GC 2020
657 results found
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Speed Bumps of every road
Speed Bumps slow down traffic. Not only will that create a friendlier pedestrian environment but it will make travel by bike lane (no speed bump) more competitive, time wise with car travel. The same thing also goes for skytrain. With car travel taking longer, skytrain will look like a more attractive option
5 votes -
tax reduction for business commutors
Give tax reductions to businesses that reduce the commuting automobile usage of employees. This could be preferred hiring of people that live close by or subsidized bus passes. Chain-stores could swap staff between stores to get more local staff. Better carpooling organization.
2 votes -
Green Urban Cook book
Develop tasty recipes for urban nuisances such as crow a l'orange, pigeons au vin, raccoons en sauce, and coyote a la brouche.
5 votes -
Ban all and any fireworks!!
[Idea submitted via email by Michael Csupak]
I encourage you to educate yourselves about pyrotechnics.
The “Festival of Lights” I believe it is called is a large scale pollution, initially the atmosphere, we all breathe the air, then the particles will settle in our waters we drink and the fish lives in and in the soil we grow our food in and so on. The chemicals used in the fireworks are poisonous and some cases are RADIOACTIVE. A very good scientific study was produced by the University of Vienna, sighting much of the specifics.
Concentrations of similar explosives used by…
22 votesMetro Vancouver is considering the implications of a partial ban and alternatives to fireworks (e.g. light-shows)
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Recycling should be compulsory
I was amazed to find out that recycling is an option for business, and even for large residential buildings. A friend who lives in a 50-unit residential building (near Broadway and Commercial) found out that they were not recycling anything. When she brought it up with the landlord, he said that it was not required and that it was a waste of money.
Even if fines are not in place, recycling should be mandatory. If the city still needs to charge extra to finance this service , it should not be an option.
There are similar ideas about recycling, including…44 votes -
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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Bylaw to ban auto-flush toilets
Aside from being the worst invention of all-time*, auto-flush toilets are also incredibly wasteful.
I estimate that an auto-flush goes off at least twice as often as it needs to. In the offices and malls where these devices are installed, that could mean a vast amount of wasted water.
15 votesAn outright ban on these fixtures is not part of the Draft Greenest City Action Plan, however the efficient fixtures program and water auditing programs are areas in which this issue can be addressed.
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Plant trees lots and lots of trees!
Plant trees lots and lots of trees. There are so many streets and areas in Vancouver where trees have died and not been replaced and areas were trees simply have never been planted. One just needs to have a walk on the seawall to notice that there are so many lots already allocated for trees that are instead filled with grass. Trees equals shade, less CO2, and a greener and more beautiful city. Come on Vancouver its time to green up one tree at a time!
42 votes -
Control energy efficiency of systems in buildings, rate it as a standard like A, B, C, D, ...
Control, approve and publish the rate of energy consumption and carbon emission of the mechanical equipments in all of the buildings that encourage the people to utilizing the sustainable energy and environmental pollution free system and equipments.
6 votesPart of the draft Greenest City Action Plan is to implement mandatory energy performance disclosure through a building labeling program
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Sustainability departments, faculties
Corporate 'green' hiring should lead all the way to the top - as it's own silo within the company (Accounting, HR, Sustainability, Marketing, etc.) intsead of an outward focus on 'green' jobs specific to operational abilities.
This will allow a more tailored educational offering, and will aid a paradigm shift throughout firms in Vancouver. Sustainability can finally align itself as a true part of an organization - and will have as much to do with a firm's mission and corporate aims as do the other categorical functions.
6 votes -
Enhanced cycling infrastructure: Olympic road work @ West 1st at Cambie = how *not* to do it
Olympic roadwork at West 1st east of Cambie is an example of how NOT to do it. The road was widened to include a huge median/parking lot with even less road space for cyclists and more traffic interaction with new parking bays added to developments. Boo!
3 votesThe median on W 1st Ave is to accommodate a future streetcar system.
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Plug the C02 holes.
Most would agree that the biggest monster is climate change. If Vancouver is to be a leader in greening tech. and practices it would do well to show in a practical way what can be done now.
On a massive scale, start installing solar hot water systems. Use economy scale to bring down the cost. Make it simple and share the knowledge with the rest of the world. Do a similar thing with car conversions. Pick a 100 different model autos, convert them, and post the process on a web page. Translate the findings to a dozen different languages and…10 votes -
Urban Orchards
Create urban orchards in every neighbourhood ( cherry, apple, fig, berries, plums, apricots and peaches). Employ staff to maintain these and to teach people how to preserve and use the harvest. Graft producing branches to existing cherry, plum, apple root stock.
48 votesSmall orchards are being planted by the Park Board in golf courses and at Sunset. Plans are in the works for more community orchards. This is a strategy in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Introduce individual carbon credit/debit system
Each resident has an equal amount of carbon credits available per month. The credits are used up when buying gas, purchasing non-local products or engaging in other types of high footprint activities. Individuals who exceed their monthly limit need to purchase carbon credits from the credit/debit system, while individuals who do not use all of their credits will get reimbursed for the unused portion. Control of carbon emissions is achieved by setting the monthly limit and the cost of a unit of carbon. This system provides a financial incentive for individuals to reduce carbon emissions. Though difficult to implement in…
4 votes -
Promote a micro-economy
Promote a micro-economy:
Not everyone fits into the monoculture of work and life options available in Vancouver. A healthy city is a diverse city that allows individuals access to the economy on a range on increments. De-regulate work in homes. Integrate services and restaurants into neighbourhood streets and lanes. Turn on-street parking stalls into rent-by-the-hour food and retail vendors.8 votesAgree in principle, but there is more research required. What about property tax implications? How can the city collect tax to support services? This needs to be addressed first.
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Create cheap bike rentals (Or include the rental in the fare) around the sky train stations
Many of us are worried to take bikes to the work due to the problem of shortage of space in the buses and sky train. If we could find them at the stations and return them after work, will make it easier for everybody, and more people will be encouraged to use them.
7 votesThis idea is similar to a Public Bike System, which is currently under review.
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keep transit open later - esp. on weekends
Giving people more access to late night transit - especially on the weekends 0 will increase their likelihood of using it to get to central areas as well as decrease the number of drunk drivers on the road.
41 votesA good idea that is outside municipal jurisdiction. The City will continue to work with TransLink and advocate for improved transit service, including higher frequency and longer hours.
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Burrard Street bridge bicycle lane
Add a designated bicycle lane going into downtown on the Burrard Street bridge. This would also encourage walking by allowing pedestrians back on both sides of the bridge.
3 votesThe City is starting a design process for the structural upgrade of the Burrard Bridge, which will include designs to create permanent separated bike lanes on the bridge. This design process will consider configuration options for the bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
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3 votes
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Bike Blading
Make the Bike / Blading Paths smoother - on driveways / cut outs etc for Rolling over. Cut down the bricks (on wheel path) @ Olympic Village, Yaletown, and Coal Harbour as they are to rough and to dangerous.
1 voteThe City will continue to design (and work to improve) greenways and recreational paths so they are safe and attractive not just for cyclists, but for in-line skaters, wheelchair users, and others.
