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B.C. Energy Step Code challenges old paradigms
B.C. Energy Step Code challenges old paradigms
Collaboration is key for an innovative energy-efficiency standard that’s made British Columbia the first North American jurisdiction to create a regulated pathway to net-zero energy-ready buildings, says a new report Lessons From the B.C. Energy Step Code
Green pilot project in Cartierville ‘an urban laboratory’
It’s 30 degrees in the shade on Laurentien Blvd. in Cartierville, and Élise Beauregard is tucking green seedlings into a planting bed along the sidewalk. Unlike most municipal plots, this one doesn’t feature stiff rows of geraniums, frilly petunias, or grass.
Extreme weather making climate change a ballot-box issue
• Macleans
In 2016 when a forest fire menaced Fort McMurray and dominated the news, reporters asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau if climate change was to blame. As the unofficial capital of Alberta’s oil sands, the city had figured prominently in the debate.
$18.5M climate change research centre planned for P.E.I.
• CBC • Canada Newswire
Ottawa and the P.E.I. government have committed to building a climate change research centre and school in St. Peters Bay. The Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation will be part of the University of Prince Edward Island.
Northern communities face one of biggest climate change risks
A Canadian Council of Academies report says Canada’s northern communities face one of the biggest risks when it comes to climate change. It listed the top-12 climate change risks, with infrastructure, coastlines and northern communities in the top three.
Is flight shaming the next climate change conversation?
Legendary British documentary filmmaker and conservationist Sir David Attenborough says air travel should be more expensive to help tackle climate change. “If you cost that, you would see that the tickets are extraordinarily cheap,” he told British lawmakers on Tuesday.
Global tree restoration could mitigate climate change
• Science • Global News
The restoration of forested land at a global scale could help capture atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change. Bastin et al. spatially explicit maps show how much additional tree cover could exist outside of existing forests, agricultural and urban land.
Subway tunnels could heat, cool thousands of homes
A few years ago we noted a good reason to take the subway: It’s warmer below. Now researchers in Lausanne have calculated they can recover the heat from brakes, motors, people and the ground and move it with heat pumps.
Alberta developers embrace new stormwater technology
Developers in Alberta are embracing cutting-edge alternative stormwater technologies, according to a UBC study. The study found that Alberta, along with two other Canadian provinces, is adopting widespread use of low-impact developments in urban planning and new community design.
Half of companies do not consider climate risk
A new report assessing the climate performance of 274 of the world’s highest-emitting publicly-listed companies finds that almost half (46%) do not adequately consider climate risk in operational decision-making. A quarter do not report their own emissions at all.
Glass skyscrapers: A boon to the built environment
• GreenBiz
The U.N. Secretariat in New York was constructed between 1947 and 1952 and is the earliest example of a fully air-conditioned tower with a glass curtain wall. Air conditioning enabled the classic skyscraper to become a model for high-rise office development.
U.S. cities see ‘Doppler shift’ in walkable development
The 30 largest cities in the U.S. are experiencing a “Doppler shift” in walkable development, according to a co-author of the 2019 Foot Traffic Ahead report. Walkable urban absorption in the largest metros is gaining market share by over twice their 2010 base.
Existing ICI buildings becoming more energy efficient
While most new buildings are being constructed to higher standards of sustainability, existing commercial buildings are also becoming more efficient. Since 2009 there have been 7,331 certifications and re-certification of existing buildings under the BOMA BEST Sustainable Buildings program.
Condo owners face challenges for EV charging
Live in a condo/townhouse? Want to switch to an electric vehicle? It might not be as simple as just trading in your gas-powered car. Older complexes will find it difficult to accommodate charging stations without an expensive electric upgrade.
Tidal power is a promising source of electricity
In July 2018, Cape Sharp Tidal, a joint venture between Dublin-based OpenHydro Ltd. and Halifax-based Emera Inc., successfully placed a colossal two-megawatt tidal turbine on the ocean floor in the Bay of Fundy and connected the turbine to Nova Scotia’s electrical grid.
Bureaucrats booed during flood-map consultation
Mistakes were made, and a government consultation about a controversial “moratorium” map flagging areas affected by flooding in 2017 and 2019 turned ugly on Thursday. The Pointe-Claire consultation was one of 25 which are being held throughout the province.
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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