The City of Vancouver has often topped various ’Quality of Life’ ratings as the Best City in the World in which to live. Now Vancouver wants to become the world’s Greenest City.

Last week Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team released a list of tangible actions and policies to guide Vancouver towards the goal of being the world’s greenest city. The Action Team report, Greenest City Quick Start Recommendations, focuses on green jobs and the economy, greener communities, and protecting human health.

“This report gives us a blueprint on how to become the greenest city by linking sustainability with smart economic policy. Green jobs are sustainable jobs and will give Vancouver a significant advantage in this economic climate,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

The creation of the Greenest City Action Team was unanimously endorsed by City Council in February. Mayor Robertson said the advisory group’s recommendations will now go to Council and staff for consideration. “With Council’s continued support, we’ll now work with staff to prioritize these items for action according to City resources.”

Green economy

Quick actions focusing on creating a green economic development strategy could attract sustainable high-tech businesses to Vancouver and create new jobs. Policies that conserve energy also save money and should be pursued, says the report, as should the development of neighbourhood sources of renewable energy. Obstacles to building green need to be eliminated, and retrofits for buildings should be accelerated.

Green communities

Greener and cleaner communities would grow through actions like: a public bike sharing program; infrastructure for electric vehicles; reduced packaging waste; and a shift to biweekly garbage collection, like in Toronto and Victoria.

More than 500 people expressed interest in the Team’s work through the City’s website, with more than 300 offering ideas on how to make Vancouver the world’s greenest city. City-wide composting was the most popular idea among online participants.

Health

In the area of health, the report’s recommendations include making more land available for community gardens; strengthening protection from pesticides; and encouraging and expanding farmers markets throughout the city.

The Greenest City Action Team will deliver a comprehensive 10-year plan later this year, including benchmarks to monitor Vancouver’s progress. For a copy of the full Greenest City Quick Start Recommendations, visit: vancouver.ca/greenestcity.

 

The full report is available for download

Publication Date: 5/02/2009

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