What's New
- Free compost bins pilot
- City receives funding for Greenest City 2020 Action Plan
- Canada's greenest city
- Solar hot water incentive program
- City partners with industry to approve greenest building policy in North America
- Burrard Bridge bike lanes reach one million cyclists
- Improved motorcycle and scooter parking
- Project Get Ready Vancouver: Preparing for electric cars
- City partners with UBC to reach Greenest City goals
- Solar demonstration project in Stanley Park
- City partners with local businesses to reduce greenhouse gases
- Food scraps collection
- Olympic Village greenest neighbourhood in the world
- Vancouver: Canada's most sustainable city
- 2010 Winter Games venues monitored for energy consumption
- City’s first renewable district heating system
- Builders to ‘go green’ with solar energy
- Nissan LEAF in Vancouver
- Vancouver greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels
- Find out how we plan on earning the title of becoming the greenest city on earth by 2020
- Zero-emission partnership with Renault-Nissan Alliance
- "Vancouver Green Capital"
- City earns Gold Rating from E3 Fleet
- Vancouver Public Library now has ebooks and downloadable audio books
- Energy efficiency upgrades at City facilities
- Summer Spaces in the city
- Sustainable Commuting for City Hall Employees
- Toolkits for green building
- Greenest City unveils recommendations report
- Vancouver – On the road to lower emissions
- Community garden on City Hall lawn
Free compost bins pilot
From June 20 to August 7, 2011, residents can receive a free compost bin, instruction and support if you live in a house with yard space in Grandview Woodland, Kitsilano or Renfrew Collingwood. There are only 20 spots available in each neighbourhood.
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City receives funding for Greenest City 2020 Action Plan
On February 23, 2011, the City received a Green Municipal Fund grant contribution from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which will provide support for public engagement, in addition to research and analysis, for the City's Greenest City 2020 action plan.
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Canada's greenest city
On February 9, 2011, Vancouver, as well as Victoria, were named Canada’s greenest cities by Corporate Knights magazine.
Vancouver scored highly in infrastructure and built environment, governance and empowerment and social well-being.
Highlights in Vancouver include a new curbside compost program, district renewable energy projects, the greenest building code in North America, and demonstrated climate leadership through meeting and exceeding greenhouse gas reduction targets.
Vancouver’s work in growing the green economy was also cited.
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Solar hot water incentive program
On October 14, 2010, the City with Solar BC, Terasen Gas and Offsetters launched a significant subsidy and incentive program to 30 Vancouver homeowners for the installation of solar hot water systems for a limited time only (December 31, 2010). This incentive program offers tools to encourage the use of renewable energy measures.
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City partners with industry to approve greenest building policy in North America
On July 22, 2010, Vancouver City Council today approved a policy that requires all new building rezonings to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard, the highest green building standard for rezonings in North America.
The change takes effect January 31, 2011, and is expected to result in 20 to 30 new green buildings being constructed annually, creating new green job opportunities in the city.
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City partners with industry to approve greenest building policy in North America
On July 22, 2010, Vancouver City Council today approved a policy that requires all new building rezonings to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard, the highest green building standard for rezonings in North America.
The change takes effect January 31, 2011, and is expected to result in 20 to 30 new green buildings being constructed annually, creating new green job opportunities in the city.
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Burrard Bridge bike lanes reach one million cyclists
Almost one year after a separated bike lane pilot project started on Burrard Bridge, the millionth cyclist crossed the bridge on Wednesday, July 7, 2010.
A 24 per cent increase in cyclists has been recorded since the Burrard Bridge bike lane was opened on July 13, 2009. An estimated 200,000 more bicycle trips have been recorded on the Burrard Bridge than without the lanes in place.
Findings from a UBC cycling safety study indicate that accident rates have decreased since the separated bike lanes have been added.
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Improved motorcycle and scooter parking
The City is now making it easier to park environmentally-friendly modes of transportation, such as electric scooters. Starting summer 2010, motorcyclists and scooter drivers will be able to take advantage of the City’s painted metered motorcycle and scooter parking spaces. And starting fall 2010, motorcycles and scooters will be able to park at metered parking spaces at a discount.
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Project Get Ready Vancouver: Preparing for electric cars
On May 19, 2010, the City joined forces with BCIT and the Rocky Mountain Institute to help Vancouver prepare for the use of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Vancouver is the first West Coast Canadian Partner Community to participate in Project Get Ready. It is also the first city in Canada to change its building and parking bylaws to allow for vehicle charging.
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City partners with UBC to reach Greenest City goals
On May 11, 2010, the University of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver signed an agreement to advance both the City’s and UBC’s aggressive sustainability and climate action goals.
One of the first initiatives to result from this partnership will be the Greenest City Action Team Scholars program. UBC will provide grants for 10 eligible graduate students enrolled in UBC Masters or PhD programs to support the Greenest City 2020 Plan and its implementation.
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Solar demonstration project in Stanley Park
In April 2010, flat plate solar collectors will be installed on the roof of the men’s and women’s bathrooms and change rooms at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park. The panels will heat the water, reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 600 kilograms per year—the equivalent of taking one car off the road—and save up to 25 per cent on the building’s energy bill.
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City partners with local businesses to reduce greenhouse gases
In March 2010, local businesses took up a City of Vancouver challenge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—and in the process help Vancouver meet its goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020.
The City will be working with the first wave of businesses to help them save money, reduce their carbon emissions, and communicate their environmental commitment to their customers.
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Food scraps collection
On March 4, 2010, City Council approved the implementation of the first phase of a food scraps collection program for single-family residences, keeping thousands of tonnes of organic materials out of landfills and producing a valuable resource.
Starting April 22, 2010, Vancouver residents who receive the City yard trimmings collection service, will now be able to add uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and filters, teabags, and eggshells into their yard trimmings cart for composting.
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Olympic Village greenest neighbourhood in the world
On February 16, 2010, the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Vancouver was certified as the greenest, most energy efficient and sustainable neighbourhood in the world by receiving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ND Stage 2 Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council 
. This certification confirms that the Olympic Village is the greenest in Olympic history.
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Vancouver: Canada's most sustainable city
In 2010, Vancouver was named by the Corporate Knights survey as Canada's most sustainable city. Vancouver was not only the top city in the medium city category but it received the highest in overall rankings.
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2010 Winter Games venues monitored for energy consumption
Four 2010 Winter Games venues: Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Centre (Hillcrest), Athletes' Village, Southeast False Creek Community Centre, and Canada Hockey Place (GM Place) are being monitored by Pulse Energy in real-time to see how much energy they are saving. This is the first time Games venues have collected and publicly reported on their energy consumption.
The City requires that all new municipally-owned facilities are built to a minimum environmental standard of LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. This is the highest standard for municipal buildings in North America.
Track venues' energy consumption
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City’s first renewable district heating system
Mayor Gregor Robertson and members of the federal and provincial government as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ‘flipped the switch’ on the City’s first renewable district heating system on January 14, 2010.
The Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) will provide heat and hot water to all buildings in Southeast False Creek, including the Olympic Village. It marks the first time in North America that heat recovered from untreated wastewater is being used in an urban centre and as the primary source of energy. This green technology will be supplemented by solar hot water.
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Builders to ‘go green’ with solar energy
In December 2009, City Council approved the Solar Homes Strategy, which will finance up to 50 per cent, about $3500, of the cost of installing a solar hot water system. The incentive will be available for 15 months to 50 new houses on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning in January 2010.
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Nissan LEAF in Vancouver
The Nissan LEAF made its Canadian debut in Vancouver on December 14, 2009, as part of the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission tour. In October 2009, Nissan Canada, the Province, the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro signed a partnership that will see BC become the initial Canadian launch point for the Nissan LEAF in 2011.
The LEAF seats five adults in and can travel a distance of 160 kilometres* on a single charge.
*Based on EPA LA4 test cycle
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Vancouver greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels
Vancouver is proof that cities can be vibrant, growing and prosperous while also taking meaningful action on climate change. We have already reduced emissions to 1990 levels and are on track to Kyoto targets. At the same time, the City's population has grown by 27 per cent and jobs by 18 per cent.
View brochure 
(916 kb)
Read inventory summary (4 mb)
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Find out how we plan on earning the title of becoming
the greenest city on earth by 2020
In February 2009, Mayor Gregor Robertson launched the Greenest City initiative with a goal to map out how we can earn that title by 2020. A Greenest City Quick Start report was published in the spring, and on October 20, the Mayor introduced the Action Plan at the Resilient Cities Gaining Ground conference in Vancouver. The report also linked the initiative to the recently introduced Vancouver Green Capital business strategy.
Read Vancouver 2020: A Bright Green Future 
(568kb)
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Zero-emission partnership with Renault-Nissan Alliance
The Renault–Nissan Alliance, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro will partner to see British Columbia become the initial launch point for Nissan’s Canadian zero-emission transportation program.
British Columbia is scheduled to be the first Canadian province to receive the Nissan LEAF, Nissan's first all-electric real-world car,in 2011, in advance of global distribution in 2012.
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"Vancouver Green Capital"
"Vancouver Green Capital" is the City of Vancouver’s business brand for economic development. It is part of a strategic effort for the City to leverage the once-in-a-lifetime economic development potential of the 2010 Games.
The "Vancouver Green Capital" brand is at the heart of the creation of a robust, long-term economic strategy that will guide the City's pursuit of economic opportunities around the world.
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City earns Gold Rating from E3 Fleet 
The City earned a Gold Rating from E3 Fleet 
, a national program that recognizes excellence in fleet management and environmental performance.
Under the E3 Fleet program, public and private sector fleets can seek formal ratings on staff training, idle reduction practices, vehicle purchasing practices, fuel data management, fleet operations and maintenance, trip and route planning, fuel efficiency, and greenhouse gas performance.
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Vancouver Public Library now has ebooks and downloadable audio books
Vancouver Public Library is expanding its green footprint with a large list of ebook and downloadable audio books for people of all ages. These include homework help and read-alongs for kids, an audio streaming listening service (Naxos Music) that consists of complete recordings, and news from around the world with PressDisplay, which provides full-page images of newspapers from 55 countries before they appear on local newsstands.
Please note that some of these online services require a VPL library card.
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Energy efficiency upgrades at
City facilities
Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission improvements have been going on for decades at City facilities, such as community centres and City Hall, with the most recent improvements beginning in 2005.
City Hall, Library Square and several other City facilities have been or are being upgraded with new lighting, building automation and heating systems to reduce energy consumption and the amount of greenhouse gasses being emitted by the facilities. By the end of 2010, in concert with advanced new construction design, it is estimated that City facilities will be generating 22 per cent fewer greenhouse gasses than in 1990.
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Summer Spaces in the city
Select commercial streets opened up on Sundays this summer for local residents to experience as temporary public spaces.
Learn more about Summer Spaces
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Sustainable Commuting for City Hall Employees
On June 1, 2009, the City of Vancouver launched a new sustainable transportation program for employees at City Hall. The goal? To reduce the carbon footprint of employee commuting and help make Vancouver the world’s greenest city.
The City expects to significantly reduce the number of vehicles coming to City Hall each day by
- implementing pay parking for employees at City Hall lots
- using the pay parking revenue to provide incentives for sustainable commuting, such as rebates on transit passes
- providing car share vehicles through a contract with the Co-operative Auto Network, so employees don’t need to bring their own vehicles for work purposes
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Toolkits for green building
Vancouver the first jurisdiction in North America to go beyond green building codes and use a building’s architecture itself in order to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and improve the comfort of building occupants.
The Passive Design Toolkits detail strategies for achieving energy efficiency and improved heating comfort through building design. These passive design elements are evaluated for relative cost and effectiveness and can reduce a building’s energy demand by as much as 50 per cent.
The toolkits will serve as a resource to the development and design community, and will be used by the City’s planning department to review and update its design guidelines.
Learn more about green building
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Greenest City unveiled recommendations report
The Greenest City Action Team unveiled its Quick Start Recommendations for Vancouver. The goal: to be the Greenest City in the world by 2020. This is the Team's first report: a quick start, setting out actions which can be initiated and many of which can be completed in time for the 2010 Winter Games. The report concentrates on three general areas: jobs and the economy, greener communities, and human health.
Read the report 
(6 mb)
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Vancouver – On the road to lower emissions
Supporting the early adoption of plug-in electric cars is one way that Vancouver shows its desire to be the greenest city in the world.
The City has an agreement to test the Mitsubishi i MiEV, a new zero-emission, pure electric car with extended range, along with BC Hydro for demonstration and evaluation purposes. The agreement also allows for the addition of more cars as they become available.
The City sees electric vehicles as an important way to help further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with improvements to transit, biking and walking.
On July 9, 2009, City Council decided that Vancouver will soon require electric vehicle plug-ins to be provided in at least 20% of the parking stalls in new condo/apartment buildings. A public charging pilot has also been approved.
View report (89 kb)
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Mayor and Councillors breaking ground for community garden on City Hall lawn.
Community garden on City Hall lawn
A portion of the City Hall lawn has been converted into a community garden to grow local food on the grounds. The idea to create a community garden at City Hall is the first ‘Quick Start’ recommendation to come from the Greenest City Team.
A portion of the community garden space is allocated to communal plots where vegetables will be grown for donation to food providers in Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods.
Learn more about community gardening
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