OCTOBER 2023

This fall, HUB Cycling’s Go by Bike Week is double the fun with a two-week event for the first time ever. Taking place from October 16 to 29, this event celebrates cycling as a healthy and climate-friendly activity and encourages participants to ride their bicycles to everyday destinations like work, school, stores or leisure activities.
 
Almost 40% of Vancouver’s carbon pollution comes from burning gasoline and diesel in our vehicles. Choosing to change how we move, by using active transportation to get around the city, can help us meet our Climate Emergency Action Plan goal to cut Vancouver’s carbon pollution in half by 2030.
 
YOUR TURN
 
Register solo or as a team and log your rides on the HUB Cycling website for a chance to win prizes. Visit Celebration Stations across Vancouver to get free bike maintenance, on-site cycling resources, snacks and more.
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Cities are able to take big strides on climate action through our land use planning tools, such as zoning and neighbourhood-level plans. Climate action-oriented planning means:

• Adding new housing choices in low-density residential areas, which can help more people live within an easy walk or roll of their daily needs;
• Reallocating existing road infrastructure for more climate-friendly uses, like active transportation and transit;
• Enabling the construction of buildings that are more energy efficient and resilient to the impacts of climate change and are built with low carbon materials and practices;
• Maximizing our ability to capture carbon pollution and reduce the threat of extreme heat and floods through urban greenspace and trees.

Through our Climate Emergency Action Plan, we are working to ensure neighbourhood planning is climate-friendly, while creating thriving, complete communities.
 
YOUR TURN

Your input can help ensure that climate solutions remain a priority in our planning processes:

• On October 12, the City launched public engagement on a Gastown Public Spaces Plan, which will outline improvements to the neighbourhood’s streets, laneways and special places, while exploring how to make Water Street a pedestrian priority street either seasonally or year-round. Learn more and share your thoughts.
• With public input from earlier phases, City staff have developed a preferred design concept for the West End Waterfront to reimagine a thriving future waterfront that addresses the impacts of sea level rise. Share your thoughts on the concept by taking the survey (launching October 30, register here for updates).
• The Vancouver Park Board is working to create new ideas for improving access to Stanley Park through a Mobility Study and public input. Learn more and share your thoughts (launching November 6, register here for updates).

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY
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Our Walk Bike Roll Mini Grants are back for the 2023-2024 school year.

In partnership with the Vancouver School Board, the City of Vancouver is providing up to $500 for up to 40 projects and activities in Vancouver public secondary and elementary schools that encourage and promote students using active travel, like walking, cycling, or rolling to school.

Almost 40% of carbon pollution in Vancouver comes from burning gas and diesel in our vehicles. Through our Climate Emergency Action Plan, we’re working to ensure that two thirds of trips in Vancouver are by active transportation and transit by 2030, and projects like these can help us get there. 
 
YOUR TURN

Are you a parent or teacher at a Vancouver elementary or high school? Learn more and apply for a Walk Bike Roll mini grant before November 3.
 
Get inspired by watching this video that shows what General Gordon parents did with a Walk Bike Roll mini grant last year.
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

October is Circular Economy Month. Launched by Circular Innovation Council, this public awareness campaign is dedicated to educating and empowering Canadians to support an economy that protects the planet and prioritizes people. A circular economy works by keeping valuable resources and materials in use for longer, reducing waste.
 
Vancouver is working to divert more and waste less in its move towards zero waste. Through our Zero Waste 2040 Strategy, we are aiming to be a zero waste community by 2040. To get there, we are prioritizing actions with the greatest impact, such as preventing waste of all types, repairing and maintaining items to extend their lives, and sharing, reusing and repairing items before recycling them.
 
Reducing waste also decreases consumption-based carbon pollution, which aligns with our Climate Emergency Action Plan.
 
YOUR TURN

Support the circular economy in Vancouver by downloading the Zero Waste Action Booklet and completing the actions in it to reduce waste in your life.
 
You can also join the following events and activities taking place this month:

• Reuse and recycling drop-off events: bring your unwanted electronics, small appliances, clothing and more to one of free drop-off events.
• Free swap events: various locations across Vancouver will be hosting swap events, where you can drop off items for others and pick up items that are new-to-you.
• Repair cafés: get help repairing broken small appliances, electronics, clothing, and more.  

SUPPORTING: ZERO WASTE 2040