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BuildSmart - Sustainable Buildings Solutions
BuildSmart
is a program developed and administered by Metro Vancouver to encourage the use
of green building strategies and technologies.
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| Demolition, Land Clearing & Construction Waste Management Toolkit | Metro Vancouver's Demolition, Land Clearing and Construction (DLC) Waste Management Toolkit is a reference guide for contractors, design professionals and building owners, to help them maximize the amount of construction and demolition waste diverted from disposal through salvage, reuse and recycling. The toolkit is developed by Metro Vancouver's Sustainable Business Services as part of its BuildSmart program. | LEED to Contractors Workshops for 2009; Oct 22, Nov 26 | This seminar provides a concise overview of the different aspects of a LEED® project that contractors are primarily involved in. LEED® points discussed include sedimentation and erosion control, materials and resources, indoor air quality, construction waste management, education and program monitoring, and documentation requirements. Tips, examples, best practices, and challenges will be highlighted throughout the presentation.
At the end of this seminar, the attendee will have an understanding of what a LEED® project means for contractors in terms of areas and level of involvement, types and extent of documentation required, challenges that could arise and methods to address them, and working with the LEED® framework while maintaining schedule and delivering results.
Date: Thursday October 22nd, 2009
Time: 8:00 – Noon
Location: Vancouver Regional Construction Association, 3636 East 4th Ave. Vancouver
Date: Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Time: 8:00 – Noon
Location: Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, 211 – 3823 Henning Drive, Burnaby
| Home Renovation Waste Reduction and Recycling Pilot | As part of the Zero Waste Challenge, Metro Vancouver's goal is to work with businesses in the region to reduce and recycle waste at construction and demolition sites. It has been estimated that wood waste (everything from land clearing waste to wood shingles to hardwood flooring) makes up 15% of Metro Vancouver waste. In a new pilot project with renovation contractors, Metro Vancouver’s BuildSmart program is aiming to reduce the amount of waste going to disposal from the renovation of wood frame buildings with a focus on reducing, salvage and reuse, and recycling of wood waste and other banned materials. The pilot will work with renovation contractors to better understand the barriers to improving salvage, reuse and recycling of waste on job sites. | Wood Waste Symposium | On June 2nd and 3rd Metro Vancouver convened close to 100 stakeholders along the wood waste value chain, to strategize ways to increase wood waste diversion rates in the region and explore pathways to greater market uptake of diverted products. Symposium participants came from a range of sectors including: construction and demolition businesses, wood waste management and end-user companies, industry associations, NGOs and government. The one-and-a-half day event consisted of a combination of panel presentations and break-out group sessions. The first day focused on identifying barriers that currently prevent more diversion of wood waste from disposal and market uptake of diverted wood waste; and the second day centred on the finding the most effective approaches and actions needed to address key barriers.
A report summarizing outcomes of the symposium will be compiled and posted here soon.
Presentations:
- Lessons Learned from Elsewhere: Alameda County, California has a waste diversion goal of 75% by 2010. To achieve that goal, Stop Waste has an aggressive recycling and reuse plan including for wood waste. Participants heard directly from Stop Waste about the lessons learned along the road to their waste diversion goals.
Tom Padia, Recycling Director, Stop Waste.org, Oakland, CA
- Producer Responsibility and Forest Products: Where is Canada’s industry heading? The Canadian forest industry has faced formidable challenges including the softwood lumber dispute, the mountain pine beetle, new forms of media and of course the recent economic turmoil and collapse of the US housing market. Yet through it all, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has remained a leader among Canadian industry in its commitment to more sustainable operations. Participants heard directly from FPAC’s Vice President of Climate Change on why the sustainability agenda remains a key element of their business plan and what role the diversion of wood waste plays in their overall efforts.
Mark Hubert, Vice President, Climate Change Leadership, Forest Products Association of Canada
- Snapshot of Current DLC Waste Situation in Metro Vancouver: Metro Vancouver recently commissioned a report by Promise Consulting on the Wood Waste Management Capacity in the Metro Vancouver market. Attendees heard a preview of the report and highlights on the current wood waste situation, along with public policy options currently being considered by Metro Vancouver for meeting its wood waste diversion goals.
Simon Penney, Promise Consulting Inc (Canada) and Andrew Marr, Senior Engineer, Metro Vancouver
- Panel on the Barriers to Greater Market Uptake/Demand for DLC Wood Waste: Participants heard from companies along the wood waste value chain about the main challenges and barriers they face to greater construction and demolition industry diversion and market uptake of wood waste.
Corinne Fulton, General Manager, 3R Demolition
Robert Capar, Owner, Maison d’ Etre
Richard Babcock, Urban Wood Waste Recyclers
Peter Moonen, Sustainability and Special Projects Coordinator, Canadian Wood Council
Randy Gue, Director of Business Development and Resource Recovery, Lafarge Cement
- Pathways to Greater Diversion and Market Demand: The desire for greater wood waste diversion has led to voluntary, regulatory, and market-based approaches — or a combination of all three — in jurisdictions around the globe. New technologies are creating new markets for wood waste, but what are the conditions that must be met for these to flourish? Participants heard about the possibilities from around the globe and their applications for Metro Vancouver.
Lisa Skumatz, Principal, Skumatz Economic Research Associates, Colorado
David Dougherty, President, Dougherty Group LLC, Seattle
Michael Weedon, Executive Director, BC Bioenergy Network |
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Announcing the LiveSmartBC: Efficiency Incentive Program | More grants for windows, doors, heating, ventilation, insulation and other energy efficiency products.
| Report says Building Energy-Efficient Buildings Easiest Way To Reduce GHGs | Building more energy-efficient buildings might be the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change, according to a recent report. The research was conducted by the Montreal-based Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). It found that building green buildings and upgrading the insulation and windows in the existing ones could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.7 billion tons annually. "This is the cheapest, quickest, most significant way to make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions," said Jonathan Westeinde, chair of the research group.
| The Competition Bureau of Canada publishes Env Labelling Guidelines |
The Competition Bureau and the Canadian Standards Association have developed this guide to provide best practices for making environmental claims about products. The main message is that claims should not be vague, but should be as detailed as possible. Claims should be measurable, substantiated, verified and realistic. Although the guidelines are not law, a company would be wise to follow them to avoid any complaints or prosecution for making false and misleading claims. | BC"s Min of Env Emission Offsets Regulations Intentions Paper |
The Ministry of the Environment is in the process of developing the Emission Offsets Regulations under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (GGRTA). Given Royal Assent on November 29, 2007 and enacted on January 1, 2008, the GGRTA legislates BC's commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 33% below current levels by 2020 and to acheive a carbon neutral public sector by 2010. The Emmision Offsets Regulations form part of the work under taken by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) to support these provincial government commitments. The ministry's objectives and the prposed contents of the regulations are provided in a policy intentions paper for consultation (intentions paper). The deadline for submission of comments is on or before August 29, 2008. | Light House Green Building 101 Workshops for Stratas and Co-operatives | Two-thirds of Vancouver residents live in some kind of multi-family building. This can be anything from a duplex to a high-rise apartment. While a condo unit can be very efficient compared to a single family home, there are many easy and cost effective things that can be done to improve the performance and extend life of your building. Besides reducing your environmental impact, greening your condo or co-op unit has a number of other benefits including: savngs on your utility bills, improvements in occupant health, reductions in tenant turnover rates in rental buildings and unit marketability. Schedule your workshop today. | The SolarBC program offers an incentive for Municipalities | The SolarBC Incentive for Municipalities is funded by the Government of British Columbia, and is delivered in cooperation with Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) federal ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat program. This collaboration provides a one-stop service to BC applicants who plan to install a qualifying solar water system at an eligible property. The SolarBC Program is delivered by the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA).
The SolarBC incentive for municipalities will be available from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2011.
| Receive 25% More in Energy Saving Home Renovation Grants - Mar 2009 | It couldn't be easier to green your home and save your money thanks to new government incentives announced this week. |
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July 10, 2009 from
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Group Regional Conference 2009 - Seattle, WA ULI's Young Leaders Group is pleased to announce the inaugural Northwest YLG Regional Conference.  more ...
| July 23, 2009 from
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Light House Green Construction Training Program Two-day course designed for site superintendents, supervisors, site safety officers, and managers of the trades. more ...
| July 27, 2009 from
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Green Building Coordinator Program - Light House Green Building Education Light House is offering a green building documentation training program that will equip project coordinators and administrators with the skills and tools necessary to efficiently and and affordably manage green building rating certification process. more ...
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Resources
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How do you get started?
For more information please contact a Business Advisor
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Fast Facts
BuildSmart is a program developed and
administered by the Metro Vancouver to encourage the use of green building
strategies and technologies. |
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