Greenest City
FEBRUARY 2013

WELCOME

This month, we’re asking you to cast your vote for the City Challenge People’s Choice Awards, updating you on Vancouver’s Food Strategy, sharing stories from the Greenest City Fund recipients and letting you know what’s new with Vancouver’s street lighting.

VOTE TODAY

This year, the World Wildlife Fund is holding its first Earth Hour City Challenge, an international competition in advance of Earth Hour to recognize cities that are demonstrating leadership in reducing carbon pollution.  Vancouver is one of three Canadian and 17 international city finalists!  
 
Why we think the world should vote for Vancouver:

  • Our neighbourhood renewable energy system in Southeast False Creek eliminates 60% of the carbon pollution associated with heating buildings in that neighbourhood.
  • Our landfill gas recovery system is able to convert methane into renewable energy.
  • Our separated bike lanes and other transportation improvements have increased cycling in the city by 35% in three short years.
  • A thousand students are working to co-create the Greenest City while earning university or college credits.
  • We’ve increased our community gardens, farmers markets and urban farms in the city significantly.

Voting opens today and runs until March 15.  We encourage you to vote using all three methods below:

  1. Clicking the Vote button on Vancouver's profile.
  2. Uploading photos of sustainable Vancouver to Instragram with the hash tag #peopleschoiceVAN.
  3. Adding suggestions for how Vancouver can do even better at becoming the Greenest City in the world.

The People’s Choice Award will be presented to the city that receives the greatest number of votes. Vote often; every photo and suggestion submitted will be counted. 

GREENEST CITY FUND

On February 7, one of the 17 selected Greenest City Fund Community Grant projects officially kicked off.  With a grant of $35,000, students at Vancouver Technical and David Thompson Secondary will work with Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society to develop schoolyard market gardens that will function as outdoor classrooms for students and teachers.  The produce will be used in the school cafeterias and will provide healthy, nutritious lunches for fellow students.

Other selected Greenest City Fund Community Grant projects include:

  • Helping small- and medium-sized businesses become more energy efficient.
  • Providing bikes and training to low-income residents.
  • Creating a mobile produce market for seniors.
  • Helping  a group of neighbours to reduce their ecological footprint and develop a toolkit for others to use in their own greening projects.


Co-funded by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Foundation, the Greenest City Fund is a four-year, $2 million fund that supports community-led green projects in Vancouver.

Find out more about these community grant projects as well as the 2012 Generation Green Grant projects.  The next Greenest City Fund opportunity is the Neighbourhood Small Grants.  This grant will provide grants of up to $1,000 to individuals. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2013. Photo by Vincent L. Chan.

FOOD STRATEGY

The Vancouver Food Strategy was approved by City Council on Wednesday, January 30.  This strategy is a roadmap that will help Vancouver integrate the full spectrum of urban food system issues within a single policy framework that includes urban agriculture, food processing, distribution, access and food waste management.  Read the full council report or watch the video.  

“The development of the Vancouver Food Strategy is another exciting step in the development of a just and sustainable food system for Vancouver,” says the Vancouver Food Policy Council.   

  • We encourage you to get local with your food.  Support our local farmers through the choices you make when grocery shopping and eating out.  Where possible, grow your own.  
  • Check out our events listing in this issue for courses on how to to grow your own food and where to shop for locally grown foods.   
  • Apply for a plot in in a community garden near you.  Simply, locate the garden you are interested in joining and then contact them directly.  In cases where more people are interested in garden plots than space is available, your name may be added to a waiting list.
Fun facts:  Did you know that BC is one of the top three blueberry producing regions in the world?  Or, that BC is home to 2,200 registered beekeepers?

 

LED STREET LIGHTING

You may have noticed recently that some of the streetlights in Vancouver cast a different sort of light.  That's because the old, yellow lights are being replaced with LEDs that are brighter and clearer than the old streetlight bulbs. 

LED streetlights have other benefits too:

  • They are 40% more efficient.
  • They are expected to last much longer, requiring less maintenance.
  • They are supported by adaptive technology, which allows the City to dim lights or program them for specific use, and signals to operation staff when they're out.
  • Their light is more directional, which reduces the amount of light pollution created by the streetlights.
Currently the City is replacing the old lights on an as-needed basis while a report on a large-scale replacement plan for the entire city is being prepared for City Council.   Read the full story.   

In addition to considering LEDs for your home, show you care about the environment by turning out all your lights (LEDs or not) on March 23 for Earth Hour.  2013 marks the fifth year Earth Hour will be celebrated in Vancouver.

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VOLUNTEER

Help the environment while having fun and making friends at local celebrations this summer, including:

  • The Spring Run Off on March 24
  • Vancouver Sun Run on April 21
  • Point Grey Fiesta on June 22

Volunteers on Green Chair’s green team improve sustainability of these events by sorting and collecting recyclables.  All ages, abilities and experience welcome; just bring a smile and your enthusiasm.  Email for more details.

ATTEND

We all have a role to play in becoming the Greenest City in the world.  Here are a few events that align with Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.

Greenest City Scholars
- Feb 27
Are you enrolled in a Masters or PhD program at UBC Vancouver?  If so, you can apply to work with the City this summer to advance our Greenest City goals.  To find out what it is like to be a Greenest City Scholar, read this story. 

Organic veggie growing for beginners
- Mar 9
Learn all the basics to grow your own food, including how to prepare soil, which plants to choose, when to plant, how to properly water and feed plants, and when to harvest.  Sign up and find out what other courses are offered at VanDusen Gardens.

West End EcoVillage Potluck
-  Feb 25
Imagine a neighbourhood dedicated to zero waste, cooperation, local food, children, learning, and friendships.  Come and share a meal and your ideas for an EcoVillage in the West End at the West End Community Centre.

Food Waste: Alternatives for Condos
- Mar 21
This workshop will explore the alternatives for food waste disposal for multi-family housing.  Learn more about vermiculture, bokashi, food waste digesters and electric composters, as well as communal composting and drop zones. Participants will have a hands-on chance to see some of the different technologies at Mount Pleasant Community Centre.

Renewable Energy - Film
- Feb 28
Join BCSEA and Langara College of a screening of The Fourth Revolution: Energy Autonomy (2010) followed by facilitated discussion.  This documentary is based on the ideas of renewable energy proponent Hermann Scheer.

Electric Vehicle Lecture
- Feb 21
Where are the electric vehicles?  Join Dr. Jonn Axen for this free public lecture as he draws from in-depth market and technical research to explore society's readiness for such a transition - and outlines the policies required to get there. 

Winter Farmers Market
- Saturdays, 10am-2pm
This winter you can stock up on a bounty of fresh, local food at the Farmers Market every Saturday at Nat Bailey Stadium.  This month, you’ll find double the usual number of food trucks and you can vote on the new truck you’d like to see at the market this summer.  You can also bring your food scraps to the market for composting (by donation).  

Did you know that in 18 months the Food Scraps Drop Spots have collected over 100,000 pounds of food scraps and over 56,000 pounds at Vancouver Farmers Market sites alone?