Planning Pool

A small but important part of the ‘Greenest City Action Plan’, The City of Vancouver hopes to tackle the resource efficiency of existing buildings through a proposed amendment to our building by-law (VBBL) that would require green improvements along with the renovation of one and two family homes. Arguably, it might seem like this will have a small impact on the massive GHG goals taken on by the Province and City, however it is an essential step in any Green Building plan. Read more…

Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic Winter Games claim to be the ‘greenest’ games ever. But are carbon offsets actually effective?

Climate change policies in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia (BC) have attracted a fair amount of international interest and even envy, especially from its neighbours to the south.

The New Urbanist community of East Clayton in Surrey, British Columbia, is one of the neighbourhoods whose GHG emissions were studied by Dr. Maged Senbel. Photo by author.

In 2008, BC became North America’s first major jurisdiction to institute a consumer-based carbon tax. Of course, no progressive policy is without its contradictions. Since instituting the carbon tax, intended to reduce public reliance on fossil fuels, the province has continued to sink scarce … Continue Reading

The New York Times ran an article this week highlighting the “controversy” over the investments of eco-champion Al Gore.  Apparently, some perceive a conflict of interest between the Nobel Laureate’s environmental fervor and his wide-ranging financial stakes in green industry.  Conservative lawmakers have questioned Gore’s true intentions, citing his ties to Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, as well as his chairmanship of Generation Investment Management, both of which maintain significant holdings in green technology/clean energy (here’s a list of KPCB’s green investments).  Here’s a little video of an exchange between Gore and a Representative from his home state of Tennessee:

Gore’s strategy to transform markets by displaying the economic … Continue Reading

Over the next few days, Vanessa and I will be liveblogging from the CIP/OPPI Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. With currenty 900 delegates registered and over 1000 expected from the private sector, the public sector and academia throughout Canada and abroad, the 3-day conference should be very interesting!

The theme of the conference is “Building a Better World,” which is appropriate for the current economic situation and for the location of the conference. As the Mayor of Niagara Falls noted in opening remarks, the recession offers an opportunity for changes. Also, Niagara Falls is a model of change. A former manufacturing center, Niagara Falls transformed itself into a tourism destination focusing on the falls, casinos, golf courses and vinyards, a place that offers attractions year-round.

Today, the conference is opening with keynote speaker Sheila Watt-Cloutier. A Nobel Prize nominee, Watts-Cloutier helped launch … Continue Reading

The U.S. Congress just put another US$2 billion into the popular Cash for Clunkers program.

The Cars Allowance Rebate System (CARS), which has been dubbed “Cash for Clunkers,” has been so popular in the US that the $1 billion allocated for the program ran out in just a week, three months ahead of schedule. The $2 billion extension will let car owners trade in old fuel-inefficient cars for $3,500 to $4,500 until September 1.

This week, the Transportation Department released data showing that more than 184,000 cars had been traded in, with the Toyota Corolla as the best-selling new car under the clunker program.

Cash for Clunkers requires car dealerships to shred the old, gas-guzzling auto … Continue Reading

Here’s an interesting article by Edward Glaeser and Matthew Kahn, economists well-known in the urban economics and environmental economics fields. They have found that Manhattan residents emit almost 4,500 pounds less of transportation-related carbon dioxide than suburban New York residents, making Manhattan one of the greenest places in America.
The data suggest a strong general pattern: households in dense urban areas have significantly lower carbon emissions than households in the suburbs.
Counter-intuitive, or does this really make sense?

Matthew Kahn also has an informative and interesting blog here. He also just posted a reader’s response to his and Glaeser’s article. The reader pointed out that cities rely heavily on imported goods, especially water, which is unsustainable. If you’re interested in water issues, you might like to check out the post here.

via www.dcexaminer.com >> Opinion.