July 2024

Climate change is making local extreme heat and wildfire smoke events more common. On hot or smoky days, remember to take care of yourself, your neighbours and loved ones with the following tips:

• Stay out of the sun as much as possible and if you are outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat, and lightweight, loose-fitting clothing and sunscreen.  
• Monitor for dangerous indoor temperatures. If it is 31C or higher in your home, cool off by visiting an air-conditioned cooling centre.
• Stay hydrated by drinking water before you feel thirsty and fill up your water bottle at one of our drinking fountains, or cool down at a misting station.
• Check out our website to find: an online map to cooling centres, misters and wading pools to take breaks from the sun, cool down and hydrate; cooling tips; translated materials and more at vancouver.ca/hotweather.

On smoky days, the best way to protect your health is to reduce your exposure. The City operates cleaner air spaces with high levels of HEPA or MERV 13 filtration throughout the year and you can visit one whenever you need relief. You can learn more about cleaner air space locations, operating hours, and tips to protect yourself from wildfire smoke at Vancouver.ca/wildfiresmoke.
 
YOUR TURN

Stay informed with the Alertable app, spread your awareness throughout your community, and when possible look out for the safety of others.

Build a Cool Kit or DIY air cleaner for yourself or make one for someone else.

Learn more about our Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.

SUPPORTING: ADAPTATION

Looking for a fun way to shop? Hop on your ride this summer and get rolling. Whether you're grabbing groceries or checking out a local boutique, biking and rolling gives you a fresh perspective on your surroundings and can lead to discovering hidden gems that are just a pedal away.

From August 1 – 31, join HUB Cycling’s Bike to Shop initiative. Pledge to shop by bike and explore vibrant neighborhoods like Gastown, where you can enjoy local landmarks and visit bicycle-friendly businesses. By embracing active transportation, you can help Vancouver achieve its Climate Emergency Action Plan goals of reducing carbon pollution by 50% and having 2/3 of trips taken be by active or public transportation by 2030.

YOUR TURN

Make the pledge: Commit to shopping by bike this summer for a chance to win awesome prizes.

Explore: Check out HUB Cycling’s interactive #Bike2Shop maps for safe cycling routes to Gastown, bike parking and repair shop info, and a guide to local businesses that love cyclists.

Check out Bike Valet: Find locations here and the events calendar here.

Build your cycling skills with this free online course.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

We are aiming to conserve resources and prevent waste by repairing products to extend their life and refurbishing materials before recycling them. These actions support a diverse economy and help reduce the amount of useful materials going to the landfill.

If you are interested in supporting these actions at your apartment or condo building, consider joining the Zero Waste Ambassador Program to:

• Access training, education materials and guidance for your zero waste initiatives.

Get to know your neighbours and share recycling and waste reduction tips. Your involvement can range from simple tasks like putting up posters in the recycling room, to more involved activities such as organizing a free swap or collecting household batteries for recycling.

YOUR TURN

Visit our website to find out more details and apply by August 15.

SUPPORTING: ZERO WASTE 2040

Energize Vancouver’s first annual energy and carbon reporting deadline was June 1 and so far over 60% of Vancouver’s large commercial buildings (100,000 square feet and larger) have submitted reports to the City detailing 2023 building energy and carbon performance data. That’s not bad for a brand new, first-of-its-kind requirement to limit carbon pollution from commercial buildings and accelerate the shift to healthier, more affordable, and more resilient homes, offices, and stores. 

• To avoid penalties, building owners and managers still have time to follow the two-step process to comply with the new requirement: Step one: Create and share their building’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager profile with the City of Vancouver.  
• Step two: Visit the Building Performance Reporting System (BPRS) to claim their building and complete the reporting submission. 

• “Vancouver is Leading the Way on the Decarbonization of Large Buildings” Business in Vancouver, April 26, 2024.  
• “How will Vancouver’s new bylaw reshape local buildings?” 980 CKNW, Mornings with Simi, April 23, 2024.  
• “Vancouver enforces first-of-its-kind bylaw to reduce building emissions by 2030,” CityNews, April 21, 2024. 

 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY, ADAPTATION