GC 2020
657 results found
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Develop a local food hub and expand the availability of local food at a neighbourhood level
A local food hub would support the distribution, processing and storage of local food, a current gap in the local food system. This hub would then be connected to avenues to access locally produced food distributed throughout the neighbourhoods, making more available food produced locally by farmers outside Vancouver as well as urban farmers.
506 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan includes a variety of actions to support the availability of local food at the local level.
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Encourage grass lawn alternatives
[Submitted via email by Patrice Allen]
Grass lawns use excessive water and toxic fertilizers, just to get that lush look. Why not more veggie & flower beds? Or Japanese style pebbles, bricks, tiles, and water-recycling ponds (also to help prevent noise pollution and give the birds a place to drink from) and, most low maintenance of all, a herb lawn of thyme or any of the other fragrant, soft, herbaceous carpets that grow themselves. Encourage planting of succulents (less watering) and native plants and grasses.
11 votesThe City does encourage alternatives to lawns http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/guidelines/W005.pdf
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A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
Poverty Reduction, Environment Protection and Community BuildingGoal
Reduce poverty, involve community, promote healthy lifestyles, reduce personal and city spending, create a well connected and safer community, add natural nutrients back to top soil, and educate about healthy living and healthy food.Most cities and towns have multiple flower gardens that are taken care of by city workers. Call your local city hall, ask them to plant hardy vegetables in garden spots instead of the usual flowers. Vegetable plants produce very beautiful flowers that turn into edible veggies like Squash,…
41 votesThis idea is included in the draft Greenest City Action Plan. Action to date on this issue include community gardens and green streets on City-owned property. The City has also developed an edible landscaping policy http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/tools/links.htm#Edible
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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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Educate Motor Vehicle Drivers on Sharing the Road with Cyclists
It's apparent that Vehicle Drivers in BC are under eduacted on safe practices to use when sharing the road with cyclists. This makes it dangerous for people who want to cycle all over the city because they feel they are increasing their risk of getting injured. BC Driver's licensing could include more requirements of knowledge regarding sharing the road. A class on bicycle safety for cyclists could also improve safety for bikers and car drivers on Vancouver streets.
12 votes -
Lets recycle the burnt out light bulbs from street lights and traffic signals. This would reduce was
The city should look into a recycling program for the burnt out lights that are removed from street lights and traffic signals.
2 votes -
childcare
Re-fund the before and after school child care center which serviced the Champlain Heights Main School.
This center served 50 children (and had a waitlist of 50). It cost the city approximately $60,000 per year to run (most of the costs were paid by the parents).
A safe, affordable, accessible before and after center will allow children to attend school in their own neighbourhood. It will give parents time to bus, car pool or take transit to their workplace instead of driving out of area to drop their children off to childcare or have their children attend school out of…
3 votes -
Comprehensive Food Waste Collection
Why not collect all food waste? Seattle does it. UBC does it. Why limit it to uncooked fruits and veggies and eggshells? This makes some people not bother. More would use the service if it didn't require any discrimination and sorting.....
37 votesThis is planned for Phase 2 of the food scraps recycling program.
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Hire a group of young motivated leaders
Help me help you help us.
Create green jobs.
Make it a little easier for the change makers to flourish.
Subsidized trainings.
2 votesThe UBC-City of Vancouver Greenest City Scholars program will continue next summer.
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Mandatory 25¢ fee for plastic shopping bags
Encourage shoppers to bring their own bags, and create a shift in retail practices, by requiring a payment for every disposable shopping bag.
334 votes -
Find a way to reduce bike theft. Not just more secure parking but real consequeces for theft
I read an article somewhere that 1/3 of people who have a bike stolen don't buy a new one. We need more people on bikes and that's only going to happen if we have more secure bike parking and a real city strategy to deal with theft. Micro chipping, real punishment, sting operations. There are a million ways to accomplish this goal. We've reduced our theft of automobiles through the bait car program, now its time for bikes.
15 votes -
3 votes
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Local Food
Encourage developers to provide commercial space, throughout residential neighborhods, for outlets for locally grown food. Residential development are often required to provide community oriented commercial uses, such as day care.
Local food markets, distributred throughout the residential neighborhoods, would help support local food growth, and reduce impact on infrastructure by reducing the need to get in the car.
11 votesUrban agriculture components are now part of the public benefit negotiations for major developments, however the use of these benefits for a neighbourhood hub like this has not yet been contemplated. Options for neighbourhood based distribution of local food are being considered in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Use Round-Abouts!
Used all over the world, these simple concrete islands are popular for a reason: they work! They keep traffic moving, preventing traffic jams and idling. They slow traffic to prevent fender-benders at "intersections", and are much more visible than stop signs. Plus there is very little construction and maintenance cost compared to traffic lights. They can be used on 2, 4 or more lanes of traffic, there's nothing the round-about can't do!
Plus they're charming. You can plant the middle with natives to make it look beautiful too.
11 votes -
label local food
Encourage food retailers to label local food. This would make it easier for people to choose local and support a sustainable, secure food system in the Lower Mainland.
14 votesThis idea is in the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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Be the first city to create a standard for operational excellence
The corporate sector is an essential part of the solution. Encourage Vancouver's corporations to adopt tangible and achievable standards for excellence. Recognize those who have made a commitment and incent others to follow. Businesses have an incredible opportunity to inspire individuals.
3 votes -
Ban beach police on quad vehicles
If the City really wants to be the greenest in the world, it should not equipped its beach police with quad vehicles that pollute the air (overall when they stay iddle in the middle of the beach) and with noise. Beach police should walk or bike and let people enjoy a vehicule free area. Ironic, that we ban smoking on the beach but our own city police is emiting greenhouse gas...
11 votesVancouver Police Dept. are planning to pilot zero-emission quad (ATV) vehicles in 2011.
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Put the Blue into Green: daylight our Lost Creeks
The few Vancouver creeks that have been daylighted is a tragedy. In just a century, we’ve covered over dozens of fresh water creeks that used to traverse Vancouver. In doing so, we’ve also annihilated the plant, marine, bird and ground animal wild life that thrived in these natural, unique ecosystems. A City green vision that fails to bring back the sound of bubbling fresh water creeks, ponds, and natural adjacent linear park ways that these creeks can offer would be a travesty. Visit the tiny portion of Hastings Park (PNE grounds) that is supporting the daylighting of Hastings Creek and…
226 votes -
Don't Incinerate -- Reduce!!
Incineration is a controversial method of waste disposal. If we want to be the Greenest city, we will not get there by incinerating ANY waste. A more comprehensive plan to encourage reduction not only of household waste, but also restaurant and other business waste. Extended food waste collection, consumer education and pay-to-throw programs would all be part of this.
27 votes -
Standard office supply changes
Our goal is to push for the betterment of our society, by providing sustainable products that cause the least harm to the eco-systems of the world we live, work and play in. We are of the mind that 5 cent’s more for a cup of coffee, or 2 cent’s more for a pen is well worth the peace of mind that we are making a difference, and that we are making the world a better, healthier place.
The choices made in today’s market place will profoundly affect the world of tomorrow, along with the need for the diversification and an…
3 votes
