GC 2020
178 results found
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Energy efficiency training
Grassroots training in home energy efficiency assessments so community members can learn and support each other in improving home energy efficiency. A few workshops around the city, and you could train a number of neighbourhood efficiency "experts" to do assessments and workshops in their area.
3 votesEducation and training around energy efficiency are an integral part of the draft Greenest City Action Plan. Occupants determine to a large degree the level of energy performance in a building.
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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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Covered bicycle parking
Cycling in the rain's not so bad, but getting on a wet bicycle is not so great. We need to get more bicycle parking in sheltered areas where the bike is dry when you need it.
8 votes -
Integrate Green with 125th Celebrations
2011 marks the 125th birthday of Vancouver. The City is planning to spend $ on the celebrations. How can we celebrate in a way which moves us forward on creating a significantly more sustainable city.... so that we might have something to celebrate in another 125 years?!
3 votesThis idea is under discussion.
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No more floor-to-ceiling windows
Change the building code to reduce floor-to-ceiling windows. This type of condo design requires an unecessarily large amount of energy for heating and cooling. These windows usually have a couch or TV unit or shelf shoved up against them and blocking the view anyway! Even putting a solid wall on the bottom 25% of each storey would reduce energy use. (And hopefully liven up the architecture compared to the currently ubiquitous - and boring - walls of glass condos.)
10 votesGlazing ratios are addressed in our passive design toolkits and may be revised in design guidelines. This idea is included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Work with existing district steam heating systems to switch to renewable energy sources
Half of Vancouver’s greenhouse gas emissions come from burning natural gas to heat our buildings. The large district steam heating systems found at the hospitals and downtown are significant users of natural gas. Converting these existing systems to renewable energy sources would reduce reliance on natural gas and help to lower our greenhouse gas emissions.
11 votes -
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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8 votes
The draft Greenest City Action Plan addresses occupant engagement in conservation efforts. This idea will be considered as a way to make it easy for occupants to conserve energy related to plug loads
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Retrofit apartments to have individual control over radiator heating
Many low-rise apartment buildings are heated by radiators connected to a central boiler. In lots of these buildings, individual apartments do not have a thermostat or radiator control. Often the building is overheated in winter, with windows open and the boiler working even harder. Lobbies and hallways are also sweltering.
A City program could install valves on each radiator to give occupants individual control and reduce energy wastage. There would be a hugely beneficial return on investment in terms of reduced energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the city.
10 votesHas been implemented in pilot program.
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Label local/green building materials.
I would choose local/green building materials if there were some system of assurance. I would prefer to buy BC wood/materials for my house.
7 votesThe City is supportive of building materials labeling however not in our jurisdiction to implement this.
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Include energy costs in city & province-funded construction projects.
Construction projects get graded based on how cheap they are. But that costing model doesn't include the total environmental impact of a project, such as the carbon released by removing old buildings, the ongoing energy cost of the structures, etc.
The best way to get an environmentally conscious city is to put in economic incentives. Construction is a very high-impact area where the city can exert influence simply by changing the guidelines. A cheap, high-impact proposal.
Other cities are already doing it, and from what I hear UBC is already doing it for their own projects.
7 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan addresses ways and means of rewarding projects that are more energy efficient.
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Waterless Urinals
Save millions of gallons of water!
Plumbers don't like them but i think there is a huge potential for this!6 votesNot specifically part of Draft Greenest City Action Plan, but efficient fixtures and incentives are.
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Improve air quality monitoring and make it educational
Metro Vancouver is responsible for monitoring air quality across the region. There are only two permanent air quality monitoring stations within the City and their readings aren't representative of the rest of Vancouver because of point sources nearby. Building another air quality monitoring station in a better location could help assess trends in ambient air quality across the City. Mobile monitoring studies could also be conducted along major traffic corridors or near suspected point sources to inform policy decisions.
Educational features such as signage and real-time displays could be incorporated into existing or new monitoring stations. This would help inform…
14 votesCity of Vancouver will support Metro Vancouver’s initiatives for improved monitoring
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Change the Building Code to require water efficient fixtures in a wider range of house renovations
The building code specifies the kinds of efficiencies required by water fixtures in all buildings. Currently a home owner has to be undertaking a significant renovation ($95 000 value) before permits are required. The code could be changed to lower that threshold (to $50,000), thereby increasing the number of homes that would be required by law to install fixtures with a high degree of water efficiency.
12 votesIncluded in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Composting public toilets for Wreck Beach (refer to West Coast Trail)
Wreck Beach is one of the most popular destinations in our city - it is served by FAR too few porta-potties, and they are often too few as well as rather nasty. Take the idea even bigger and make it a city wide/beach wide initiative to replace aging or non-existant toilet facilities in parks/beaches from Stanley Park to Lighthouse Park....
3 votesWreck beach is not part of the City’s jursidction but, the feasibility of composting toilets in an urban setting is being investigated.
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Increase incentives for people to trade in old woodstoves for more efficient ones
Metro Vancouver already offers a $250 rebate to trade in their old uncertified wood burning appliance for a new low emission appliance. This could be increased and/or more heavily advertised.
http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/air/health/Pages/WoodStoveExchangeProgram.aspx
5 votesCity of Vancouver is part of, and encourages, Metro Vancouver’s woodstove exchange program. This idea is included in the Draft Action Plan.
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Work with rail yards to encourage them to reduce rail engine idling and other pollution
Rail traffic can contribute to local air pollution, specifically when idling in Vancouver rail yards. Should expand the idling by-law to rail traffic and work with rail yards to explore voluntary options to reduce idling.
10 votesThis action would be under Federal jurisdiction, but the City of Vancouver along with Metro Vancouver can advocate for changes
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Granville bike/walking corridor
Granville street was happily car free for years. Cars fluidly use Seymore and Howe for accessing the Granville St. bridge. Let's eliminate the road and parking on Granville St. and replace it with a two way bike path, gardens/parks, public gathering areas and outdoor eating. Having an alternative transportation area in the core of our city will be a strong symbol of our goals.
5 votesThe Rediscover Granville program was a big success in 2009, and the City will be looking to continue and build upon this work in future years. More broadly, the 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).
