Welcome

Happy holidays! This month check out crowd sourced green gift ideas, students putting their brainpower to City of Vancouver challenges, and how-to videos for homemade daily needs. Do you know what the ideal indoor temperature is for staying comfortable during different activities in the home? You’ll have to read on to find out.

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.

Action of the month

Create memories, not garbage! Start new green traditions. Re-gift without guilt. Give experiences instead of stuff. Craft or bake. Donate to families in need in lieu of gifts. Check out other green gift ideas posted on Metro Vancouver’s Green Angel website from local residents.

Also visit the Queen of Green’s blog on the David Suzuki website for ideas on greening your holidays. She’s got great how-to videos on greening everything from your laundry soap to your aftershave.

re:CONNECT

Check out the winners from the re:CONNECT open ideas competition, which aimed to ignite discussion and dream new possibilities for the future of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and the City's broader Eastern Core. View their creative visions of a better future for the viaduct structures, the lands beneath them, and the industrial lands of the False Creek Flats.

One Day Wonders

This month’s One Day Wonders are fourteen students from different backgrounds and post-secondary institutions in the CityStudio program.

The program, where the city is the classroom, was pitched last fall during the consultation for the Greenest City Plan. Its goal is to directly involve students, professors and post-secondary institutions in the implementation of the Greenest City 2020 goals, matching energy, talent, resources and optimism with real-world challenges.

On December 10, CityStudio hosted its first open house and exhibition, showcasing the project work. One of the student groups built a 30 foot long table from a locally salvaged Douglas fir donated by the Parks Board, with the intent of engaging community members in dialogue about the Greenest City goals. At the open house, the students hosted their first in a series of long table dialogues with community members sitting around the table and discussing the future of water in Vancouver.
Photo: City Studio Vancouver

Talk Food With Us

The City of Vancouver is developing a food strategy and wants your help. The Vancouver Food Strategy will focus on creating a healthy, sustainable food system that benefits people, the local economy, environment and development of our city. It will look at policies that affect the ways in which we produce, access, prepare, consume and dispose of food. Come to a Food Strategy event in your community or invite us to your event. E-mail your ideas and feedback on food system priorities.

Making festivals and events greener

Events and festivals are an important part of a vibrant city, but they can create enormous amounts of waste. The City of Vancouver is looking into what it can do to help events and festivals be more environmentally friendly. You can help by filling out this short survey to share your thoughts on the issue.

Do you know...

...someone who is stuck on gift ideas? Forward this e-mail. They’ll love One Day.

New readers, sign-up here.

What's happening

Clean Bin Project Movie Screening
Dec 20, 7 pm
St James Hall, 3214 West 10 Ave, Vancouver
Is it possible to live completely waste free? Partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a competition to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least landfill garbage in an entire year.
$10 at the door.

Advanced Bike Maintenance Workshops
Second Saturday morning and last Thursday evening of every month
1830 Ontario St, Vancouver
Participants should bring their bike and have some basic bike maintenance knowledge or experience, or have taken an introductory bike maintenance workshop.
$50 for VACC members and $55 for non-members, plus HST.

Streetwise cycling course
February 18, 12 - 4:30 pm
3 West 3rd Avenue, Unit A, Vancouver
This February course is specially designed to focus on riding in the rain and in the dark! $50 plus HST.

BC Green Games Submission Support Webinar
Last week of January 2012
Walk through the submission process for the Green Games environmental action contest for schools, learn from seasoned team leaders, and get ready for a successful submission.

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

Did you know...

…that heating costs rise about five per cent for every degree above 20˚C that you set your thermostat?

Being toasty warm is a good thing, but it’s easy to go overboard keeping your house heated, and you may be spending more on your energy bills than you need to. Most people are comfortable sitting reading or watching TV at 21˚C, working around the house at 20˚C, and sleeping at 16˚C. Find out more tips for keeping warm and saving money this winter.


December, 2011 Hello! Welcome Happy holidays! This month check out crowd sourced green gift ideas, students putting their brainpower to City of Vancouver challenges, and how-to videos for homemade daily needs. Do you know what the ideal indoor temperature is for staying comfortable during different activities in the home? You’ll have to read on to find out. 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. Action of the month Create memories, not garbage! Start new green traditions. Re-gift without guilt. Give experiences instead of stuff. Craft or bake. Donate to families in need in lieu of gifts. Check out other green gift ideas posted on Metro Vancouver’s Green Angel website from local residents. Also visit the Queen of Green’s blog on the David Suzuki website for ideas on greening your holidays. She’s got great how-to videos on greening everything from your laundry soap to your aftershave. re:CONNECT Check out the winners from the re:CONNECT open ideas competition, which aimed to ignite discussion and dream new possibilities for the future of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and the City's broader Eastern Core. View their creative visions of a better future for the viaduct structures, the lands beneath them, and the industrial lands of the False Creek Flats. One Day Wonders This month’s One Day Wonders are fourteen students from different backgrounds and post-secondary institutions in the CityStudio program. The program, where the city is the classroom, was pitched last fall during the consultation for the Greenest City Plan. Its goal is to directly involve students, professors and post-secondary institutions in the implementation of the Greenest City 2020 goals, matching energy, talent, resources and optimism with real-world challenges. On December 10, CityStudio hosted its first open house and exhibition, showcasing the project work. One of the student groups built a 30 foot long table from a locally salvaged Douglas fir donated by the Parks Board, with the intent of engaging community members in dialogue about the Greenest City goals. At the open house, the students hosted their first in a series of long table dialogues with community members sitting around the table and discussing the future of water in Vancouver. Photo: City Studio Vancouver Talk Food With Us The City of Vancouver is developing a food strategy and wants your help. The Vancouver Food Strategy will focus on creating a healthy, sustainable food system that benefits people, the local economy, environment and development of our city. It will look at policies that affect the ways in which we produce, access, prepare, consume and dispose of food. Come to a Food Strategy event in your community or invite us to your event. E-mail your ideas and feedback on food system priorities. Making festivals and events greener Events and festivals are an important part of a vibrant city, but they can create enormous amounts of waste. The City of Vancouver is looking into what it can do to help events and festivals be more environmentally friendly. You can help by filling out this short survey to share your thoughts on the issue.	Do you know... ...someone who is stuck on gift ideas? Forward this e-mail. They’ll love One Day. New readers, sign-up here. What's happening Clean Bin Project Movie Screening Dec 20, 7 pm St James Hall, 3214 West 10 Ave, Vancouver Is it possible to live completely waste free? Partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a competition to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least landfill garbage in an entire year. $10 at the door. Advanced Bike Maintenance Workshops Second Saturday morning and last Thursday evening of every month 1830 Ontario St, Vancouver Participants should bring their bike and have some basic bike maintenance knowledge or experience, or have taken an introductory bike maintenance workshop. $50 for VACC members and $55 for non-members, plus HST. Streetwise cycling course February 18, 12 - 4:30 pm 3 West 3rd Avenue, Unit A, Vancouver This February course is specially designed to focus on riding in the rain and in the dark! $50 plus HST. BC Green Games Submission Support Webinar Last week of January 2012 Walk through the submission process for the Green Games environmental action contest for schools, learn from seasoned team leaders, and get ready for a successful submission. Check out the One Day events calendar for more sustainability related events happening in and around Vancouver. Did you know... …that heating costs rise about five per cent for every degree above 20˚C that you set your thermostat? Being toasty warm is a good thing, but it’s easy to go overboard keeping your house heated, and you may be spending more on your energy bills than you need to. Most people are comfortable sitting reading or watching TV at 21˚C, working around the house at 20˚C, and sleeping at 16˚C. Find out more tips for keeping warm and saving money this winter.