LocationsRecent Articles
Unicorn-status Assent focuses on SaaS ESG capabilities
Unicorn-status Assent focuses on SaaS ESG capabilities
Ottawa-based Assent Compliance Inc., a leader in supply chain sustainability management, has seen tremendous growth since its inception 11 years ago. Its recent $447-million financing round has lifted the company to unicorn status.
Satellites aiding sustainability efforts in gov’t program
The federal government has announced $8 million in funding for 21 organizations to advance applications which focus on Earth observation challenges and sustainable development priorities. The funding will be delivered through the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) smartEarth initiative.
It’s time to embrace the ‘disorderly’ net-zero transition
• GreenBiz
The WEF’s 2022 Global Risks Report has “climate action failure” as the No. 1 risk over the coming decade according to author Peter Giger, group chief risk officer, Zurich Insurance Group highlighting documented physical risks such as the severity of severe weather.
WEF framework removes obstacles to net zero buildings
Addressing the significant impact buildings have on the world’s emissions, the World Economic Forum has released Net-Zero Carbon Cities Building Value Framework with ideas to move toward net-zero targets including investing in digital, smart, and distributed renewable energy technologies.
How to nail down the green renovation revolution
Among carbon-emitting industries, buildings should be one of the easiest to decarbonize. And yet Canadian carbon emissions from buildings hit an all-time high in 2019. The sector needs to reduce emissions by almost four million tonnes each year between now and 2030.
Oil and gas heating bans for new homes a trend
• CBC
Vancouver and Quebec recently banned certain kinds of fossil fuel-based heating in new home construction. Similar bans have occurred from Norway to New York City in order to cut CO2 emissions from buildings by replacing fossil fuels with electric heating.
HVAC systems to improve energy efficiency in CRE
A new smart platform to improve the energy efficiency of HVAC systems, pumps and fans for commercial buildings is being launched by Turntide Technologies. It includes a fan and cooling system for data centers, healthcare facilities and manufacturing plants.
Updated model green lease attuned to the 2020s
REALPAC’s newly updated model green lease for Canadian office buildings introduces measures aligned with the broadening demand for ESG reporting and performance outcomes in commercial real estate, and also responds to some arising pressures landlords are facing in lease administration.
Creating an electrical grid for future demands
A report by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, called the Zero Carbon Action Plan, found that the U.S. will need to nearly triple its renewable generation capacity to achieve its net-zero goals by adding 100 gigawatts every year between now and 2050.
A ‘planned retreat’ from building near flood plains
Property lines, municipal borders and the actuarial tables that map the bracing new limits of home insurance in flood-prone areas represent some of the most stubborn hurdles in the path of a sustainable response to global warming.
Rooftop choices put a cherry on the top
Rooftops are the new frontier of creativity and energy-efficiency being put to use for solar panel placement for power generation, green spaces to reduce interior heat gain and gardens offering a relaxing outdoor tenant amenity but they all cost money.
OPINION: Save a building, fight climate change
• CBC
Whether it’s a Gothic Revival church, a modernist Centennial project, or a glass and steel building, a completed structure has a huge carbon footprint. Demolishing a building or throwing it into a landfill is a staggering act of conspicuous consumption.
Montreal’s Exo orders fuel efficient trains
• Environmental Leader • Siemens Mobility news release
Montreal’s public transportation system is ordering 10 new fuel-efficient passenger locomotives that will help it meet strict emissions standards. The city’s public transit, also called Exo, will replace aging locomotives with diesel-electric charger locomotives from Siemens Mobility.
More EV mean more U.S. utility microgrids
Three U.S. utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, Portland General Electric and Florida Power and Light — have plans to deploy microgrids to take advantage of EV batteries’ ability to support the grid and to meet the increased demand for EV charging.
N.S. solar industry says new charges devastating
• CBC
Homeowners, politicians and those in the solar industry are blasting Nova Scotia Power’s proposed new charge for people who generate their own electricity which includes increasing electricity rates for residential customers by at least 10 per cent over three years.
Federal fund has $200M for projects that cut GHGs
The federal government is launching a new $200-million fund that will offer grants of up to $25 million to projects that reduce carbon emissions as Canada seeks to cut emissions to net zero over the next three decades.
Amazon leads corporate clean-energy purchases in 2021
Online retail giant Amazon led a record year for corporate renewable-energy purchases worldwide as businesses expand efforts to clean up their power sources accounting for 20 per cent of a record 31.1 gigawatts of clean power capacity bought by corporations in 2021.
Brookfield Renewable buys Urban Grid for US$650M
Canada-based Brookfield Renewable Partners has purchased clean power developer Urban Grid for US$650 million which will roughly triple its U.S. development pipeline to about 31,000 megawatts of capacity making it one of the largest renewable energy developers in North America.
The new ROI for climate: The ‘risk of inaction’
• GreenBiz
In our hyperpolarized, fact-challenged world, the political debate over the climate crisis has boiled down to a choice. Take costly measures now to avert bigger costs down the road or is doing so both needless and risky for the economy?
China’s voluntary carbon market set to relaunch
China is getting ready to relaunch the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) system, the voluntary carbon credit plan that was abandoned 5 years ago to coincide with the completion of the first compliance period for China’s new carbon trading market.
Industry Events
-
Greenbuild 2024: Built to Scale
Nov 12 2024
to Nov 15 2024
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
-
Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
to Nov 29 2024
Shaw Centre, Ottawa
Follow us on Social Media
Follow SBIZ on your favorite social media platform for news delivered to your feed.
Locations
