Artistic rendering of a BOSS duplex (KOR Architecture)
Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Chris Hill, a board member of Passive House Canada, and the president of BCollective.
On November 17, 2020, The City of Vancouver Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan, putting Vancouver on track to reduce the city’s carbon pollution by 50% by 2030. The plan focuses on cutting carbon pollution from our biggest local source of carbon emissions as the burning of fossil fuels from buildings accounts for 54%.
The construction industry is slow to adapt to changing regulations and is in dire need of support. The way we build houses is pretty much the same as it was in the 1920s. Lumber is sent to building sites, crews cut and nail materials together, a variety of trades bring parts to the site then perform tasks to solve the complex puzzles around homebuilding. This all creates a large amount of waste and frustration.
Canada played an important behind-the-scenes role in prodding the International Energy Agency to develop its landmark Net-Zero by 2050 pathway, while the Trump administration would have been in a position to exert outsized influence on the IEA’s.
The government is going on a hiring spree to recruit and train up to 2,000 people as energy advisers to support green home renovation programs this summer. On Monday, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan announced $10 million in funding to pay for the energy adviser program designed to help Canadians cut their home energy use. Energy advisers are trained to conduct audits that tell homeowners how their home currently uses energy and how they can upgrade it to be more energy efficient. “We need to train more (energy advisers) because I think very soon we will be announcing an ambitious greener homes initiative, and it’s going to affect thousands of Canadians,” said O’Regan.
The Globe and Mail Diane Jermyn Published April 19, 2021
As climate change challenges the world, Canadians know we must do better, particularly in business.
Canada’s Greenest Employers 2021, selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and celebrated here in this special competition for environmental leadership, have the kind of practical strategies that make a real difference. And as these Greenest companies show, sustainability and success do go hand in hand.
Under the stress of a global pandemic, not only have they continued to green their organizations in so many innovative ways – from electric vehicles to solar reflecting roofs to creating habit for honeybees – but increasingly demonstrate a formalized commitment supporting the global transition to a low-carbon economy.
Fort St. John s Passive House. (wireservice.ca)
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C – Fort St. John’s Passive House, or Passivhaus, has run its course with the city as council has motioned to put the structure up for sale.
The house, built in 2015, was a project to prove conservation can be accomplished in the north. The house was used as an example as the city prioritised conserving water and energy while reducing both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Council held a closed meeting on February 22nd, approving to release the decision to the public, according to the March 8th council agenda. Council moved to declare both the passive house (9904 94th Street) and the adjacent lot (9912 94th Street) as surplus and approved the sale of the properties.