Lifestyle, location and commuting

Lifestyle and environment

Clean energy infrastructure and efficient-housing for Canada's Indigenous communities

Last summer the 20/20 Catalysts Program kick-started a clean-energy initiative for Indigenous communities. This summer the focus will be on improving community housing. Representatives from 18 communities across Canada attended three week-long intensive sessions last summer as part of the clean energy…

Lifestyle and environment

how your diet affects climate change

Want to learn what how to slow climate change by altering your diet a bit? Learn what foods have the lowest climate impact. How does diet affect climate change? Dwindling water is the next big global resource crisis looming over us, and soil depletion isn't far behind. Living in a green home doesn't instantly equate…

Choosing where to live

What makes a green home livable to you?

Urban centers are increasing in population, with that comes the challenge of making them a healthy and enjoyable place to live, both in a green home and out. First published in SAB magazine . The way we live is changing. As both an architect and a resident of Vancouver, I am regularly confronted with how our cities…

Lifestyle and environment

Seven experimental homes being built at the Living City Campus North of Toronto

The BRE Innovation Park will be expanding its facilities to conduct research into advanced building products and technologies. The BRE Innovation Park (Building Research Establishment) that lies 15km north of Toronto will soon build a new series of houses in which emerging building products and technologies can be…

Commuting

Tax breaks in Canada for Electric vehicles

Badly needed infrastructure for charging electric vehicles coming from the provinces, along with financial incentives for purchase. There is no question that the best way to lower emissions as we scurry about a city is to travel by foot, bike or public transportation, yet it’s unlikely we will see the end of the…

Lifestyle and environment

Green Business Certification Inc. and Canada Green Building Council Join Together to Advance the WELL Building Standard

New partnership agreement will bring WELL to market across Canada. Washington, D.C. & Ottawa, ON (June 9, 2015) – Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announce a new agreement to promote and advance the WELL Building Standard (WELL) in Canada. The WELL Building…

Lifestyle and environment

DIY non-toxic all natural Easter egg dye.

Dying your own Easter eggs is especially fun when using all natural dye made in your very own kitchen. Dying eggs is one of my favourite spring traditions. Sadly, many conventional food dyes and artificial colourings are far from benign. According to a 2010 study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public…

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Creating a farm and building a resilient lifestyle

A resilient home is one that is better prepared to face the challenges of a changing climate, ideally providing security of heat, water and food. As founder of the Resilient Design Institute, Alex Wilson is an internationally renowned authority on resilience in home design. Beyond just homes, 'resilience' can in a…

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Vancouver developer leads the way to more sustainable communities

Some forward thinking developers are designing homes that are ready to handle the more severe weather caused by a warming climate. While governments have a role in shaping and improving the built environment through zoning, development bylaws and other means, developers also play a large role. They choose where to…

Lifestyle and environment

How to future proof homes as we face a changing climate

The risks and costs of climate change: since insurance companies are becoming more aware of the greater threats posed by more severe weather, we had best become more aware as well. How to build homes ready to face climate change? We often think of the land underneath our feet as fixed and unmoving. On a calm day, if…

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Sustainable building practices create prosperous communities

An Australian report finds sustainable building is helping to create stronger and more prosperous communities. Sustainable building practices are doing more than just helping the environment - they are also helping to create stronger and more prosperous communities. This is according to the Green Building Council of…