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BuildSmart - Sustainable Buildings Solutions
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| Metro Vancouver invites your business to cut costs by cutting carbon | Metro Vancouver and several member municipalities are encouraging businesses to measure their carbon emission and implement reductions strategies. For a limited time, a generous subsidy from Metro Vancouver and member municipalities has reduced the program fee from up to $2,000 down to $250–$1,000, depending on the size of your business Climate Smart is a program that helps businesses develop strategies to reduce operational costs while cutting carbon emissions. Over 450 organizations are working now to streamline their businesses and take action on something they care about. Participants will receive training and tools to help them quantify their environmental impact, develop a clear action plan, continuously improve their business efficiencies, and green their businesses in a meaningful way More information: (604) 254-6283 info@climatesmartbusiness.com | Home Renovation Waste Reduction and Recycling Pilot Project | Are you a renovation contractor in the region who has an upcoming home renovation project? Do you know a renovation contractor in Metro Vancouver eager to take on the task of recycling champion? We are inviting all residential renovation contractors to submit an application to participate in a Metro Vancouver-sponsored waste reduction and recycling pilot on a home renovation project. The project should commence in the fall of 2009, and all interested contrators are asked to submit a short application (see below) to be considered in this exciting new initiative to reduce demolition and construction waste on the residential jobsite. Background, Benefits & Selection CriteriaAs 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% (about 240,000 tonnes) of Metro Vancouver waste. Much of this waste is generated from the demolition and renovation of residential buildings; about 48% of waste generated (by weight) from the construction and demolition sectors.
Metro Vancouver is interested in working with renovation contractors to reduce the amount of waste going to disposal from the renovation of wood frame buildings. Several factors contribute to the low waste diversion rates from this sector; lack of services and information are two of them. To better understand all the barriers and challenges renovation contractors face, we developed a survey to determine the factors that hinder contractors from reducing waste on home renovation projects and potential measures that would encourage them to reduce waste and recycle more on their job sites.
Information from this survey will help us design and test a new waste collection system that would facilitate sorting of recyclables and waste on residential renovation projects. It will also guide the design of educational and information materials specific to the needs of the sector. | 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 | Design Considerations for the Implementation of Green Roofs Report | This new Metro Vancouver report has been developed to provide background information and data to assist regional municipalities and developers in understanding the benefits, issues and costs associated with green roof installations and to provide guidance on where research and the green roof business are headed in the near future. | 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. |
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100 Mile House Competition | The Architecture Foundation of BC invites the participants of this competition to explore, rethink, question and experiment with new ideas that will challenge the concept of the regional house and the way we live.
Historically, most houses were constructed as ’100 mile’ houses from caves, sod houses, log cabins and stone houses to the First Nations’ indigenous cedar houses, tepees and igloos. People worldwide used whatever available materials were at hand to build shelters for themselves and their families. But is this possible in a modern 21st Century city like Vancouver? This competition will challenge all participants to rethink the way we live and select materials, systems and technology that reflect this reality in the world of computers, the internet, Facebook, etc… Participants are encouraged to challenge the logic of the present, formulate new questions, and explore variations that will allow new potentials for living.
Geographically, we have selected the City of Vancouver to be the focus of the competition for the ’100 Mile House’. Participants are challenged to design a house to accommodate 4 people with a maximum area of 1200 square feet (111M2) using only materials and systems made/ manufactured / recycled within 100 miles of the City of Vancouver. A hypothetical flat, corner site of 33′ X 120′ (10.0 M X 36.6 M) will be used for the context. All city services (water, sewer, storm drain, natural gas and electricity) are available to the property line should the entrant choose to use them.
| City of Vancouver Advanced Permitting for Deconstruction | To qualify to receive your permit to deconstruct ahead of your building/development permit, applicants must commit to diverting at least 75% of all building materials from the project, excluding
materials which are hazardous or banned from disposal. Applicants must also have an application to construct a new one or two family dwelling in progress.
Benefits
• Keep your project on track. Your deconstruction permit will be issued in advance of your building/development permit, so you won’t lose time getting started on your new project.
• Access preferred rate at the Vancouver landfill. In addition to reducing disposal costs through waste diversion, deconstruction permit holders can save money at the landfill by paying the
“deconstruction program rate” for any materials that can’t be diverted.
• Green your business. By diverting waste, you may be eligible to earn LEED points. You’ll also be creating green jobs and
helping Vancouver achieve our greenest city goals. | BC Hydro - Energy Efficiency and the 2012 Building Code | What's expected, and what you need to do about it.
You've been hearing about it for years, and now it's just around the corner. The 2012 update to the B.C. Building Code will bring significant new requirements for energy efficiency. | Building Jobs by Tearing Down Houses the Green Way | Vancouver aims to boost a new employment sector: recycling buildings. | Eight BC local governments call for greener building standards | Pembina profiled a letter written by eight B.C. local governments calling for greener building standards. The communities are partners in the Green Building Leaders project, which unites forward-looking local governments with Pembina's sustainable energy expertise. Together, they have explored energy efficiency and renewable energy regulations that are a step beyond what the provincial government or any local governments in B.C. are currently implementing. Find out what the local governments are calling for in Josha MacNab's blog.
All up-to-date research materials for this project are also available on the Green Building Leaders website. | Green Home Renovation Guides Released | Light House recently helped the City of Vancouver develop a series of Green Home Renovation Guides. The series covers common remodeling topics, giving helpful hints on materials and strategies to create a home that's healthy, saves money, and is easy on the environment. Beginning fall 2010, the City of Vancouver is requiring green design and energy efficiency upgrades for all renovations. This series of guides is a resource to help you meet the new requirements and choose green design strategies that best suit your renovation project. |
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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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