“This budget marks a turning point,” said Taylor. “It overturns the notion that you have to choose either a healthy environment or a strong economy. It will help keep British Columbia vibrant and growing, it takes a big step toward meeting the challenge of climate change, and it strengthens key public services like health care and education.”
It’s Not Nice to Let Eastern Canadians Freeze in the Dark
Strategic Petroleum Reserves
It’s Not Nice to Let Eastern Canadians Freeze in the Dark
GORDON LAXER
It is time for Canada to urgently join all other industrial countries in establishing strategic petroleum. It is irresponsible to let Eastern Canadians freeze in the dark.
Gordon Laxer is director and co-founder of the Parkland Institute, and author of Freezing in the Dark: Why Canada Needs Strategic Petroleum Reserves.
Published on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 by the Guardian/UK
Planners Move to Close the Window on American McMansions
by Dan Glaister
Since 1973 the median size of a new home in the US has grown from 1,525 sq ft (142 sq metres) to 2,248 sq ft. At the same time, the number of people per household has fallen from 3.1 to 2.6. Huge mansions are a common site across the US, dotting the landscape alongside motorways in Colorado, or squeezed into tiny plots in urban areas. Wherever they are found, they share common features: large atrium-style hallways, showpiece kitchens, multiple bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, built-in garage and garden statuary; a style familiar to viewers of the Sopranos. While McMansion is the most frequently used pejorative term, “plywood palazzo” is another.
Welcome to Furniture Bank! http://www.furniturebank.org/
Furniture Bank collects and distributes donated furniture and other household items to assist a wide variety of persons who are in need.
We are a registered charity operating as a social purpose enterprise, offering a range of furniture recycling services on a commercial basis while providing employment and job and life skills training for people on disability support, and others with limited employment opportunities.
LEED for Homes addresses single-family homes, detached and attached, and multifamily residential buildings (up to three stories), developed on a single lot, regulated under Part 9 of the National Building Code. In Canada it is also planned that the rating system will address townhouses that are not part of a larger MURB development.
A number of Canadian projects are participating in the USGBC’s LEED for Homes pilot. Until this product is available in Canada, Canadian projects are encouraged to contact a USGBC LEED for Homes Provider.
Call for Nominations open for 2008 Green Toronto Awards
City of Toronto News Release
January 7, 2008
Nominations for the fourth annual Green Toronto Awards – the City of Toronto’s environmental awards of excellence – are now open. The Green Toronto Awards recognize and celebrate the individuals, community groups and companies that are leading the way to a greener and healthier Toronto.
Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests 2nd Annual Celebration Wednesday February 6th, 2008
Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests
2nd Annual Celebration
Wednesday February 6th, 2008
The Gladstone Hotel • 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
$20 advance tickets, $25 at the door
Ticket purchase enters you into the door prize draw for a $700 bicycle.
You do not need to attend the event to win.
New-housing market may soften considerably - DEREK RAYMAKER - Globe and Mail
The second prediction is that environmentally sustainable housing features and building processes are not a fad - they are here to stay.
The industry appears to have settled on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for achieving energy efficiency, water conservation and low-carbon emissions, as well as for responsible building practices such as using recycled materials.
Achieving a LEED designation on a residential dwelling - especially a detached house - is not a cheap proposition: It often adds tens of thousands of dollars to the cost. But developers have found that buyers are less resistant to paying for these features, and in some cases go out of their way to request them.
Hot Property – The David Suzuki Foundation Weighs in on Real Estate
Hot Property – The David Suzuki Foundation Weighs in on Real Estate
While attending the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia’s Conference on the Effects of Climate Change on Real Estate I was impressed with the receptiveness of Real Estate professionals to the hard hitting messages from scientists and industry spokespersons presenting the impacts of Climate Change on Real Estate in BC. The clear message is that Real Estate will be impacted by Climate Change, and there are important measures to take to protect property values.
Monday, November 19
7:00 pm
St. Michael and All Angel’s
(southeast corner of St. Clair and Wychwood – enter off Wychwood)
See a hands-on demonstration for do-it-yourselfers on weatherstripping, caulking and other simple ways to keep in the heat in the winter. This will be followed our regular monthly meeting.
See a live presentation of An Inconvenient Truth, and join your neighbours to talk about how we can all be part of the climate change solution.
Date: Thursday, November 8th
Time: 6:45 – 9:00 pm
Place: Oakwood Collegiate (southwest corner Oakwood & St. Clair, enter on Oakwood)
A member of Al Gore’s Climate Change Project will give a live but abbreviated version of the slide show from An Inconvenient Truth, followed by a panel discussion on how we can all get involved as individuals and as a community in climate change solutions.
David Suzuki says “I grew up in a house with a lot of people and one bathroom, ...and I don’t remember wetting my pants”.
He advocates for Smart Growth and tells stories about the extinction of bacteria as a result of rapid population doubling. Check this clip out.
EvolutionGreen is committed to helping home owners, developers and Realtors to understand that green is good for property value and for the value of local communities and local economies.
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Chris Chopik
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Chris is a Toronto Real Estate Board Instructor
Email or call Chris at 416-993-4870
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