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Green Neighborhoods: Culture Clash?

January 11, 2010 By 2 Comments
dont-walk

In the last year, I've gone without a vehicle.  That seems like a pretty simple situation for many who live in areas where public transit is easily accessible, along with grocery stores, parks, and libraries within walking distance.  Luckily, I now live in an area which more easily enables the car-less lifestyle on a number of fronts. But, my daughter and her mum live in an area of Greater Vancouver where car ownership seems to be assumed, and where public transit is not a first choice for most … [Read more...]

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Happy World Green Building Day!

September 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It seems to me that when civilization is on the cusp of a new era, one of the things that hurries it along is International cooperation.  And a big part of that is not just about governments and nations coming together to talk about common legislation.  It's also about inviting citizens to take part in the process, through dialogue and through education, too. The movement toward globalizing green building practices seems to be moving closer and closer into the public eye with the first annual … [Read more...]

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Green Building To Drive California Building Codes

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As I read more and more about the green building industry, it seems to me that the efficiency which is inherent in that approach has the goals of combating climate change and in spending less on utilities too. Conservation of resources - both natural and financial - are goals that may be the focus in California's new building codes over residential building standards.  The new codes, effective as of August 1st, are to be implemented as mandatory across the board in California by 2011 with the … [Read more...]

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Canada’s Budget 2009: Housing and Energy Efficiency

January 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

 I was  happy to see Canada's federal government followed my advice in their new budget today.  What's the point of having a blog if you can't influence world events, eh? As part of the stimulus spending of $64-billion to be spent over the next two years, ($34-billion in 2009-10; $30-billion in 2010-11), there are some sizable sums earmarked for Infrastructure and Housing. To save you the trouble of looking back at the dates I recommended the spending, I'll reiterate here:  January 16, … [Read more...]

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2030 Challenge Stimulus Plan

January 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I've been going on for some time about why there should be government spending in green building. Here's a intriguing plan by Architecture 2030, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that promotes integrated climate change action through the built environment.  It connects a lot of dots in reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector while creating jobs and stimulating the economy in a responsible way. The plan has been presented to the new Obama Administration and it would be worth consideration … [Read more...]

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Green Built Environment: Political Will Needed

December 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment

  The Pew Center report on a Climate Friendly Built Environment – to which I referred in my previous posting – makes an emphatic assertion for the needed political will to act now in three policy areas. It correctly observes that the building industry’s fragmentation makes decision making almost impossible for comprehensive solutions to environmental problems.     The report notes:   “An integrated approach is needed to address GHG emissions from the U.S. building sector—one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: climate change, Energy Efficiency, environmental legislation, global warming, Green Building, green marketing, Sustainability Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Climate Friendly Built Environment

November 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

In my previous post I referred to the PEW Centre on Global Climate Change. In 2005 – shortly before the new world economic order began – the PEW Center published a most insightful, almost prophetic study entitled "Towards a Climate Friendly Built Environment." Built Environment and GHG emissions Here's an excerpt from the Report's introduction. Buildings in the United States—homes, offices, and industrial facilities—account for over 40 percent of our nation's … [Read more...]

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Canada’s Harper Proposes Environmental Pact to Obama

November 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

A brief note following my advice yesterday for US President-elect Barack Obama. From the Canadian environmental perspective, the headline in today’s Globe and Mail (Toronto’s National Newspaper) reflects a major political statement by Prime Minster Stephen Harper to US President-elect Obama. “Ottawa swoops in with climate-change offer.” Canada’s Prime Minister Harper has been viewed as closely aligned with outgoing Bush Administration in many areas, including an … [Read more...]

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President Obama and a Global Green New Deal

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Congratulations Mr. Obama! You’ve been elected on the promise to change … uh … something about the way the United States is governed. Pardon me. I must have missed exactly what that change is going to be. I guess it got downed out in the all the cheering every time you mentioned it. Whatever… Here’s something for you to consider if you’re planning to change environmental policies and practices. I think you may find it of interest since you’ll no doubt have to change some things … [Read more...]

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US Election Campaign and the Environment

November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Today the world is watching the US election. Little – if anything – has been said about the Environment by candidates Obama and McCain in the last weeks of the campaign. Ironic, in a tragic sort of way, is how important this issue was just one year ago. Even the global economic breakdown that is still unfolding as US voters go to the polls seems to have taken second place to Faith with a capital F – not religious and not even ideological – the kind of big question mark Faith that is necessary … [Read more...]

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