BC Context

British Columbia is known as a leader in green building across Canada, with the most LEED projects per capita and a wealth of pioneers in the green building movement. It joins the Pacific Northwest in being the regional place of true green leadership with strongest American programming and resources coming from Seattle and Portland. The premier’s recent decision to adopt LEED Gold for all government buildings and to set rigorous standards for carbon neutrality further strengthens this perception and reality. The February 2007 Throne Speech announced the development of new green requirements in the BC Building Code, that support the province’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gases. The Ministry of Community Services announcement indicated that once Bill 27 (Local Government Green Communities Statutes Amendment Act, 2008) comes into force, local governments will be required to include greenhouse gas emission targets, policies, and actions in their Official Community Plans. As of January 14, 151 local governments have signed on to the BC Climate Action Charter, committing to carbon neutral municipal operations by 2012.

Despite all this good news, it is Cascadia’s belief that BC’s building and construction industry is actually poised to lose significant ground compared with its key competitors in Ontario, Washington, Oregon, and California unless key policy decisions are made at all levels. BC is already losing ground to Ontario in terms of the number of LEED projects and LEED accredited professionals, and is on course to become less competitive in the emerging green economy if changes aren’t made soon.

It’s the Capacity, Stupid

Though BC has more certified projects per capita, the chart below indicates Ontario has more in total for the first time since the launch of LEED in Canada. Compared with Oregon, Washington, and California, however, the situation is more serious. Even before the Obama administration injected significant funding into the green building and renewable energy industries, the cities of Portland and Seattle far outstripped what is happening in Vancouver, Victoria, or any Western Canadian community. If unchecked, future development will see more American companies outcompeting BC companies, and a ‘brain-drain’ of our existing provincial expertise as they leave for more opportunities south of the border.

The problem is that on large projects or when an expert is required, we often bring in expertise from the US, since our neighbors are ready for green collar jobs. Are we? Since 2000 when the Green Buildings BC program—Canada’s first green building program—was developed, the core challenge identified has been capacity. Still in 2009, there simply are not enough trained professionals in the areas of design, governance, builders, developers, and real estate professionals.

Education

The good news is that the building sector is poised to lead the green collar sector, and to be a critical part of government solutions to both economic stimulus and carbon reductions. Green building efforts throughout the region have shown it’s possible to construct buildings that use anywhere between 40 and 60% less energy than a conventional structure within the economic parameters of a typical project provided that a knowledgeable team is in place coupled with an integrated design process and a knowledgeable construction crew and operations team. This starts to explain why, according to a 2008 report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, endorsed by the UN, green building is the fastest and cheapest way to lower North America’s contribution to global climate change. From Cascadia’s perspective, education is a key part of the solution. Here are a few ways to get involved:

Call for Submissions for Green Skyline Tours

Do you live or work in a building that should be on our annual tour of green buildings? Or is there a building or a block, a park, or a shed that is exemplary for its environmental or social sustainability for which you could provide a tour? This year we are accepting submissions for tours in the Vancouver area, Victoria area, Okanagan, and Kootenay-Rockies.

Canadian LEED Flash Cards

Now Available These flashcards test your knowledge on all portions of the Canadian LEED reference guide covered by the exam. Study tips also included. LEED for Homes Launched The new LEED for Homes Rating System, which promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes, is now launched in Canada.

Ms. Woolliams has been working to mainstream sustainable buildings through advancing critical policy, programs, and training with municipalities and other institutions for almost a decade. Jessica comes to Cascadia from Light House Sustainable Building Centre, where she was a founding director, and she brings extensive green building consulting experience in both the public and non-profit realms. As a consultant, Jessica helped establish Green Buildings BC, Canada’s first green building program in 2000. Jessica has published both academically and professionally and has lectured at Harvard, BCIT, SFU, and UBC.