June 2022

After four rounds of public engagement, the final Vancouver Plan is being presented to Council next month. The Plan is Vancouver’s first unified citywide plan to create a more livable, affordable and sustainable city for everyone. It guides the long-term growth of the city in an intentional way, clarifying where growth and change will occur over the next 30 years. The Plan will set out specific policies related to climate, ecology and watersheds, while also making Vancouver more resilient to our changing climate.

The Plan would be a major step forward in supporting Climate Emergency Action Plan goals of updating land-use planning to put more people within an easy walk or roll of their daily needs. Land use decisions also support many other Climate Emergency actions like improving public transportation services, ensuring new buildings are built with low carbon materials and include EV charging, and stimulating access to green energy — all of which can foster affordability and better health outcomes for residents. 

YOUR TURN

Thank you to everyone who took time to provide input on the draft Vancouver Plan in April. Your feedback will be presented to City Council and considered as part of their decision on the Vancouver Plan. Once posted online later this month, you can view the meeting agenda and read the Plan. Watch the City of Vancouver and Greenest City social media channels for the most up-to-date information on when these items will be available. 

There’s still an opportunity to share your thoughts directly with Council – once the Plan is posted online you can submit your comments or sign-up to speak at Council. 

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

On May 17, Vancouver City Council approved four reports that will further Vancouver’s leadership on zero-emissions buildings. They include actions to: reduce carbon pollution from new construction and existing buildings, add cooling and air filtration in new buildings, and introduce first-of-their-kind requirements in North America to limit emissions from building materials. Importantly, these updates also prioritize equity and climate resilience with many health benefits for residents and building occupants.

Altogether, the actions in these four reports will initially remove or avoid over 50,000 tonnes of carbon pollution in Vancouver per year, equivalent to removing 13,000 gas-fueled cars from our roads. Reductions will continue to grow over time.

In the same week, Council approved a report to grow Vancouver’s electric vehicle charging ecosystem by encouraging EV chargers at gas stations and parking lots. This will add options for the many Vancouver residents, including renters, who cannot charge an EV at home.

Burning natural gas in our buildings, as well as gas and diesel in our vehicles, produce our largest local sources of carbon pollution, creating more than 90% of Vancouver’s emissions. The actions approved in these reports are an important step towards achieving our goal of reducing our carbon pollution by 50% by 2030.

YOUR TURN

Read more about the reports that will further emission reductions from buildings here, and will expand Vancouver’s EV charging network here.

Follow our Twitter for real-time updates on Council decisions related to climate action, and for other Greenest City events, news, and updates.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Green rainwater infrastructure (GRI) mimics natural water processes by working with soils, plants and trees to build structures to capture and clean rainwater. It’s a key tool in the City’s Rain City Strategy, which helps achieve improved water quality, resilience and livability through healthy urban ecosystems. 

Vancouver has more than 300 (GRI) installations, which can take many forms: 
•    Engineered soil blends that filter pollutants from rainwater;
•    Evergreen native and superstar plants that can handle heavy rain during the winter months and clean rainwater runoff; and
•    Rainwater tree trenches, which support the weight of sidewalks and roads and give roots room to spread, supporting bigger canopies that intercept more rain and can reduce the urban heat island effect.
 
As climate change brings more extreme weather events, like the atmospheric rivers and heat dome experienced in BC last year, it’s important that Vancouver continue to invest in GRI tools like these to help ensure our city is resilient to our changing climate.

YOUR TURN

Bring green rainwater infrastructure to your neighbourhood by choosing plants that make a difference! Learn how your garden and gardening practices can support water conservation, biodiversity, and more beautiful, livable neighbourhoods.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE ADAPTATION, RAIN CITY STRATEGY

Dig out your gadgets, small appliances, computers and clothing in need of fixing and bring them to a free repair event.

Supported by a Greenest City Grant and the City’s Solid Waste Programs branch, the Vancouver Repair Collective runs free repair events for Vancouver residents. Attendees will receive in-person help from expert volunteers to fix textiles, appliances and even computers and electronics.

You can learn new skills and save money while diverting useable items from the landfill. Taking action to repair items and reduce waste lowers our impact on the environment and helps us achieve our goal of becoming a zero waste city. 

YOUR TURN

Register for the next Community Repair Event taking place on June 18. More community repair events are taking place throughout the summer on July 16, August 13 and September 10.

SUPPORTING: ZERO WASTE