Diverso aims to expand geothermal in buildings

BIZ  Energy

Diverso Energy hopes to increase geothermal systems in buildings with a business model it believes benefits both developers and occupants. “We created a utility-like model, where we design, build, own and operate the geothermal system,” said Diverso’s Jon Mesquita.

U of T researching retrofit heating strategy

Real Estate  •  Daily Commercial News

Canada’s post-war multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) have a big heating problem. In many of the rental residences, units are heated by hot-water radiators with, in many cases, no functioning control mechanisms because on-off valves long ago seized up.

London’s Eve Park to feature EV charging stations

Real Estate  •  Daily Commercial News

S2e Technologies has received funding to develop in London, Ontario what it’s touting as the world’s first automated parking tower with charging stations for shared electric vehicles similar to existing rotary carousel-style parking tower models already used in 30 nations.

Why building owners should take charge of EV adoption

Energy  •  GreenBiz

According to Bloomberg NEF’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019 report United States-based EV sales will grow from 2 per cent in 2019 to nearly 60 per cent in 2040. More electric cars were sold in the first half of 2018 than during all of 2016.

How to have an all-renewable electric grid

Energy  •  GreenBiz

The solution to climate change is well-known — stop burning fossil fuels. How to do this is more complicated, but as an energy modeller, I see the outlines of a post-fossil-fuel future: make electricity with renewable sources and electrify almost everything.

IBC joins the GCA in urgent call for adaptation

Real Estate  •  Canada Newswire  •  CBC

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) congratulates the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) on its flagship report, Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience, which is a clear call to action to all nations to adapt now.

Climate change adaptation has big payoff

Real Estate  •  CBC  •  PR Newswire

A group of leaders from business, politics and science have called for a massive investment in adapting to climate change over the next decade, arguing it would reap significant returns as countries avoid catastrophic losses and boost their economies.

As sea levels rise, we must take the higher ground

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

Almost every major city in the world sits beside a body of water, on a site chosen by founders who sought trade routes, economic hubs, marine resources such as fish and even places for rituals from birth to burial.

Why industry is going green on the quiet

Real Estate  •  The Guardian

‘Secret sustainability’ is on the rise, with companies loath to talk about their ecological credentials. Why? It’s a question that puzzles Professor Steve Evans, director of research in industrial sustainability at Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing.

GC’s under pressure to assess the risk of climate change

Real Estate  •  Lexpert

As CEOs face questions regarding what they, and their organizations, are doing in respect of climate change, general counsels are under pressure to address the risk and guide their responses in light of board responsibilities, disclosure obligations, and investor inquiries.

A day in the life of Interface’s chief sustainability officer

Real Estate  •  GreenBiz

Ex-attorney Erin Meezan has the dream job: giving her voice to Interface as its chief sustainability officer. Over the past 15 years, she has pursued an aggressive sustainability vision which has landed the company on the annual GlobeScan survey every year.

GFL acquires Windsor Disposal Services

Real Estate  •  Canada Newswire

GFL Environmental Inc. has acquired the Windsor Disposal Services group of companies. Founded in 1986, WDS is a leading provider of solid waste management solutions in the City of Windsor and surrounding communities, serving residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers.

Vertical farming to deliver freshness with sustainability

Real Estate  •  Canada Newswire

GoodLeaf Farms is revolutionizing farming in Canada. A state-of-the-art, fully automated 45,000-sq.-ft. vertical farm is now operational in Guelph, ON., promising Ontarians a safe and steady supply of local, pesticide-free greens year-round.

Parks Canada approves Lake Louise hill reduction

Real Estate  •  CBC  •  Toronto Star  •  Vancouver Sun

The Lake Louise Long Range Plan has been officially approved by Parks Canada, which says their goal to have a 30 per cent ski hill reduction will have ecological gain by helping alpine wildlife like grizzly bears, wolverines and mountain goats.

Marine heat wave off coast of B.C. concerns scientists

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail  •  Toronto Star  •  Globe and Mail

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a thin blanket of warm water off the West Coast for about three months, saying it resembles a marine heatwave nicknamed “the blob” that disrupted marine life between 2014 and 2016.

GHG emissions in B.C. still near 2007 levels

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail  •  Business in Vancouver

Carbon emissions in British Columbia in 2017 were only slightly below 2007 levels despite a long-running strategy to fight climate change that includes a carbon tax.  New data shows 64.46 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 compared with 64.76 million tonnes in 2007.

City of Burnaby declares climate emergency

Real Estate  •  CBC

The City of Burnaby has joined several other Metro Vancouver municipalities in declaring a climate emergency.

In a statement, the city said it will be directing staff to develop a plan with the goal of reaching carbon-neutrality by 2050.

Why does climate crisis resonate in Quebec?

Real Estate  •  Toronto Star

Something is happening in Quebec. Catherine Gauthier has seen it simmering for a long time. At age 16, she addressed the U.N.’s climate conference in 2005 and issued a plea to world leaders: act now or bequeath the future a broken world.

Big Oil undermines UN climate goals

Real Estate  •  Montreal Gazette

Major oil companies have approved $50B of projects since last year that will not be economically viable if governments implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, think-tank Carbon Tracker said in a report published on Friday.

Suncor’s emission-reducing equipment at oil sands

Real Estate  •  CBC  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

Suncor Energy Inc., Canada’s second-largest oil sands producer, will invest $1.4-billion to install two cogeneration units at its Oil Sands Base Plant, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent.