Quebec couple construct Canada’s second LEED V4 home

Quebec couple construct Canada’s second LEED V4 home

A Quebec couple’s picturesque retirement home along the St. Lawrence River has received Canada’s second LEED V4 Platinum home certification. The L’Heure Bleue in Charlevoix, Que., is a 2,350-square-foot modern farmhouse revival located on more than two acres of coastal property which is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Sustainable Biz Canada

Enwave expands Toronto thermal energy system to The Well

Enwave Energy Corporation has teamed with Allied Properties REIT (AP-UN-T) and RioCan REIT (REI-UN-T) to build a thermal energy storage facility under The Well mixed-use development in Toronto’s downtown west.  “We have a number of unique types of deals with this thermal battery concept, but this is first one we’ve done in Toronto,” said Enwave East Region president and chief operating officer Carlyle Coutinho.

Property Biz Canada

Can general counsel influence boards to drive sustainability?

JLL (JLL-N) and the Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC) published an e-guide for general counsel on how to influence the board of directors to drive sustainability. This guide aims to inspire and encourage general counsel, the board of directors, senior executives and management to take action and deliver long-term value.

PR Newswire – The guide

Carbon offsets embedded into carbon neutral mortgage

While sustainable finance has largely focused on providing financial products and tools to investors and businesses, we’re beginning to see more opportunities arise for consumers. One example of this is the emergence of the so-called “green” mortgage, a loan product that allows borrowers to reduce their utility bill costs by allowing them to finance the cost of incorporating energy-efficient features into home purchases.

Sustainable Brands

Pilot program for energy efficiency mortgages launched in Europe

Ground-breaking new proposals for a European ‘energy efficiency mortgage’ scheme were launched today by the EU-funded ‘EeMAP’ initiative, which banks and buildings experts are preparing to pilot across Europe. A public consultation on the proposals is now open for comments until 12 March, following the release of a major EU report on sustainable finance for financial regulators that recommended support for energy efficient mortgages.

World GBC – EeMAP Energy Efficiency Mortgage Pilot Scheme

REIT develops own certification after ENERGY STAR drops them

After the U.S. Department of Energy halted its Energy Star program for medical office buildings in 2013, real estate investment trust Welltower developed its own proprietary system to evaluate total building performance.  The company’s Green Arrow Building Certification (GABC) program measures energy, water, waste, indoor air quality, and innovation.

BDC Network

Willis Tower Breaks ENERGY STAR Record

Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower just got a whole lot greener. The 4.5 million-square-foot, 110-story skyscraper recently achieved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR certification, making the Windy City’s tallest building the largest office building in the country to receive the designation.

CP Executive

70 Story tallest timber tower tipped for Tokyo

Sumitomo Forestry has a lot of wood to use up. Sumitomo Forestry, an industry giant in Japan, has a problem. Most of their wood goes into building houses and, with a shrinking population and a dislike of immigration, there are not a lot of houses being built. So they are pivoting to plyscrapers, and proposing a 70-story, 350 meter (1148′) tower for the Marunouchi district in Tokyo.

TreeHugger

JFK Terminal awarded LEED Gold certification

Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport has become the first airport terminal in the US to be awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance gold certification. Terminal 4 received the certification with help of CodeGreen, which provided energy and sustainability consulting through the certification process.

Energy Manager

O’Hare Airport invests in zero-emissions ground support

United Airlines and the Chicago Department of Aviation will invest a total of $1.43 million to purchase 26 new pieces of zero emissions ground support equipment. Grant funding for the project from the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act – a total of $640,000 – will help O’Hare and United Airlines to save a total of more than 1.4 million gallons of diesel fuel.

Environmental Leader

Walmart and Amazon on scaling sustainability

The world’s biggest companies and institutions are leveraging their influence and scale to transform markets for energy, packaging and raw materials.  Walmart, Amazon and the U.S. Air& Force are some of the organizations that are reaping the benefits of sustainable energy and operations while advancing a cleaner economy. 

GreenBiz

	A Norwegian hotel that is energy ‘plus’
	The Norwegian Powerhouse energy standard is, far and away, the toughest in the world. The building is not only Net Zero Energy, it’s not only Passive House, it is “plus energy.”
	TreeHugger, February 15, 2018

 

How Canada became an offshore destination for ‘snow washing’

Canada is one the world’s most opaque jurisdictions when it comes to identifying the owners of private companies and trusts, according to anti-corruption campaigners who say that more rigorous checks are required to obtain a library card than to set up a company in the country. “Anyone can start a company in Canada. It costs about C$200 and the owner of the company can remain completely anonymous,” said lawyer Mora Johnson.

The Guardian – Secret Entities: A legal analysis of the transparency of beneficial ownership in Canada

Transport becomes most polluting UK sector

The majority of Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions now come from transport. Emissions fell by 5 per cent overall between 2015 and 2016, largely due to a decrease in the use of coal for electricity generation. The UK is on track to meet the second carbon budget, which restricts the amount of greenhouse gas the UK can legally emit in a five-year period that ends in 2017.

The independent

Three Canadian solar panel companies sue U.S. over tariffs

Three Canadian solar panel manufacturers have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the 30 per cent tariff it set on solar cell imports last month. Ontario-based Silfab Solar Inc., Heliene Inc., and Canadian Solar Solutions Inc., along with U.S.-based distributor Canadian Solar (USA) Inc., filed the challenge at the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on Wednesday.

Toronto Star

Wind industry to gain market share after solar panel tariffs

Solar energy’s loss could prove to be wind power’s gain. On the heels of President Trump’s decision to impose stiff tariffs on all solar panel imports, analysts say there could be an unexpected hole in the energy marketplace over the next few years that other power sources will rush to fill. The wind industry could be best positioned to capitalize.

Washington Times

	Hydrogen could replace fossil fuels
	Hydrogen is the least talked-about renewable energy but has the greatest potential to replace fossil fuels, both to heat homes and to provide fuel for road transport. Only in the last two years has hydrogen become both practical and financially viable.
	Globe-net, February 15, 2018

 

Products, Technology and Design

New 2˚C scenario tool powered by Rystad Energy’s data

 The Carbon Tracker Initiative, an independent financial think tank, announced today that its in-depth analysis of the impact of climate change on a company’s exposure to carbon transition risk is available through 2˚C Scenario Analysis Tool on the Bloomberg App Portal.

Carbon Tracker

Market Trends and Research

Canada’s innovation funding leaves women behind: report

Canada’s focus on funding innovation in the predominantly male tech sector is putting female businesses in other industries – at a disadvantage. The report, sponsored by the Canadian government and Bank of Montreal, says female entrepreneurs lead 50 per cent of all new businesses, own close to half of all small and medium-sized Canadian enterprises and create more jobs than male entrepreneurs.

Globe and Mail

Women on the margins of UN climate panel

A 2013 special issue of Nature took a look at gender bias in science, and concluded that the field still was “institutionally sexist.” Women scientists make less money, and receive fewer promotions and grants than men, and are more likely to leave because of discrimination and family pressures, the journal said.

Eco Business

Climate change; disaster for millennials, inconvenience for boomers

This is a series where I take distilled versions of my lectures presented as an adjunct professor teaching sustainable design at Ryerson University School of Interior Design in Toronto. When I teach sustainable design, I start with the basics, the problems we are trying to solve, and of course, the biggest one is climate change and the importance of reducing our consumption of fossil fuels.

TreeHugger

Commercial real estate

6 trends shaping smart hotels

Ten years from now, a hotel stay will be a much different experience than today. Picture this: As you approach the property entrance, you see a massive art installation illuminated by an LED light show. You walk through the door to the lobby, bypass the check-in area, and are guided to your room by your smartphone and dynamic digital signage.

BDC Network

Optimizing environmental due diligence in CRE transactions

To accurately determine the extent of environmental impact on a property, it’s important to understand both current and historical tenant operations, cautioned Dan Spinogatti, senior vice president of real estate services with EBI Consulting—an environmental and engineering due diligence firm. Addressing attendees of the Mortgage Bankers Association CREF/Multifamily Finance Conference in San Diego, he presented some of the biggest environmental risks for each property type.

CP Executive

Government Programs and Incentives

B.C. must take decisive action on climate pollution

Karen Tam Wu, acting B.C. director at the Pembina Institute and a member of B.C.’s Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council, made the following statement today in response to the B.C. government’s 2018 speech from the throne. The Pembina Institute welcomes the government’s pledge to introduce a new and improved climate strategy later this year.

Pembina Institute

5 ways tax policy can help achieve the UN Global Goals

Determining how to best mobilize public funds is essential for sustainable development—particularly for developing countries. A holistic approach to tax policy, centred on economic growth, is key. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as an ambitious and essential set of universal goals and targets, recognizing that it is the greatest global challenge and is an indispensable requirement of sustainable development.

ICCWBO

Groups want tougher new energy project assessment

Environmental groups are urging the Liberal government to strengthen its proposed changes to the process of assessing resource projects, arguing the current plan will allow economic development to trump environmental protection.  Scientists and advocates worry there is no clear guidance under which projects would be turned down because of environmental impacts.

Globe and Mail

Corporate Sustainability

How executives can create a culture of sustainability

As more organizations begin looking into sustainability, one of the first things they realize is that an effective sustainability program requires developing a company-wide “culture of sustainability.” But in order to create this culture of shared goals, values, and beliefs, “companies must fully understand what sustainability is all about,” says Stephen Ashkin, the professional cleaning industry’s leading advocate for sustainability.

Green Lodging News

Cities and Towns

Why sustainable concrete, the bedrock for future cities

The US’s infrastructure is falling apart beneath our feet. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave our infrastructure a “D-” on its infrastructure report card. There are so many considerations for infrastructure repair, it’s mind-boggling. There are two common threads throughout: energy and concrete.

Sustainable Brands

Cities urged to buy up cheap land for sustainable expansion

Overcrowded cities in developing nations could tackle unmanaged urban sprawl more effectively by creating 30-year plans based on acquiring cheap land adjacent to their suburbs and developing those new areas in a sustainable way, experts said on Monday. Some urban planners and researchers are trying out an idea proposed by the New York University Marron Institute of Urban Management.

Eco Business

Water Management

Ontario launches cleantech strategy with an emphasis on water

Yesterday, Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research, Innovation and Science launched the new Cleantech Strategy, under which includes renewed support for existing accelerator programs, such as the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP). The global market for clean tech is expected to be worth $2.5 trillion by 2022.

Water Canada – Ontario Clean Tech Strategy

Environmental groups raise concerns over port expansion in Contrecoeur

An environmental group says it’s willing to go to court to protect an endangered fish whose habitat may be put at risk by the construction of a new cargo port at Contrecoeur. “We’ll consider all options,” said Christian Simard, the executive director of Nature Québec, but he hopes a solution can be reached long before it comes to that.

Montreal Gazette

Waste Management

Plastic bags could soon be forbidden in Saskatoon recycling bins

Saskatoon residents could soon be asked to stop putting plastic bags in their recycling bins. A report endorsed by a city council committee on Tuesday recommends plastic bags and other similar material be removed from the list of acceptable items people can toss into municipal recycling bins.

The Star Phoenix

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