By: Rosedeep Matharu

Dealing with methane gas emissions in landfills Used to generate heat and electricity Biodiesel Used to fuel its fleets Strict energy-efficiency guidelines Apply to new buildings However Vancouver still has room for improvement, since multiple-unit dwellings only use 11 percent of Vancouver’s land area. Vancouver

In order to accommodate solar panels and shading the EcoDensity Charter encourages rezoning and relaxed building codes as well as green laneway housing. EcoDensity Charter’s Commitment: By 2012 to make all city operations carbon neutral By 2050 to reduce community GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 80 percent This will help improve air quality, create a even more livable city and lower energy bills. Vancouver: The EcoDensity Charter

Clean Voltage Draws at least 75 percent of its electricity from renewable sources as the only municipality in Canada that does so. Plans to draw 90 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by Waste Diversion from Landfills By 2020 Calgary intends to divert a percentage of its waste from landfills. Water-use Levels Despite its growing population, Calgary intends to stay at or below its 2003 water-use levels. Calgary

Calgary: The imagineCALGARY Program The imagineCALGARY program assists a 100-year plan with striving goals by allowing citizens to contribute to it. Striving Goals of the 100-year Plan: To decrease the distance travelled by private vehicles yearly by 20 percent. (Calgarians will be using the wind-energy powered CTrain as an alternative.) To remediate Calgary’s contaminated areas by at least 30 percent.

Toronto: What Environmental Programs Does This City Run That Makes it Green? The Tower Renewal Project Will revitalize, relandscape and reclad the concrete apartment complexes of Toronto. Concrete apartment complexes will be geothermically heated, more insulated and will be reconnected to surrounding green ravines and spaces. This project alone may possibly cut GHG emissions by one million tonnes.

Toronto: What Environmental Programs Does This City Run That Makes it Green? Toronto Green Standard Will encourage the expansion of more sustainable landscapes and buildings in Toronto. It’s Goals: By 201o, to redirect 70 percent of its waste. By 2020, to reduce its GHG emissions by 30 percent. To have a transit plan as well that foresees light, clean rail transit moving citizens across Toronto.

Toronto: What Environmental Programs Does This City Run That Makes it Green? The Environmental Reporting, Disclosure and Innovation Program Its Purpose: To make it a requirement that each municipal and business operation publicly report the use and release of 25 hazardous chemicals.

Toronto: What are the Advantages to Being a Green City? The Tower Renewal Project Advantages to Being a Green City Include: Green retrofits- reduce operating costs as well as making significant carbon reductions. Green infrastructure- renewable-energy installation can take place for apartment neighborhoods. Better transportation options- reducing the need for vehicle ownership by improving neighborhoods to be more self-sufficient and allow people to move more easily throughout neighborhoods and the city.

Toronto: What are the Advantages to Being a Green City? The Tower Renewal Project(continued) Community improvements- develop stronger communities by enhancing public meeting places, improving access in communities as well as having a variety of services in communities to reduce the need for car use. New housing- would help reduce sprawl by providing more options for residents to stay in their own communities. External cladding- reduces energy consumption by providing rain screening, exterior cladding and a new shell of insulation for existing buildings.

Toronto: What are the Advantages to Being a Green City? Toronto Green Standard Advantages to Being a Green City Include: Diversion of waste-reducing landfill sizes by reusing, reducing and recycling. Reduction of GHG emissions- reduces Toronto’s contribution to ozone layer depletion. Clean, light transit- will reduce electricity costs for the city, as well as provide a cleaner way to transport people throughout the city without harming the environment.

Toronto: What are the Advantages to Being a Green City? The Environmental Reporting, Disclosure and Innovation Program Advantages to Being a Green City Include: Reduction of toxins in the environment- reduce the amount of hazardous materials businesses and municipal operations use and release into the environment. Promoting the reduction of toxins in the environment to other cities- will encourage other cities to do the same, which could lead to cities worldwide using and releasing less toxins into the environment.

Toronto: What Challenges Might a City Face in trying to be Green? Challenges a City Might Face in trying to be Green Include: No political involvement may make it much harder for a city to be green since political leaders would not help rally for the change. Overpopulation may make it much more difficult for a city to switch to a renewable energy source, since they would need more resources than usual to harness the source. Money may be a problem in terms of whether a city can afford the resources to be green.

Toronto: What Challenges Might a City Face in trying to be Green? Challenges a City Might Face in trying to be Green Include (continued): The amount of resources a city has access to may also effect the amount or variety of changes they can make in order to be green. Community involvement is important in order for a city to move towards being green. If a city does not have any community involvement that may mean that no one really cares about whether or not the city is green. Without any support, the city would have a challenge getting people to try to be green.

Bibliography Murphy, Lisa. Canada's Greenest Cities of Tomorrow. cities-tomorrow?page=2 (accessed October 03, 2013). —. Canada's Greenest Cities of Tomorrow. cities-tomorrow?page=4 (accessed October 03, 2013). —. Canada's Greenest Cities of Tomorrow. cities-tomorrow?page=8 (accessed October 03, 2013). Toronto, City of. About Tower Renewal (accessed October 03, 2013).