By Serena Calder
| Image: Hilary Henegar, Serena Calder |
Published: August 30, 2010
Boosting public drinking fountains is one way Vancouver is helping to say “good-bye” to the plastic bottle
It’s a sunny afternoon and you’re walking along the Seawall when you realize you forgot your reusable water bottle. You’re thirsty, and faced with a choice: either stop at the concession stand up ahead to buy bottled water, or wander around nearby parks in search of a public drinking fountain that may or may not work.
By Jenn Perutka
| Image: Photos by Jenn Perutka and Esther Rausenberg, edited by Jenn Perutka |
Published: August 25, 2010
Vancouver artist Richard Tetrault takes Granville on a tour of his city through the vivid public murals that decorate its walls, and speaks of the funding cuts that threaten the local arts community
As a Vancouverite, you have most likely been in the presence of artist Richard Tetrault’s art. His vivid translations of the city and its culture through his murals are key pieces to the identity of Vancouver.
By Elianna Lev
| Image: Elianna Lev |
Published: August 12, 2010
Angry neighbours threaten to close Main Street’s Little Mountain Gallery, a hub of independent arts where ‘shit gets done’
When word got out that something was going down at
Little Mountain Gallery, a collective flurry of worry started rippling through Vancouver’s independent arts community. That’s because the low-key, affordable, whimsical space is an integral part of a scene comprised of up-and-coming artists, musicians, producers, performers and other creative types. Simply put, shit gets done there. Interesting, inspiring, heartwarming, community-building shit.
By Emma Carscadden
| Image: Emma Carscadden |
Published: August 09, 2010
Save up for an unrainy day with an office grey water collector—they may not be pretty but they work beautifully
I’ve written before about a number of lovely options for rainwater collection—from
bucolic rainforest creations on Haida Gwaii, to
old-fashioned water towers, city-provided barrels and living walls. Still, after all that talk about how great rainwater collection is, we have been rainwater collection-less for a long time here at BCA.
By
Emma Carscadden
| Image:
Flickr / steven depolo |
Published: May 13, 2010
Composting food scraps at the office may not be as easy as it is at home, but it's not hard either...
The David Suzuki Foundation's lists composting as one of their “
Five Easy Ways to Go Green at Work.” But is it really? What are the logistics of storing and decomposing stinky food scraps at the office?
By Alex Samur
| Image: iStock |
Published: April 19, 2010
Earth Day in action: Vancouver kicks off curbside compost pickup
For all you food scrap savers and
composting keeners: your time has come. This week, Vancouver is rolling out the first phase of its
organic waste collection program for single-family residences.
By Hilary Henegar
| Image: Hubert Kang |
Published: April 06, 2010
Vancouver city council meets April 8 to consider proposed backyard chicken guidelines
By
Toby Barazzuol
| Image:
Jon Benjamin Photography |
Published: March 25, 2010
Vancouver mayor announces initiative to help businesses save green while going green with Corporate Climate Leaders Program
GLOBE2010 opened yesterday and kicked off three days of sustainability, clean tech and green business—once again focusing the world’s attention on sustainability in Vancouver.
By
Beata Kozma
| Image:
Flickr / kennymatic |
Published: March 22, 2010
Vancouver flips the switch on Earth Hour this Saturday, March 27
This year, Earth Hour is on March 27 from 8:30–9:30 p.m. and participation can be as simple as flipping off the light switch. But certainly you can do much more.
By
Adam Gaumont
| Image:
Flickr / paytonc |
Published: August 19, 2009
Vancouver takes a kinder, gentler approach to EcoDensity
As an urban planning concept, density is not new—a few decades of unchecked suburban expansion notwithstanding, cities have always been inherently dense to a more or lesser degree. As a City of Vancouver urban planning initiative, however, EcoDensity dates back to just 2006—but it’s quickly gaining traction in one of the densest and most desirable cities in North America.
Audio: 'EcoDensity' from the experts
Listen to
extended interview clips featuring Brent Toderian, Randy Knill and Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega.
Click to play streaming audio or right-click and choose "save link as" to download the mp3.
In fact, Vancouver is not as densely populated as its postcard reputation might suggest: Beyond the skyscrapers of downtown, vast swaths of the city are zoned for single-family dwellings, be they West Side Shaughnessy mansions or East Side Vancouver Specials.
But as the vacancy rate dips ever closer to zero, real-estate prices continue their stratospheric orbit, traffic gets jammed, transit gets fuller and energy demands continue to soar, an increasingly wide array of Lower Mainland residents are ready to hear this or any other idea that will lead toward a more sustainable solution.
