GC 2020
657 results found
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Switch our power source from water (BC Hydro) to solar or wind
Reservoirs disrupt the natural water cycle, collecting dead biological material, resulting in massive amounts of carbon emissions, among other problems. And are NOT green. Let's switch it over to Solar or wind!
18 votes -
Free Door to Door Efficiency Upgrades!
Let's have teams of semi-skilled energy and water efficiency technicians provide at-your-door, free upgrade services. It's easy to be lazy when it comes to making our homes more energy and water efficient. Sometime we just need a kick in the pants!
The City could partner with BC Hydro, Terasen Gas, the water utility, and other utilities and energy providers to establish teams of people that take energy/water efficiency information and products door-to-door. The neighbourhood visit schedules would be advertized and specific visits could be requested by citizens.
Citizens would have a choice between products or could choose not to upgrade.…
11 votesNot free, but we are creating financing tools and incentives to increase affordability of these upgrades
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Considerate Contractor Scheme for Vancouver
If Vancouver really means to give priority to walker and cyclists, then it's time we instigated a Considerate Contractor scheme like the ones that have been in place in the UK for decades, for example: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Business/Business_support_and_advice/considerate_contractor_scheme.htm
I'm tired of having to retrace my steps to cross the road because contractors have closed the sidewalk mid-block randomly. I'm also tired of contrators treating bike lanes as their own personal business parking space for cars, trucks, dumpsters and other equipment. When I complain, I'm told that the City allows them to use bike lanes during contstruction, and that they are free to…5 votes -
Green labelling for every company selling goods or services in MetroVan
Green labelling to show climate change leaders and laggards in a sector for every company selling goods or services in metro Vancouver. Allow Vancouverites to choose which company they shop at based on that firm's climate leadership!
4 votes -
wooden sidewalks
Concrete production is one of the greatest greenhouse gas emitters The great expanses of solid surfaces in roads, parking lots, and sidewalks greatly increase rates of water run-off, impacting groundwater, streams, and near-shore ecosystems. Paving over nature also removed it, of course. A greener city includes more green, less grey concrete or black pavement. In BC, we already have several places where wooden walkways are in use in artistically pleasing and practical ways, placed with the intention of creating a lighter footprint. Is it absolutely essential that every sidewalk in Vancouver be made of concrete? As a start, I advocate…
5 votes -
Regulate Marine Traffic Emissions
Emissions from marine vessel traffic are not regulated as strictly as emissions from land-based emitters. These emissions have been growing steadily in the Vancouver region. The city should push for stricter guidelines to ensure that measures implemented to reduce air pollution caused by cars and heating, for example, are not offset by emissions from marine traffic.
5 votesMarine traffic is under Federal jurisdiction. The City of Vancouver is supporting Metro Vancouver/Port Metro Vancouver to encourage shore-power.
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Thermal Depolymerization
I'm aware of the attempts to collect methane from landfills. But there is a better technology that will reduce waste entering landfills in the first place... Thermal depolymerisation. It is still a relatively fledgling - but proven - technology (14-ish years old) but worth looking into. http://www.changingworldtech.com/
This invention is recycling par excellence. It would mean a reduction of new fossil carbon into the atmosphere, with a superlatively effective reuse of existing biomass. It could also solve all the CH4 emission problems of landfills; in fact, farm waste, old tyres, landfills and sewage systems would become a resource.
I realise…
18 votes -
Plant edibles
My neighbourhood is full of boulevard trees and planted round-abouts, however, none of this vegetation is edible!
Instead of horse chestnut trees, plant real chestnut trees. Instead of oaks and maples, plant apple trees, crab apples, cherry, even peach.
Instead of hedges, try blueberry/huckleberry bushes or rhubarb.
We can increase our food security by putting our available green space to good use!
60 votes -
Reduce peak electricity demand
Vancouver can be a model of a community that works together to reduce its peak electricity demand and thus the generation capacity needed to sustain it. It can do this through proper monitoring of usage in both residential and commercial buildings and financial incentives to reduce beyond savings on the bill. Make Vancouver a model, and once shown successful, this model can be expanded to other BC cities and beyond.
10 votes -
Run diesel powered public transportation/government vehicles on bio diesel.
Look to Portland for the technology.
In an age where we've recognized the degrading nature of fossil fuels, why not use a recycled, virtually emissions free source?4 votes -
Building Future Parkades
Builidng Future Parkades under green spaces (like Royal Vancouver Yacht Club at Jericho) A parked car is a good car!
4 votes -
Mandatory composting of horse manure at barns within city limits
As a U. of Guelph Equine Sciences student last fall, I used Stanley Park as a research area and was surprised to learn the manure at the police barns was not composted on site and used for the city's gardens. It's trucked away and nobody seemed to know where to. Then I recently learned that Southlands Heritage Farm has a proposal for a biodigester on their property, but the city will not approve it due to a "lack of understanding of the unit". I don't believe Hastings Park has a composter either. Raw horse manure is toxic to the environment…
6 votes -
eco zoning
Vancouver like London attracts people from around the world Where London has produced zoning that helps preserve its historic "buzz" we need to produce zoning that preserves our "rain forest" appeal . An eco zone is a modified existing zone (eg. RS1eco, RM1eco ,etc) that is given preferential treatment because of exceptional green practices, these could entail, urban farms, passive solar or passive certified homes. Eco zoning is incentive based, -additional sq footage, or minimum lot size reduction, green house gardens for commercial or personal), green innovation relaxation (eg, allowing wind turbines or large scale water collection (+500gallon) under ground…
5 votesGreen Enterprize Zone team is establishing area and some initial projects including two business incubators
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Charge business and commercial waste by weight instead of by bin
Wastes from businesses and commercial enterprises are generally put into dumpsters that are removed on a regular basis. These wastes includes food waste from restaurants, grocery stores and markets as well as industrial wastes such as wood, metals, construction materials and so on. If businesses were incentives to reduce the WEIGHT of their wastes they would be much more likely to find creative ways to divert it from the landfill stream. So dumpsters with less 'garbage' in them simply cost less to the business.
14 votes -
Support Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) auto insurance premiums to reward those who drive little
Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD, also called distance-based and per-mile) pricing means that vehicle insurance premiums and registration fees are based directly on the amount it is driven. PAYD pricing is not a new fee, just a different way to pay existing fees. It can be a
consumer option, so motorists choose the price structure that best meets their needs, similar to telephone and internet rate options. It can provide many benefits including reduction of per capita fuel consumption and pollution emissions.199 votesThe City supports this idea, but implementation requires action outside municipal jurisdiction. The City will continue to advocate to the Province and ICBC for PAYD insurance.
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Use only wired Internet in schools and in all public buildings in the city of Vancouver.
Wireless Internet is not safe, and should not be used in any buildings. Please replace all wireless electronic devices with fibre-optic transmission systems. Also, replace all cordless telephones with corded land-line telephones. Thank you.
7 votes -
Granville Mall
Having transit alternate between Granville St. and Howe/Seymour is causing immense confusion for transit users unfamiliar with this scheme as well as with those familiar with it (at around the time of the switch-over). If you miss the last bus on the Granville route then you have to scramble to Howe or Seymour. I have also (on a few occasions) told people standing at bus stops on Granville, or else on Howe or Seymour, that they need to go to another street to catch the bus at that time (then met with looks of confusion, anger and/or despair…).
Also, since…
5 votes -
Hire a respected Permaculture teacher to train city staff
example, http://patternliteracy.com/
During most courses a piece of land will be cultivated. Offer land. Pay a teacher. Educate.
Offer a Permaculture course open to the public, tuition and admission offered by project/essay/proposal.
Like the course just started at UBC, www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/pdcad2010SMALL.pdf
20 votes -
Pedestrianize Vancouver
Why not make Robson St, Granville St, Davie and Denman pedestrian only streets. The streets could also still be used by the potential streetcar and would also be open to bikes. But while were at it why not rejuvenate the downtown eastside by making it pedestrian only as well. Face it gastown just look silly with cars driving through there and china town would be revolutionized if it was only for pedestrians. These pedestrian only streets and areas would become a main corridor for commuters (pedestrians, streetcar, and bikes) this would cause higher end businesses to come to those areas…
3 votesThe draft Greenest City plan will include directions to explore pedestrian-only and pedestrian-priority streets in the downtown core. Potential locations will be identified at a later date (e.g. as part of the transportation plan update).
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All parks off the grid
Support alternative energy resources by installing solar and wind power for all parks in Vancouver. The hardest would be Stanley Park, of course, but most of the others should be easy to convert to alternative energy
8 votes
