has had an adverse impact on seabirds and sea mammals. Chemicals are dumped down sewers and fish are killed immediately. In Burnaby Byrne Creek has had too many such incidents in the past few years; so many in fact that an initiative called “Stream…

    15 votes
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  5. Divert sewer runoff into groundwater

    Before 1850 when the rain fell on Vancouver, it soaked into the ground, which then fed the over 50 streams which crisscrossed the land. This water which supported a multitude of life then ran to the Burrard Inlet, False Creek and the Fraser River.

    Today most of rainwater ends up on asphalt streets and the rooftops of buildings and this water runs into countless sewers which end up in the same surrounding water systems. As the water runs into the sewers, it picks up pollution from cars, residue from asphalt streets and tar roofs and many other small and large…

    40 votes
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  6. City of Vancouver Eco bonds to help home and business owners with green upgrades.

    ECO bonds are helping cities throughout the US with renewable energy and efficiency upgrades to their homes and businesses. By leveraging the lower borrowing rates of the city, Vancouver can help citizens get over the high up-front costs of green retrofits by deducting an additional amount from property taxes over a long term - say 20 years - period.

    14 votes
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  7. 3 votes
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  8. Futureproof Green Buildings by adapting to projected climate conditions

    Green buildings that do not consider future climate conditions are not as energy efficient or as sustainable as they could be

    3 votes
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  9. Develop a city-supported urban farming program

    Community gardens and farmers markets are on the rise in Vancouver, but there remains a need for more productive farms (market gardens) to produce significant amounts of local food.

    There are more and more people interested in getting into farming as a livelihood, but barriers such as high land values and low profit margins in traditional farming make entry difficult.

    The City could develop a municipally-supported urban farming program where city-owned land would be affodably leased to prospective farmers for a season to gain experience, earn an income, and produce food for local residents. This could be coupled with a…

    240 votes
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  10. Biodiversity and Permeability Standards through the Zoning By-law

    Create a biodiversity and permeability performance standards for new development through the Zoning By-Law. A variation on this could be create market incentives for more biodiversity.

    8 votes
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  11. Ease the bureaucracy for laneway homes in Van. Dense living where we work, play, shop! Less sprawl!

    Laneway homes are beautiful, sustainably designed, detached family or single life dwellings. They fit into areas with houses and neighbourhoods that already exist. They take the place of old poorly used garages or unused back gardens. Less freeway traffic to get to the city; less pressure on our agricultural land reserve; less urban sprawl out into the valley.

    51 votes
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  12. Don't re-invent the wheel

    Get advice and ideas from cities that are already the greenest (European cities) and from local experts (Suzuki Foundation).

    21 votes
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    started  ·  6 comments  ·  Admin →
  13. 62 votes
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  14. Encourage renovation of existing housing stock rather than demo and rebuild.

    require new construction to be NET zero and help reduce single family house demolition. The greenest building is one that is already standing.

    22 votes
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  15. Prioritize cycling infrastructure and policy

    Vancouver will not convince anyone of being the 'greenest' city without a huge modal shift towards cycling, walking, and public transit.

    Cycling infrastructure is already improving (e.g., new Dunsmuir two-way bike lane), but policy needs to improve (e.g., a transportation hierarchy, with pedestrians followed by cyclists at the top).

    Also, we will NEVER get the general population cycling daily without repealing mandatory helmet legislation. It just won't happen -- it's too inconvenient.

    73 votes
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  16. Drinking water fountains + bottled water ban

    Ban bottled water. Install public fountains instead! Make sure they're designed so you can fit a tall Sigg steel water bottle underneath to fill it.

    Many restaurants and cafes are nice enough to provide water taps/pitchers and glasses - encourage the rest to do so.

    426 votes
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  17. Encourage urban food production

    Urban vegetable gardens and container planting can go a long way towards reducing our food miles and our dependence on imports.

    Successful projects in Mexico and Cuba show us that we can produce a lot of food in the city proper, so why don't we?

    669 votes
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  18. Provide online tools to help people educate their friends, family, and networks about green actions

    The Sierra Club develop presentation tools for Ottawa's curbside organics collection program. People can use these to give 10-minute presentations in their community to educate others to "do the right thing". Similar tools could be developed for backyard composting, waste reduction, commuter cycling, energy conservation, , etc. Think Toastmasters with a mission.

    2 votes
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  19. Develop a directory and/or application that helps consumers choose sustainable products and services

    Imagine just selecting the 'green directory' app and being able to find sustainable businesses in the local area? Or finding a product in store and being able to look it up immediately to find out what it's sustainable qualifications are? There are a lot of people out there actively seeking out sustainable products and services, but there are a lot more who are engaged and interested - but just not sure where to start. People are creatures of habit, to motivate them to make changes you need to make it EASY for them to do so! I'm not saying it's…

    11 votes
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  20. Build complete, walkable neighbourhoods interconnected by great transit and cycling routes.

    Transportation and land use go hand in hand. Good land use can reduce the distance people travel and support more sustainable choices like walking and cycling by bringing people closer to their daily destinations.

    The city should provide an appropriate mix of land uses and a high quality pedestrian-oriented public realm. Most services and amenities--such as grocery stores, schools, daycare, parks, community centres, and transit--should be within a safe, enjoyable 5 or 10 minute walk from where people live. Longer trips should be easily served by high quality transit and cycling options.

    Links: http://www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf, http://vancouver.ca/planning/

    599 votes
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    This is an evolutionary process. The City of Vancouver is already considered a North American leader in this regard. Current and future plans and projects (e.g. Cambie Corridor Planning Program) will continue to embrace this ideal.

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