welcome

As students relish their last few weeks of summer holidays, we want to share some green back-to-school tips, including the best walk/bike routes for Vancouver students; information about our green cemetery; and an update on the City’s deconstruction waste reduction project!

One Day is a City of Vancouver initiative that encourages residents to take small actions in their daily lives to use less energy at home and on the move, to help protect the climate, and to make Vancouver the cleanest, greenest, healthiest city in the world. 

It’s nearly that time of year again, back-to-school!  As you and/or one of your loved ones are wrapping up the summer holidays, here are a couple ideas that can help you in making a green transition from your beach bag to your school bag.  

Getting supplies
The best way to reduce waste is to reuse last year’s school supplies. If you do need to purchase supplies, perhaps consider:

• Refillable pens and pencils
• 100% recycled content paper and notebooks
• Clothing swaps and second-hand shops

Getting around
Getting to school, lessons and sports practice is more fun with friends.  Get to know who also lives in your neighbourhood and plan to:

• Ride your bike or walk with them
• Carpool together

Getting fed
Lunchtime doesn’t have to end with a trip to the rubbish bin:  

• Pack local fruits and veggies to snack on
• Use a lunchbox with reusable food containers
• Bring a cool water bottle filled with Vancouver’s quality tap water

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer holidays.

In March, we partnered on a deconstruction pilot project where twenty youth were trained and employed to deconstruct two Vancouver homes. The pilot project was aimed at maximizing salvage and reuse of building materials. Through the pilot, more than 90% of the building material from these homes was recycled and sold for reuse, instead of being sent to the landfill. The City is now working on policies to advance the growth of a deconstruction industry in Vancouver.

This month’s wonders are the students from 15 Vancouver schools who have participated in the One Day One School Program over the past three years.  These students have been offered cycling skills training, bike maintenance workshops, bike mentoring and/or traffic safety reviews.  Many of Vancouver’s youth now have the skill-set to get to school more safely using their own pedal power.

If you or your child attends a school in Vancouver, use the ODOS cycling route map to find the best route(s) for each school.

…has a major renovation project planned and may be wondering what they can do with their demolition waste?  Forward this issue.  They’ll love One Day.

New readers, sign-up here.

Cycling Courses
Aug 20-27
Become a confident city rider! These FREE, fun, practical and hands-on courses are for anyone who’d like to be more comfortable on their bike, especially on the road and in traffic.

Project Corndog
Aug 18-21
Spend the evening following an outdoor theatre event through a local organic farm and into a forest grove.  The evening ends with a farm grown meal.  $50  

Invasive Removal
Sep 11, 10am
The Lower Mainland Green Team, the Pacific Spirit Park Society and Metro Vancouver Parks are joining forces to remove invasive plants at Pacific Spirit Park.

Sea of Sand
Aug 13-28
Pull up a blanket and listen to the cinematic sound as live action plays up and down the beach and in and out of the water at Spanish Banks.  This production is partially solar and pedal powered!  

Check out the One Day events calendar for more sustainability related events happening in and around Vancouver.

…that Mountain View is recognized by the Green Burial Council as a hybrid cemetery?  In addition to having requirements around vaults, hybrid burial cemeteries cannot require the embalming of descendents.  They also must allow for any kind of eco-friendly burial containers, such as their selection of biodegradable urns.

Find out more about Mountain View. Take a bike (September 11) or walking tour (August 21).