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Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre -- one of Ottawa's few LEED-certified buildings
City must ramp up measures for greener buildings
Ecology Ottawa presents strategy for more ecologically responsible new construction
March 1, 2009
An Ecology
Ottawa report released today outlines a three-part strategy for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and waste from Ottawa's
buildings. The report, titled Building
Ottawa's Energy Revolution, provides a roadmap for the City of Ottawa
to improve environmental and energy efficiency standards in new
construction. To do this, the city must: - Ramp up environmental standards for its own (municipal) buildings
- Implement
a pilot project that would offer assistance and incentives to
developers of new buildings seeking certification under the LEED Silver
environmental standard. This program, which city council voted to defer
over a year ago for further study and consultations, is expected to be
presented to council again for approval this spring.
- Vigorously pursue further opportunities to offer incentives and support for green building projects
Fifty-eight
per cent of Ottawa's total greenhouse gas emissions come from
buildings, placing them far ahead of transportation (36%) and waste
(6%). This makes improving the efficiency of Ottawa's buildings a top
priority if city council is serious about meeting its climate change
goals. Six years ago, the City of Ottawa committed to reducing the
city's greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. "Implementing
the simple three-step plan we propose will improve Ottawa's air and
water quality, and demonstrate that this city is serious about fighting
climate change," said Lori Waller, Ecology Ottawa's research associate.
"Improving the energy efficiency of the city's buildings will also help
to save Ottawans millions of dollars by lowering energy bills." Building
Ottawa's Energy Revolution recommends using proven incentives - such as
tax exemptions, conditional re-zoning, reduced permit fees and
development charges, and a fast-track approvals process - to encourage
developers to build green. Cities such as Calgary, Victoria, Chicago
and Seattle have successfully adopted these types of policies. About Ecology Ottawa: We are a not-for-profit, grassroots organization working to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada. -30- For more information, contact:
Lori Waller, Ecology Ottawa, 613-850-9101 or lori@ecologyottawa.ca
The report can be downloaded below:
Building_Ottawa's_Energy_Revolution.pdf
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