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AI-enhanced waste bins promote recycling at Vancouver airport
AI-enhanced bins promote recycling at Vancouver airport
They call him ‘Oscar’ and, with a little help from artificial intelligence, he’s prompting travellers to sort and recycle their trash at Vancouver International Airport. Early indications are that he is doing a good job.
Loop and Loblaw to bring circular shopping to Canada
• Canada Newswire • Globe and Mail
Loop and Loblaw announced Loblaw as the founding retailer to bring Loop’s innovative packaging solution to Canada. Beginning in early 2020 participants in a Toronto pilot project will introduce reusable containers.
Chemistry and plastics industries tackle plastic waste
In celebration of Environment Week, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association and the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada are highlighting the important headway their members are making in tackling the global challenge of plastic waste in the environment.
Ontario moving recycling costs to companies
• Globe and Mail (Sub. required)
Ontario is moving to force large food retailers and product manufacturers to pay the full cost of recycling. The Province intends to fully transfer recycling costs from municipalities to companies that generate plastic waste in the environment.
Thousands of rejected fridges emitting GHGs
Tens of thousands of old fridges are thrown away each year in Quebec, without anyone ensuring the recovery of the very harmful greenhouse gases they contain, as required by law. La Presse learned that the only factory specializing in the recycling of domestic refrigerating appliances is threatened with closure.
Southeast Asia should want the world’s junk
Southeast Asian nations no longer want your trash. Last week, Malaysia announced it was returning 3,300 tons of scrap plastics including CDs, electric cables and milk jugs to countries ranging from Australia to Bangladesh, Canada, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Edmonton’s $97M composting facility shuttered
• Edmonton Journal • Global News
Edmonton’s $97-million composting facility is being shut down after failing a safety inspection. The problem-plagued composter was only operating periodically, but expected to re-open for the summer. However, a spring inspection found the building has deteriorated and is unsafe.
CaGBC honors green building leaders at gala
Green building projects and developers that demonstrated industry leadership were honoured at the Canada Green Building Council Leadership Awards Gala Dinner. The 2019 awards recognize individuals who’ve made significant contributions to advancing green buildings in Canada.
Fidelity launches first ESG ETF on NEO
Fidelity Investments Canada ULC was welcomed by the NEO exchange with the launch of the Fidelity Sustainable World ETF (NEO:FCSW) which began trading this week. The fund will invest in global companies believed to have favourable ESG strategies.
The Green New Deal’s Canadian connection
• The Tyee
Avi Lewis put the final touches on his script draft, hit send, and waited to discover if he’d make history with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Lewis is the filmmaker and former CBC host who has collaborated on documentaries with spouse Naomi Klein.
PEI residents working on a Canadian Green New Deal
• CBC
A group of PEI residents is part of a national campaign to put climate change on the agenda during the federal election. The Pact for a Green New Deal seeks ways to halve Canada’s GHG emissions in the next 11 years.
Carbon tax to help small business with energy-efficiency
Small businesses in the four provinces with a national carbon price will share $1.4 billion over the next four years to help reduce energy use but business owners say they’re getting the short end of the rebate stick.
FSC launches new standard for forest management
The Forest Stewardship Council has launched a comprehensive new standard for responsible forest management in Canada. After five years of consultation, the new standard targets the most pressing issues threatening Canadian forests.
Federal gov’t invests in tall wood building in Toronto
Adam Vaughan, Member of Parliament for Spadina–Fort York, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’sMinister of Natural Resources, today announced a $4.1-million investment to build a 10-storey tall wood building in Toronto.
Eco Solar Tour in Edmonton celebrates 20th year
Twenty-one of the 25 Edmonton sites have a solar component, while eight homes are Net Zero Energy — generating as much energy as they consume. There are five homes with major energy retrofits (homeowners have brought older homes up to new standards).
Habitat builds first net-zero homes in Winnipeg
• CBC
The lights are on at Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s first net-zero build. The families moving into the solar-powered homes — generating at least as much energy as they use — were on hand to flip the switch and start the power flowing.
Okotoks tiny-house village complete with solar and gardens
The mayor of Okotoks says a tiny-house village will go a long way toward providing affordable housing while reducing the environmental footprint. The first phase of the “eco-village” includes 42 affordable-rental units, market-rate rentals, short-term vacation rentals and homes for purchase.
A river in the sky and catastrophic flooding events
Above the waters of the north Pacific a ribbon of the moist air 800 kilometres wide and 5,000 kilometres long spins off swirling winds. To the naked eye this ribbon may be just a sea of wispy clouds, disguising an atmospheric river …
Capricious climate complicates river regulation
The Carillon dam is the Ottawa River’s final drain. Water from every one of the river’s many tributaries and reservoirs — every drop from its vast watershed — eventually flows through the hydroelectric power station’s gates, about 130 kms east of the capital.
The man who fixed the ozone hole in the sky
Canada’s second-longest serving environment minister, Tom McMillan underscores his keen understanding of the power of networks lies at the heart of everything he accomplished. This includes assembling and chairing the 1987 world conference that produced the 1989 Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depletion.
Greening the concrete jungle
The production of steel, cement and aluminum accounts for about 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and demand is rising. A handful of pilots are underway to develop zero- or nearly-zero-carbon versions of these carbon-heavy materials.
Co-operators CEO challenges business on climate change
Once a year, Canada’s top corporate citizens gather for the Corporate Knights gala in Toronto. Last week, the CEO of The Co-operators rose to receive 2019’s Best Corporate Citizen award and challenged the attendees to tackle the climate crisis.
Michael Bloomberg launches Beyond Carbon campaign
Michael R. Bloomberg has launched Beyond Carbon, the largest coordinated campaign to tackle climate change ever undertaken in the United States. With a $500-million investment, Beyond Carbon will push the U.S. toward a 100-per-cent clean energy economy.
Greenhouse gases: Canada will miss 2030 targets
Unless we double the carbon tax by 2030, Canada will miss its GHG reduction targets under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the federal carbon tax of $50 per tonne in 2022 should be raised to $102/tonne by 2030.
Target goes for 100% renewable electricity by 2030
Target Corporation committed to sourcing 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, the retailer said. The company expects this domestic operations goal to help it more sustainably power stores, distribution centres and offices.
Humber earns first zero-carbon certification for retrofit
• Canada Green Building Council
Humber College’s retrofitted NX building has been awarded the Zero Carbon Building – Design Certification by the CaGBC, the first retrofit in Canada to achieve design certification. A zero-carbon building offsets its carbon emissions using clean renewable energy and high-efficiency systems.
Cities consider data as key to ditching solo cars
On the final, brisk morning of the Michelin-hosted summit on transportation in Montreal, attendees — including some of the first-session mainstage speakers — queued up curbside for shuttles, heeding organizers’ calls to travel together for the cause of sustainable urban mobility.
P.E.I. is losing ground to climate change
“Everything is going against us,” says Adam Fenech, the climate scientist of Prince Edward Island. Bit by bit, Prince Edward Island, made of sandstone and sand, is slowly washing into the sea and “everybody knows it,” Fenech says.
Fairmont Hotels welcomes over two million honeybees
To celebrate Pollinator Month, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a pioneer of responsible tourism and sound environmental practices, has announced the next evolution of its Bee Sustainable programming with the launch of a new interactive digital hub, fairmontbeesustainable.com.
Loblaw expands Flashfood program to reduce waste
Loblaw Companies is expanding its relationship with food sales app Flashfood to further reduce store-generated food waste, while saving customers money. The Flashfood app allows customers to find and purchase food items which are nearing their expiration dates.
Meet Lindsay Baker, WeWork’s global sustainability leader
WeWork’s global footprint has grown to nearly 690 locations across 120 cities globally, and now includes WeLive and WeGrow, aka the We Company. Thus, as the category leader in shared working spaces, the company’s stance on sustainability is interesting to examine.
ICC releases Natural Disaster Preparedness Guide
The International Code Council released a Natural Disaster Preparedness Guide to help communities plan for hurricane season. “Advance preparation, including adopting and enforcing up-to-date building codes, is one of the best ways to protect our (buildings),” said CEO Dominic Sims.
BREEAM USA In-Use standard to be released this fall
The BREEAM USA In-Use standard for multifamily and residential buildings, including individual homes, will be released in the U.S. this fall. This update will be released in conjunction with the update of BREEAM In-Use around the world.
Arbutus strives to build solar-powered Saskatoon community
A Vancouver developer continues to show it’s serious about building a solar-powered community in Saskatoon. Jeff Drexel, president of Arbutus Properties, pledged to a city committee his company will cover the cost of changes to accommodate the unique Solair neighbourhood.
Warming oceans may reduce sea life by 17%
• CBC
The world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of their marine life by 2100 if climate change continues its current path. For every degree the oceans warm, the total mass of sea animals is projected to drop five per cent.
Climate change palpable at historic golf links
• Globe and Mail (Subscription required)
One might mistake Royal West Norfolk Golf Club for just another seaside golf links, until the tide comes in. Then, the surrounding salt marsh fills and effectively turns the course and its protective dunes into an island.
Arctic island coast collapsing up to a metre a day
• CTV • Globe and Mail
The frozen coastline of a Canadian Arctic island is eroding at up to a metre a day due to a warming climate. Researchers say the rate of collapse is six times faster than the average for the previous 65 years.
Toronto sewer project to protect homes, Lake Ontario
The City of Toronto and federal government will spend $207M for the largest basement flooding project the city has undertaken. It will protect 4,300 homes and include 13.6 kilometres of sewers to slow the rate water enters the storm sewage system.
Scientists link climate change, more severe forest fires
• Globe and Mail • Globe and Mail • Global News
In May, 2016, a wildfire near Fort McMurray forced more than 80,000 people to flee the northern Alberta city, destroyed 2,400 buildings and burned nearly 6,000 square kilometres of forest.
Ottawa moves to ban single-use plastics
Canada is taking steps to ban a range of everyday plastics as part of a sweeping strategy to push provinces and manufacturers to overhaul recycling and waste-reduction efforts.
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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