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IKEA Canada net positive for energy consumption
IKEA Canada net positive for energy consumption
Retail giant IKEA hit two major sustainability milestones during 2020, in Canada and around the world. The global furniture and housewares retailer announced it had generated four times the amount of renewable energy it consumed in Canada.
On the way to net zero at Ottawa library and archives
• ReNew Canada • Canada Newswire
Significant enhancements to achieve net-zero carbon are being made to the plan for a joint Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada facility scheduled to open in 2025. Changes will result in a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas intensity.
Rooftop solar is on the rise, but not so much in Canada
• CBC
Canadians seem increasingly interested in living more sustainably, but one option that gets little mention is rooftop solar power. The U.K. and Germany, places that receive less light on average than Canada, have 20 times the number of solar rooftops.
Fitwel Viral Response Module certification: Lessons
The Fitwel Viral Response Module is a framework that real estate owners can use to obtain third-party certification for ensuring their properties are ready for a safe return to work. Here are lessons learned from managing our first certification process.
GRESB: The class of 2020
Since 2010, the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark has become an integral part of investor due diligence and investment-manager reporting. In 2020, further participation in GRESB caused coverage to grow by 22%, taking in 1,229 portfolios encompassing more than $6.1 trillion Cdn in assets under management.
Canada can hit net-zero emissions in 2050
• CBC • Canada Newswire • Globe and Mail
Canada is in an advantageous position to reach its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a new report titled Canada’s Net Zero Future, that looked at 60 modeling scenarios suggests, if governments capitalize on the right opportunities today.
Amazon will reach 100% clean energy by 2025
Royal Dutch Shell and Amazon announced Shell Energy Europe BV will supply Amazon with green energy from a subsidy-free offshore wind farm off the Netherlands coast. This will enable Amazon to power its business completely using clean energy by 2025.
Drax bids to buy B.C. pellet maker Pinnacle
• Victoria News • Canada Newswire
B.C.-based Pinnacle Renewable Energy is being taken over by British-based Drax Power Ltd., part of an international push to low-carbon energy production. Drax has agreed to pay $385 million for Pinnacle, a bid endorsed by Pinnacle’s board and its largest shareholder.
Canadian fuel-cell producer Loop launches $100M IPO
• Globe and Mail • Business In Vancouver
B.C.-based fuel-cell producer Loop Energy Inc. is looking to raise $100 million in an IPO, capitalizing on the recent investor craze for clean energy companies. A longtime partner of Canada’s National Research Council, Loop makes fuel-cell systems to electrify commercial vehicles.
Quebec bets on wind, citing shift in cost of power
• Globe and Mail • Daily Commercial News • CBC
The era of building big new hydropower dams in Quebec might be over. The province announced it has approved the $600-million Apuiat wind-power development, a private project owned 50-50 by Boralex and Innu communities that will provide 200 megawatts of electricity annually.
Airlines racing to curb rising carbon emissions
• CBC
One of the biggest headwinds facing the airline industry is finding a way to reduce the carbon emissions produced by flying thousands of jets every day. It’s one of the biggest challenges for the world’s efforts to combat climate change.
OPINION: GM’s pivot shows climate push is in high gear
• Globe and Mail (Sub. required) • CTV News
The 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville was a behemoth powered by a fuel-chugging 390-cubic-inch V8. With the announcement of its target to be carbon-neutral by 2040, the Caddy’s maker, General Motors Co. (GM-N), is seeking to bury the excess the machine embodied.
CS Energy launches Women in Renewable Energy program
CS Energy, an integrated energy firm that designs and builds projects in the solar, storage and emerging energy industries, has launched an employee-led effort to support and increase the number of women on its team.
SRI firms failing to invest in people of colour
• Corporate Knights • Globe and Mail
When a range of instances of systemic racism made headlines over the last year, SRI investors were head-down in meetings strategizing about what they could do to address racial disparities at the corporations they engage with.
Pandemic provides new insight into tackling food waste
OPINION: For many, the past year has brought a real awakening when it comes to their relationship to food – and food waste – as cooking at home became a necessity because of restrictions and concerns about eating at restaurants.
Input for ‘blue economy’ oceans strategy in Canada
Canadians are being asked for their input on ways for Canada to become a global leader in what the federal government refers to as the ‘blue economy,’ tapping into Canada having the world’s longest coastline and connected to three oceans.
Plant Prefab goes Passive House
Steve Glenn founded LivingHomes in 2004 as “a designer and developer of modern, prefabricated homes that combine world-class architecture with an unparalleled commitment to healthy and sustainable construction.” I met him when I was working with a prefab company in Canada.
Calif. lawmakers address effects of rising sea levels
The flood of California state bills addressing sea-level rise is surging as legislators recognize their urgency including the idea of relocating coastal railroad tracks, loans for cities to buy coastal homes and a warning system for coastal bluff collapses.
A tidal wave of carbon emissions data approaches
A radical increase in available carbon emissions data may be just around the corner. Should it happen within a matter of months, cities failing to measure and publish their emissions data will find themselves under scrutiny.
Denmark to build world’s first energy island
Denmark has approved a plan to build the world’s first artificial energy island in the North Sea that will produce enough green electricity for the needs of 3,000,000 European households and for use in shipping, aviation, industry and heavy transport.
Industry Events
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Greenbuild 2024: Built to Scale
Nov 12 2024
to Nov 15 2024
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
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Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
to Nov 29 2024
Shaw Centre, Ottawa
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