Dec 2 | Community Breakfast – VANOC Sustainability
November 22, 2009
Join VANOC’s Vice President of Sustainability, Linda Coady, for a discussion on how Vancouver 2010 is the first Olympic Organizing Committee to apply a sustainability framework to the delivery of an Olympic Games.
Linda will provide an update on some of VANOC’s sustainability achievements, highlighting the legacies that will be left by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, and will reflect on how their sustainability program will be received by the international community at Games time.
Time: 7:30 AM to 9:00 am
Location: British Columbia Institute of Technology
555 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Info: 604-436-6993, email: breakfast@metrovancouver.org, or visit the website
Sept 9 | Sustainability Community Breakfast
August 31, 2009
What role does social housing play in building and sustaining local communities? For residents in the Downtown Eastside, how might housing provide a starting point for citizens to regain a sense of social inclusion?
Our presenters will speak about the value of establishing innovative programs and tenant associations in social housing complexes throughout the region, and will share their first-hand experiences with successful projects at the Somerset Gardens complex in Surrey and through the PHS Community Services Society in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Time: 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Location: British Columbia Institute of Technology
555 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Contact: 604-436-6993, email: breakfast@metrovancouver.org
Website
Sustainability Is Fun
March 26, 2009
One of the criticism of causes like sustainability and environmentalism is that it’s too preachy and serious.
No Fun.
The gang at YERT prove otherwise.
YERT stands for Your Environmental Road Trip, and while it may seem counter-intuitive, they’ve been driving (yes, a car) all over the USA to try to raise awareness about sustainability. The car, by the way, was a hybrid.
They’ve hit all 50 states and have been making videos along the way.
Their web site is fun and refreshingly un-serious. Mark Dixon from YERT emailed to ask if we’d mention their YouTube video Earth Hour: Feel DePower, regarding EarthDay coming this Saturday 28 March at 8:30.
The video is also a good invite for you to get involved with Earth Hour.
It’s easy.
And it’s fun.
More information about Earth Hour :
(EarthHourCanada.org seems to be having trouble with its web site, so check these alternate links)
- EarthHour.org
- on Facebook
- on Twitter
Dec 3 | Future of the Region Sustainability Dialogue, Port Moody
November 25, 2008
Fertile soils, a temperate climate, and access to water make our region’s farmland very productive.
However, some of the region’s farmlands are not productively used and there is continued pressure to convert farmland for transportation and urban development.
How do we increase actively farmed land and sustain the vitality of our farming industry?
Can we improve the local food system?
What strategies can we put into place?
What is the role of the region?
Dec 3, 2008
Inlet Theatre
100 Newport Drive
Port Moody
Nov 27 – Sustainability Community Breakfast
November 8, 2008
The Opportunities for Urban Density.
Achieving a livable and sustainable region as Metro Vancouver becomes home to 3.4 million people in the next 30 years will require continuing to create higher density communities.
Much attention has been paid to the opportunities for innovation in new kinds of development, and the challenges of community and market acceptance.
Where and how should higher density development be located? What can it look like, and what services are necessary to support it?
What roles do consumers, communities, planners and developers play in creating higher density communities?
Date: Nov 27, 2008
Time: 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Location: British Columbia Institute of Technology
555 Seymour Street
Contact: 604-432-6200
or Email breakfast@metrovancouver.org
Nov 20 | WE Sustainable Sushi Challenge: Sushi Bento Express
November 4, 2008
It’s certainly a better habit than McDonalds, but the vast majority of your neighborhood’s sushi restaurants need a sustainable overhaul. Styrofoam take out containers, endangered seafood (look no further than the giant prawns in your dynamite roll), and that is just what you see in the front of the house.
Podcast with author James Glave
May 11, 2008
A veteran writer turns his obsession with detail into a building project.
In his forthcoming book now released book, Almost Green, James Glave tells the story of building a green studio in the front yard – and changing his life forever.
Recording at James Glave’s eco-shed on Bowen Island.
The book will be published in the fall of 2008 by Skyhorse Publishing in the US, and by Greystone Books in Canada.
Read more about James Glave on his web site, www.glave.com
click to play
Robert’s notes…
I’ve known James since the mid-90’s. We both fumbled our way onto the then new world wide web – he was with Vancouver Magazine and I was with CBC Vancouver.
I always looked forward to seeing a new magazine article by James – they were smart, witty and superbly crafted. He brought the same high quality to his online work; it stood out then, and it stands out now.
When he left Vancouver for San Francisco and Wired News in 1997, many of us were envious of his determination to carve out a living ‘on the internet’. He became a regular guest speaker at the Simon Fraser University summer web publishing courses, and he regaled us with news from the front lines of life in Silicon Valley.
I’m glad James is back in Vancouver – and thrilled to see him bringing outstanding journalism and his determined voice to stories about the environment and sustainability.
While we wait for his book to come out – do check out his mini-book Buck The System on his web site – add your contribution to his PayPal fund – and enjoy the articles he’s distributing online.
Podcast – JER Envirotech
April 8, 2008
Unless you work in the industry, it isn’t likely that you think much about thermoplastics.
But thermoplastics are used in hundreds of items in your home, your car, and your workplace. Anything around you that is made from extruded or moulded plastic is a product of the thermoplastics industry.
JER Envirotech is a British Columbia company at the forefront of new technology that’s changing the thermoplastics industry and helping the environment at the same time.
When JER Envirotech was first founded ten years ago, the goal was to find a way to use organic materials in thermoplastics.
The idea was simple – instead of sending waste wood to the landfill or burning rice hulls – why not make use of these products by combining them with polymers to create a new kind of thermoplastic.
While the idea may have been simple, the science is not. With help from the National Research Council of Canada, JER Envirotech has been able to find a way to do it.
Edward Trueman, JER’s President and CEO, believes his industry is on the verge of a paradigm shift because of this new technology.
VanGoGreen’s Robert Ouimet spoke with him at the company’s head office in Delta, BC.
click to play
Edward Trueman
President and CEO
JER Envirotech
runs: 13:40
ISBN: 978-0-9809054-6-5
© Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc. 2008. Podcasts are available for re-broadcast by contacting info@bigsnit.com
Knowing is half the battle.
February 28, 2008
Zerofootprint has partnered with the city of Toronto to come up with a nifty site that allows you to compute your personal carbon foot print. They even have an area geared specifically for kids.
A nod to Safeway.
January 24, 2008
It is not often that I do a double take when I see articles about Safeway. Their re-branding efforts were arguably fifteen years behind the times, and they are seldom market leaders.
So, kudos to Safeway for moving their California truck fleet to biodiesel. There has been plenty of debate around what is a best alternative fuel option, but I applaud them for moving forward in a positive direction. Sometimes it is more important to move small steps forward, instead of just staying at status quo and waiting for the ideal solution to come along.
I was also intrigued to see some other sustainable initiatives they are undertaking (see below). Maybe this is the beginning of a whole scale shift by the conventional food industry to seriously reduce their footprint? I’ll remain optimistic, but I am not holding my breath… and it certainly won’t change my shopping habits.
Other Safeway sustainability initiatives include:
– Being one of the largest retail purchasers of renewable wind
energy in the U.S, purchasing 87,000 megawatts annually,
enough to power its 300 fuel stations and over 50 stores.– Launching a solar power program to convert two dozen
California stores to solar energy, which will help remove 10.4
million pounds of carbon dioxide from the air, the equivalent
of taking 1,000 cars off the road annually.– Implementing unique energy-saving strategies in stores by
installing new energy-efficient refrigeration technology and
freezer systems and utilizing LED lighting to significantly
reduce electricity usage.– Operating an extensive recycling program in which nearly
500,000 tons of materials are recycled each year, including
cardboard, plastics and compostable materials. This is the
equivalent of filling six football fields stacked 35 feet
high. The company also offers reusable canvas bags to
customers and has plastic bag recycling programs at many
stores.
