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Measuring Sustainability 

Sustainability Report 2009

Since 2002 Metro Vancouver has used the Sustainable Region Initiative as its framework for decision-making and a guide for translating sustainability principles into action. The purpose of the 2009 Sustainability Report is to help assess our progress towards becoming a sustainable region.

Metro Vancouver has a vision to achieve the highest quality of life embracing cultural vitality, economic prosperity, social justice and compassion, all nurtured in and by a beautiful and healthy natural environment. The scope of the 2009 Sustainability Report reflects the breadth of issues that contribute to the sustainability of the region. For each issue area, the sustainability challenge is discussed along with Metro Vancouver’s role, if applicable, in meeting that challenge. The Metro Vancouver Board has identified priorities requiring concentrated effort and actions and for these priorities, targets have been established. Indicators are provided in the report to assess progress on targets and reveal general trends related to the region’s sustainability.

In terms of findings, the results are mixed. The trends in drinking water, land use and transportation as well as air quality are relatively positive while the region faces challenges in terms of solid waste, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability Report 2003-2005

Metro Vancouver is committed to sustainability. Over the last years, we have focused our attention on clearly articulating and incorporating sustainability principles into our activities and practices. This report demonstrates, through stories as well as statistics, our successes in that regard, as well as those areas where more work is required.

This is our first three-year report. It is a departure from our previous two annual reports. We have changed the format to focus on key achievements and challenges rather than providing an overview of all of our functional responsibilities. We hope this new structure provides a clear picture of what and how we are doing at Metro Vancouver.

We describe some representative cases and provide trend data from 2003-05 compared with previous years for 33 regional and corporate performance measures. Additional quantitative data will be available on our developing website, including our financial statements and related financial information and an annual update and forthcoming index of the performance measures derived from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability performance protocol for public sector organizations. Our aim is for something more readable and impressionistic, leaving the appetite for detailed accounts to be satisfied in these other sources .


Sustainability Report 2003

This is our second sustainability report, developed to document the Metro Vancouver's contributions to a sustainable region. It is based on feedback received about our 2002 prototype and the 2002 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Measures provided in this second report will continue to be refined and improved as the Metro Vancouver learns more about sustainability and the specific sustainability reporting indicators most appropriate to our activities. We also expect to develop new, additional and integrated indicators as required by the progress of our performance.

There is much more to sustainability than developing and reporting on indicators. Our hope is that by articulating our performance, we help to increase knowledge and awareness of sustainability principles and measures and encourage a broad-based dialogue about the sustainable future of the region.


Sustainability Report 2002

This is our first sustainability report, developed to document the Metro Vancouver's contribution towards a sustainable region. This first edition of our sustainability report is a prototype, planned for use as a guide for discussions with our member municipalities, partners, the public and staff, to ensure that subsequent reports provide the information required by readers, in the way they wish it to be received.

Looking ahead, we realize we are just beginning to develop the information and indicators needed to measure and accurately summarize our progress toward sustainability goals. Measures provided in this first report will be refined and improved as we learn more about sustainability and the specific sustainability reporting indicators most appropriate to our activities.
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Resources

Waste to Energy Facility Upgrade Approved

A $6.7-million upgrade to Metro Vancouver Waste-to-Energy Facility in Burnaby will increase electricity production from 15 megawatts to 16.7 megawatts, enough to supply over 16,700 homes with power.

The facility burns about 20 per cent of the Lower Mainland’s garbage, mainly from the North Shore, Burnaby and New Westminster, and plays an essential role in the region’s integrated waste management system.

Every year, the facility turns approximately 250,000 tonnes of garbage into 800,000 tonnes of steam. Since it opened in 1988, a portion of this steam has been sold to a nearby paper recycling facility to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. To increase energy recovery, Metro Vancouver installed a turbo generator in 2003 that uses the steam to produce electricity, which is sold to BC Hydro. Metro Vancouver uses revenue from steam and electrical sales to offset the operational costs of the solid waste management system. When completed at the end of 2006, the upgrade will qualify for a $218,000 grant through BC Hydro’s Power Smart Program.

“The upgrade demonstrates our commitment to the Metro Vancouver’s Sustainable Region Initiative by ensuring that our garbage is disposed of in an environmentally safe manner, and that it generates renewable and valuable energy sources – steam and electricity,” says Board Chair Lois Jackson.




Fast Facts

2005 Awards

  • Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Excellence Award –Surrey Transfer Station
  • FCM–CH2M HILL Sustainable Communities Award – BuildSmart/Green Buildings
  • BCWWA Safety Competition –1st & 4th place
  • Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Award of Merit – Stormwater Source Control Design Guidelines
    and poster series
  • Golden Rooster Award by the BC Council of Agriculture for excellence in TV journalism in agriculture in
    2005 – The Sustainable Region
  • Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life Top Performers – 70 units
  • Penticton Dragon Boat Festival – Silver