GC 2020
657 results found
-
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.
-
Plant additional trees on wide boulevards
Additional trees could be planted on streets with wide boulevards such as Charles between Nanaimo and Renfrew.
48 votes -
Pedestrianised Streets
Make the following streets pedestrianised:
Granville St--in the zone dedicated for transit use. Transit can remain on its current routing along Seymour and Howe. (Issue a refund to Translink for their contribution to the redesign)
South of Smithe, re-allocate two lanes for cycling (four motor vehicle lanes is overtly excessive).
South of Nelson, remove the car parking on the sidewalk! That has to be the ***** design imaginable. That space should be for pedestrians, not for perching motor vehicles. This is effectively creating a 6-lane arterial on Granville.Gastown, and;
Robson--from Granville St., west to Jervis St.
47 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).
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/currentplanning/granvilleredesign/rediscover/
-
47 votes
Council members cannot be mandated to eat vegan meals, however they may accept a friendly challenge. Like other Vancouverites, they may also be swayed by communications and education about the ecological footprint impacts of various dietary choices
-
Make Transit Easy and Driving Hard
Start to make driving difficult and transit easier and accessible.
Key Points in this would be: Eliminating Curbside Parking to make room for additional transit. No more road upgrades unless it is necessary for the purpose of trucking and goods transport. Increase transit density so that the majority of citizens are within a 10 minute walk of transit that will arrive on average every 10 minutes. This can be done through buses and trams. Extend rapid transit to unreached areas such as the broadway corridor, coquitlam and the tri-cities, Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford. This could be done through current projects…
47 votes -
46 votes
Requires support from the provincial and federal governments. The draft Greenest City plan will advocate for new sources of funding for improved transit (e.g. congestion pricing, vehicle levies).
-
aerobic composting
To have all high desity apartments as well as all hotels use aerobic composting units. Unlike traditional compsting that attracts vermin and creates green hose gasses with the decomposition, aerobic composting units produce very limited amounts of green house gasses, they also have the ability to turn large volumes of organic waste into soil in short periods of time, this soil could then be used in parks or on farms to complete the cycle. Aerobic Composter are also faster in turning waste into soil some are able to process a ton within 24 hours, this would reduce the amount of…
46 votes -
No Car City: Measure and reduce car passenger miles: If we drive less, a green city can emerge.
What kind a lever can we pull that automatically creates a cascade of green behaviours?
It would seem that very few us would choose to trade our lives for a daily commute, but we do because we don't have much of a choice.
If we aimed to reduce per capita passenger car miles traveled in our cities, we'd be able to begin to free up some of the 30% of city surface area used for cars; it would mean we'd be doing everything closer to where we live, including work. We'd burn less oil, and we'd walk and ride more.…45 votesOne of the 2020 targets for Green Transportation is to reduce distance driven per resident 20% from 2007 levels. One of the major challenges is data — better data sources are needed to monitor progress and set more detailed targets. Odometer readings would be one way to get better VKT numbers, and would be possible with support from the Province and ICBC. Improved regional travel surveys are another possible approach.
-
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 votesFinancing tools (currently under development) may encourage building owners to improve the performance of their buildings
-
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 -
Pets on public transit.
Toronto allows people to take their pets on transit, on leashes (instead of in carriers). This will enable owners of bigger pets to take their furry friends on hikes, without requiring the use of a car. Encouraging transit, healthy living, and access to nature at the same time!
43 votesThis falls under TransLink, not City, jurisdiction.
-
Empower apartment residents to hang their laundry to dry
Many strata and co-op buildings prohibit drying laundry on balconies or outside. Hanging to dry uses far less energy than using a dryer. Pass a by-law: prohibit the prohibition!
43 votesFalls under occupant engagement in energy conservation
-
Bike alternative (bridge?) to Massey Tunnel
You can't bike through Massey Tunnel. At ALL. That means you have to take a bus to the ferry, or the free shuttle service which works only in summertime and at very particular times. If you miss it, you have to wait for hours. There should be a bike bridge instead -- more flexibility for the bikers and eliminate the shuttle too.
43 votesOutside city boundaries and jurisdiction. Addressing major gaps in the regional cycling network could potentially be addressed through the relevant local municipalities and/or TransLink. TransLink’s draft regional cycling strategy can be found here: http://translink.ca/cycling .
-
Work with surrounding cities and Translink to improve commuter transportation
Commuting to and from Vancouver is a huge source of pollution, gas consumption and energy waste. It's great if Vancouver does a lot of smaller things to make it a greener city, but if the issue of commuter waste is not addressed, then calling itself the greenest city might be a little fluffy. Commuting is not going to go away - how could it be better? By using existing rail lines for commuter trains. Building skytrain service further out into the Valley and White Rock. Organize carpool companies that will match commuter needs. We must get the cars with single…
42 votes -
meatless mondays
Like the title say, reduce meat consumption on Mondays. This would help reduce out footprint enormously. Furthermore, we would be the first city in Canada to adopt such a policy, the second in North America (after San Fran.) and the third in the world. It would be non-binding, that is great if you do it, OK if you don't. Read more here: http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating-recipes/blogs/san-francisco-joins-meatless-monday-bandwagon
Thanks!!!42 votesLow footprint food choices are not the same as vegan food choices in all cases, the analysis is more complex than this. Generally a low footprint diet is local, seasonal food, and limits consumption of red meat, dairy, and some grains. Low footprint food choices is included in the draft Greenest City Action Plan and will be discussed in ongoing community engagement work.
-
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 -
Make public transportation truly PUBLIC again
Translink is a private company doing a public service. Public transportation would be better for the people, and greener for the city, if it was run by the people/city instead of by this company who has not much more than profits on the brain.
42 votes -
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
-
Allow, educate, and encourage households to use greywater
In many countries, grey water is used by households and other buildings to collect run-off from roofs, washing machines, sinks, and bathtubs to water gardens and flush toilets.
Allow and encourage people to install alternative plumbing systems to make this possible. In Australia, there is an entire sector of the plumbing industry dedicated to installing and maintaining these systems.
41 votesIncluded in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
-
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.
