Download What I Learned at the SCC

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW (SCC)
CONFÉRENCE ET SALON PROFESSIONNEL SUR LES COLLECTIVITÉS DURABLES (CCD)
WHAT I LEARNED AT THE SCC
February 8-10, 2012
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#SCC2012 #CDNmuni
DJ/MM/YA
OTTAWA 2012
DAY 1
Wednesday February 8
The Context
Municipalities control:
• >50% of public infrastructure
• 44% of GHG emissions
• 8% of every tax dollar
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OTTAWA 2012
Building the Green Economy
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OTTAWA 2012
Building the Green Economy:
Sustainable Prosperity
• The global green economy: $4 trillion
• Canada’s green technology market:
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$2.3 billion in 2010
$3.7 billion by 2014
Building the Green Economy
National Round Table on the
Environment and the Economy
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Arctic sea ice loss
Extreme weather events
Rising insurance costs
Pressure on biodiversity
Cost to Canada in 2050: $43 billion
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OTTAWA 2012
Building the Green Economy
Toronto Board of Trade
Urban densities mean:
• A global hub for capital and innovation
• Fewer development pressures on sensitive
areas
• Greater energy efficiency
• A need for transportation
infrastructure
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OTTAWA 2012
Building the Green Economy
Halifax Regional Municipality
Local balance of payments:
• Population
400,000
• Annual energy bill
$1.7 billion
• Percentage that leaves
the region
70%
• Responses to municipal solar program (1 month)
1,600
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar
Sustainable Local Economic Development
• Drayton Valley bio-industrial park diversifies local
economy
• Development in Toronto combines economic,
environmental gains
• Cowichan Valley forms Clean Technology Council
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OTTAWA 2012
Workshop: Speed Dating for Capital
Green Municipal Fund: The story so far…
• Original federal endowment
$550 million
• Projects funded
875
• Participating communities
434
• Jobs created
32,000
• GDP contribution
$3.7 billion
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 1):
Partners for Climate Protection
• Five-milestone program
• Urgent need to reduce
emissions
• Feasible targets
• Impact of regulation
• Recommended 10-year
goals:
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6% of community emissions
20% of corporate emissions
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 2):
Partners for Climate Protection
Putting plans into practice:
• Integrate with wider community
plans
• Link climate to local issues
• Start with what cities can control
• Provide incentives
• Bring third parties together
• Focus on education and
awareness
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Environmental
Technology Verification Program
• Environment Canada: Decision support
tools
• Enviro-accès: Demand and funding for
anaerobic digestion technology
• Walkerton Centre:
Small systems,
First Nations, operator
training
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OTTAWA 2012
Placemaking
Soul of the Community and Beyond
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OTTAWA 2012
Plenary: Placemaking – Soul of the
Community and Beyond
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Does a sense of place still matter?
What attaches us to place?
Why does that sense of attachment matter?
GDP grew faster in communities
with more attached residents
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Water and Wastewater
Management in Small Communities
• Opportunities for municipalities to collaborate
with First Nations
• 30-40% of Aboriginal communities must boil their
water
• Joint infrastructure for neighhbouring
communities
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OTTAWA 2012
Workshop: Removing the Barriers
to Brownfield Redevelopment
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Brownfield action plans
Site characterization
Remedial plans
Site remediation
Funding for “brightfield” projects
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Financing Home
Energy Efficiency
• Retrofits complete on <10% of the housing
stock
• Defining efficiency measures as local
improvements
• Vancouver home energy loans
• Nelson Hydro energy retrofits
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OTTAWA 2012
Peer-to-Peer Networking &
Information Exchange
2012 Sustainable Community Awards
DAY 2
Thursday, February 9
Revitalizing Low Density Communities
Plenary
Revitalizing Low-Density Communities
• Primary mechanisms for revitalization: Changes in
form and transportation infrastructure
• High-density buildings deliver more municipal
revenue
• Changes in planning philosophy bring new
industries, new attitudes
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OTTAWA 2012
Workshop: Net-Zero Buildings
• Varennes’ new library: Canada’s first public
net-zero energy building
• Integrated design strategy
• Grants: $6.8 million
• Community fundraising: >$1 million
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Small Communities,
Powerful Changes
• Dawson Creek: Solar hot water and
electricity, green vehicles, energy-efficient
street lights, anti-idling policy
• County of Wellington: >1.3 million trees
• Revelstoke: Citizen participation in a 20year planning exercise
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 1): Implementing
Sustainable Community Plans
Five key elements:
• Partner engagement
• Community-wide action
• Oversight
• Monitoring
• Communications
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 2): Implementing
Sustainable Community Plans
Ingredients of a successful community
partnership:
• Bringing stakeholders together
• Painting a picture of new possibilities
• Fostering deeper relationships built on
communication, trust
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Nature’s Place in
Sustainable Communities
Municipal tools to protect biodiversity:
• Land use/urban planning
• Licencing and regulation
• Facilitation
• Advocacy and leadership
• Community service delivery
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OTTAWA 2012
Kicking the Fossil Fuel Habit
Plenary: Kicking the Fossil Fuel Habit
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More economic activity with less energy
More energy with less carbon
Municipal role in smart grid development
New transportation systems
More efficient buildings
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OTTAWA 2012
Workshop: Building the Business Case
for Regional Food Systems
Barriers to local food sustainability:
• Perceived lack of supply
• Limited focus on fruits and vegetables
• Strong dependence on larger food
companies
• Lack of interest from health care
institutions
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Climate Change
Adaptation
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Increased risk of severe weather hazards
Limitations on insurance payouts
Ecosystem integrity
Citizen awareness and participation
Protecting resources, local economic
development
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Energy Poverty, Housing
Retrofits and Youth
• Improved energy efficiency
• Increased home comfort
• Hundreds of dollars in energy savings per
housing unit
• Jobs for disadvantaged youth
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OTTAWA 2012
Workshop: Infrastructure Financing
• Public infrastructure operated by
municipalities: >50%
• Infrastructure deficit, 2006: $123 billion
• Canadian municipalities’ reliance on
property tax: Excessive
• Infrastructure programming: Short-term
and unpredictable
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Integrating Land Use,
Landscape, Climate, and Infrastructure
Aspects of resilience through 2060:
• How should we grow?
• How will we get around?
• How efficient will our buildings be?
• How will energy be supplied?
• How will we manage water and waste?
• How will we feed ourselves?
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OTTAWA 2012
Study Tours
Hosted by the City of Ottawa
• Wastewater treatment
facility (ROPEC)
• Great Canadian Theatre
Company
• Beaver Barracks
Additional Tours
• Ottawa Convention Centre
• FCM "Walking the Talk”
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OTTAWA 2012
Trade Show
• 52 booths
• Sustainability professionals from
all sectors discuss and share best
practices
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OTTAWA 2012
DAY 3
Friday, February 10
Nordic Leaders’ Panel
Plenary: Nordic Leaders’ Panel
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High level of self-government
Independent taxation powers
Focus on equality, poverty, social exclusion
Political support, homebuilder training for
energy-efficient construction
• Climate change is accepted and addressed;
little debate on whether action is necessary
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Implementing Integrated
Community Energy Solutions
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Local energy systems, local renewables
Amenable to higher densities, mixed uses
Better energy performance
Reduced carbon footprints
Lower energy costs
District energy the “game-changer”
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 1):
Sustainable Municipal Procurement
Benefits of sustainable procurement:
• Eco-efficiency
• Brand enhancement
• Financial ROI
• Reduced risk
• Employee engagement
• Strategic supplier relationships
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OTTAWA 2012
Advanced Training (Part 2):
Sustainable Municipal Procurement
Procurement and corporate social
responsibility:
• What market intelligence do you gather?
• What resources do you consume that
could be conserved?
• What are your risks over the next three to
five years?
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OTTAWA 2012
Industry Exchange: Adaptation
Initiative ― Cities Working Together
• ICLEI-FCM joint initiative since the mid1990s
• Municipalities vulnerable to rising
temperature, extreme weather, sea level
rise
• Changing Climate, Changing Communities
guide: www.iclei.org/canada
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OTTAWA 2012
Sustainable
Communities
and the GPT
Transition
Plenary: Sustainable Communities
and the GPT Transition
• Homer-Dixon: With rapid change, “we
shouldn’t be surprised by surprise”
• “Extraordinary opportunities” in
economic transition
• Liveable, resilient communities
• General purpose technology
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Public Health Opportunities
in the Green Economy
• Built environment and healthy living
• From research to tools, policies, and
processes
• Healthy, walkable streets
• Reclaiming a community’s energy future
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OTTAWA 2012
Seminar: Public-Private Partnerships: Making it
Work in the Transportation Sector
• Derived demand: Users don’t think of
transportation when deciding where to live,
work, go to school, or shop
• 50% of public transit services have some form of
public-private partnership
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OTTAWA 2012