Renovating Vancouver, one challenge at a time

From private residences to small businesses, Light House's latest green building initiative is making a difference

Vancouver’s Light House Sustainable Building Centre is an enterprising non-profit dedicated to advancing and catalyzing sustainability in British Columbia's built environment. They offer a range of free and fee-based programs and services out of their newly renovated resource and exhibition centre at 2060 Pine Street.

One of Light House’s current initiatives is the 2010 Green Building Challenge. Focused on 10 projects ranging from family homes to strata councils and small businesses, these groups have received free technical assistance over the past year to help green their buildings. This has included five days of technical assistance from a green building professional and 240 hours of research and assistance from professional interns like me. A few of these projects have focused on new construction while others have centred on renovations to existing buildings. The overall aim has been for the projects to meet a stringent set of energy, water and waste reduction targets.

This month, to mark the end of the Green Building Challenge and highlight some of the many successes, the Light House Sustainable Building Centre will host tours, workshops and feature case studies from the challenge. The public is invited to come and see the achievements of the challenge projects and learn how these groups reached their targets.

The site tours and workshops start this weekend and run all month. For a full schedule of the workshops, visit the 2010 Green Building Challenge website.

Sneak peek: 2010 Green Building Challenge

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the renovations and new buildings constructed through the challenge. Tell us what you think of the projects in the comment section below.

Kerchum Residence, Vancouver

A newly constructed home with a passive solar design and orientation that allows for minimal heating requirements in the winter and no cooling system in the summer.

Kerchum Residence, Vancouver

An inside shot of the passive solar home. The newly built living room features locally sourced and built millwork (e.g., window bench, wall cabinets, TV surround, etc.) made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. The orange couch is also FSC certified.

Babicki-Moore Residence, North Vancouver

This green roof was installed on an existing family home that was gutted and rebuilt. In addition to creating a pleasant space for the residents, the green roof will help reduce energy costs for cooling the home, assist with storm water management, increase the lifetime of the roof membrane and provide some sound insulation.

Babicki-Moore Residence, North Vancouver

These rooftop panels are part of a solar hot water system, which takes advantage of the clean, renewable and free energy from the sun to provide domestic hot water.

Babicki-Moore Residence, North Vancouver

Dual-flush and low flow toilets like this one help reduce a household’s annual water consumption considerably. A standard toilet uses 13 litres per flush while the average for a dual flush model is 4 litres per flush.

McGill Street Laneway Home, Vancouver

A rendering of one of Vancouver’s first laneway homes, which is nearly complete. Another project in the 2010 Green Building Challenge managed to achieve enough energy, water and waste reductions to make the addition of a laneway home to their property a net-zero residence; the renovations to reduce resource consumption in the existing home will make up for the resources used by occupants of a laneway house. (Image: Lanefab Design/Build)

King House, Squamish

This newly constructed home was built with pre-fabricated wall and roof panels that are highly energy efficient. A benefit to having the panels built off-site is reduced construction waste at the building site. (Image: Rao/D Cityworks)

Strandberg-Legg Residence, Burnaby

This new home features limited lawn area and drought-tolerant plants—an innovative design and effective way to reduce water use.

Station Place, Vancouver

In multi-family complexes, organizing at the strata council level is an effective way to reduce resource consumption and waste levels. The documents shown here were created by a Sustainability Committee to help residents recycle more effectively. The strata also introduced a by-law that assigns monetary fines to residents that don’t abide by the waste diversion rules. Energy conservation measures in common areas and private residences were another component of this Challenge project.

Norman Residence, Vancouver

This kitchen renovation features new Energy Star appliances, in-floor heating (paired with a high efficiency boiler), double-glazed Energy Star windows and increased wall insulation.

Rain barrels in East Vancouver

Installing rain barrels is an easy and effective way to reduce water consumption. The barrels trap and hold stormwater from the roof, which can later be used on the lawn or garden.

Smart thermostats in East Vancouver

Digital programmable thermostats can help reduce energy use and costs by automatically changing the level of heating or cooling in a building at different times of day depending on usage patterns.

Radha Yoga and Eatery, Vancouver

There are plenty of green improvements that small businesses can make. Among the renovations by Radha Yoga and Eatery were the installation of an air source heat pump, construction of a green roof, increased exterior insulation, the installation of solar light tubes and washroom occupancy sensors, as well as finishing floors and walls with low-VOC paints and coatings.

Wood Co-op Gallery, Vancouver

Another small business, the Wood Co-op Gallery, replaced their single-paned windows and doors with double-paned models. They also replaced the forced air heating system with more efficient baseboard heaters.

What do you think of the 2010 Green Building Challenge?

Will you be attending a tour or workshop at Light House this month? Have you already? What did you think? Leave a comment below.

Leah Nielsen works in online communications and production at Fairware. She also consults with small companies and organizations looking to grow their online presence. She specializes in environmental and social sustainability and operates LeahLink.com, a central hub for her work and blog. Off-line she can be found riding her bike and engaging in creative endeavours around Vancouver.

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Green building incentives and grants for small BC businesses

Guest blogger series: Crawling Toward Sustainability

This is the thirteenth in a series of guest blog posts in which Emma will track the progress of her office in becoming more sustainable.

It often takes more than a few new light bulbs and a recycling station to green your office. The empty shell that 715 East Hastings started out as and the still unfinished basement is a testament to that. A full, sustainable renovation can take a lot of time, effort and, most significantly, money.

We’ve been renovating slowly and on the cheap, blessed with a boss that likes to get his hands dirty, but not all businesses have the luxury of time (nor free labour!). Sometimes renovations need to be done quickly in order to get everyone back working as soon as possible, which can mean hiring help and increasing costs.

Luckily, there a number of incentives and offers out there that can help you complete your own office renovation.

ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Buildings

A recent grant I came across (thanks to a heads-up from the Strathcona BIA) is Natural Resources Canada’s ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Buildings. This offer can get you either $10 per gigajoule of energy savings, 25 percent of your total project cost or $50,000 per project in incentives from the federal government.

But there are a few catches. Firstly, you can’t have yet started your project (so BCA is out. Sad face!). Secondly, you have to complete a pre-project energy audit to qualify, but this is probably something BC Hydro can help you with. Thirdly, applications are due March 31! So if you’re already planning on a green renovation of your building, get cracking, and you could get some significant help from the government!

This incentive is just one of many, and new ones are introduced often.

Other grants and incentives for building green

Light House Sustainable Building Centre has a comprehensive list of grants and incentives for a variety of green building projects. Hopefully one of these opportunities will get you motivated to start your own sustainable office renovation.

And if all you want to do is replace the light bulbs, BC Hydro might be able to help you with that, too.

   

The cycling report

VACC's Chris Keam assesses the changes to Vancouver commuter cycling over the past year and forecasts a bright future for the region

Last year was a big year for bikes in Metro Vancouver. Environmental concerns, economic pressures and increased political will put pedal power front and centre. But, it wasn't all downhill cruising and rain-free commutes.

Hit: Burrard Street Bridge bike lanes

Giving over a lane of the Burrard Street Bridge to bikes had skeptics predicting chaos and confrontation. But the actual outcome was a resounding success. Statistics show a 25 percent increase in cyclists using the bridge. To everyone's relief, delays to drivers have ranged from minimal to non-existent.

Miss: Helmet road checks

The crackdown on cyclists without helmets was of little success. Many bike riders continue to ride without head protection. Further, it was a questionable use of scarce police resources. Downtown streets remain more dangerous places than they should be—because of speeding, distractions such as mobile phones, dangerous disregard for traffic signals and a lack of serious consequences for careless road users.

Hit: The Central Valley Greenway

Separated bike lanes are a proven way to encourage cycling. One such facility—the 24-km Central Valley Greenway from New Westminster to downtown Vancouver (officially opened in June 2009)—is a great example of the kind of cost-effective infrastructure improvements that make people comfortable cycling for transportation.

Miss: HST on bikes

For years, BC cyclists enjoyed a PST exemption on bikes. With the BC government's announcement they would be implementing the HST, that exemption is due to disappear next summer. The decision is puzzling considering the provincial government's supposed aim of reducing greenhouse gases, especially in light of the HST exemption on gasoline.

 
Hit: Canada Line pedestrian and bicycle bridge

Cycling between Richmond, Vancouver and the airport got a lot easier last August, with the opening of a dedicated pedestrian/cycling bridge beneath the Canada Line's North Arm Bridge. The one-kilometre crossing makes getting across the Fraser River a breeze for bikers and walkers.
 

Miss: Bike parking

Secure valet bicycle parking has become a popular service at special events. But for many commuter cyclists, leaving an expensive bike locked outside, exposed to theft and rain is an everyday occurrence. A big increase in secure bike lockers throughout the city would be a major improvement in cycling infrastructure.
 

Hit: Cycling education

Groups such as the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition and PEDAL Development are teaching young people essential skills for safe cycling, bicycle maintenance and route planning. These initiatives fill a big gap in the BC school curriculum and give youth the tools they need to ride with confidence.

Two wheels good… and getting better

Overall, 2009 was the year urban cycling truly arrived in Metro Vancouver. Bike lanes, separated routes and cycling education are now recognized as necessary elements in any transportation plan. The future looks bright for bikes.

Adapted for Granville magazine from the VACC monthly newsletter by Chris Keam.

Chris Keam is the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition’s communications coordinator, a freelance writer and video editor. Visit his website and blog at www.chriskeam.com for links to additional articles and videos on cycling and other topics.

   

City of Vancouver uses social media to spread the gospel

SNAP series the latest in City of Vancouver's efforts to use social media to tell its own story

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is YouTubing the world about what’s happening in Vancouver during the Winter Olympics through a new series of online videos called SNAP: 2010, Stories from Vancouver's Games.

The two- to three-minute stories from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games are posted daily on YouTube as well as the City of Vancouver website. 

Videos posted tell the story of the Games coming to the city in addition to exploring such non-sporting topics as the newly opened citizen journalist-slash-arts community space W2 Culture + Media House; the recent launch of the Richard Branson-helmed Carbon War Room program to empower cities, like Vancouver, to accelerate efforts to become more sustainable; and the new Woodward’s non-market affordable housing units.

For better or worse, the suite of videos are essentially a branding mechanism—a means of spreading the gospel about various socially progressive, forward-thinking programs supported by the City.

“These videos tell our stories during the Games and give people an inside look at our city throughout the Olympics,” said Robertson in a press release about the SNAP series. “It’s about the people, places and activities that make Vancouver truly great.”

The SNAP series of online videos are the newest addition to the City’s ongoing use of social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and an RSS feed to provide timely and accessible information to residents, businesses and visitors. Use of these tools allows the City not only to broadcast news of its programs, city goings-on and updates to services but also provides a forum for residents to give feedback and interact, both with municipal representatives and each other.

As Mayor Robertson, himself a regular tweeter, recently stated, “Social media is an important part of how the City engages the people who live and work here. These services make information convenient and bring more people into the discussion of how we define ourselves and where we want to go as a community.”
That said, the City has shown it is still quite new to social media and has not yet completely figured out the medium's etiquette. For example, sending tweets or posting comments to the City of Vancouver Facebook page is rarely met with a response—breaking a golden rule of the social media world and negating its primary function.

But that's the great thing about social media: the community will keep you honest. And as the City plunges deeper into its social media channels, its eager followers will be there to help improve the service.