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. . . Upcoming . . . Schedule . . . Past      | |
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Green Buildings: Leading Edge Practices & Projects
Fresh from the North American Conference on Green Building, Thomas Mueller will talk about leading edge practices and projects and the current state of the art.
WHEN December 15th, 530 pm
COST $35 members; $40 non-members; $30 students (includes dinner)
TO REGISTER
We look forward to seeing you there!
Environmental Trixterism: Joining Eco Ethos with Poetic Utility
The Eco Design Resource Society (EDRS) is pleased to present an evening of discourse with world renound Environmental Public Artist Buster Simpson
Buster Simpson is an artist who works primarily in the public realm. Key to his aesthetic is his belief that the complexity of any site is an asset to build upon in order to reveal, and distill its layers. Process, social, economic, and political realities, cultural aspirations, and environmental conditions are used to inform his projects. The balance or edge between the ethereal and sustainable becomes what he calls ‘poetic utility.' Simpson's projects range from agit props and community interventions to complex infrastructures and comprehensive urban design projects. He feels that an artist contributes a vital element to the process of creating meaningful place. Water is often one of the major components in this artist's work.
Current Projects include collaborations with an array of engineers, architects, and scientists in the development of a new $1.3 billion waste water facility, to be completed in 2010. In addition he is instrumental in the installation of a tunnel entry called Autocorset in downtown Los Angeles, a collaboration on the design of an innovative 1,500 foot mass transit bridge in Phoenix, the reclamation of an abandoned aggregate plant site in Redding, and an urban waterway master plan for the San Lorenzo River on the coast of California. For the past five years, he has collaborated with community designers and engineers to implement a sustainable urban watershed project, encompassing a densely populated eight-block urban streetscape.
For more information on Buster Simpson and his work, click into www.bustersimpson.net
Event Summary
For those who attended the EDRS October evening of discourse with Buster
Simpson you’ll probably agree that it can best be described with one word: Wow!
Buster’s works, the stories they tell, and the stories he tells about them,
are inspiring and provocative. His works reflect, demonstrate, invite and
celebrate connections — natural, social, historic, political. Some works
portray our history and the impacts of choices we’ve made in the past while
simultaneously providing visible examples of sustainability-encapsulated
design and ways we can make more sustainable choices now and in the
future. Profound, often whimsical, and sometimes quite cheeky, Buster’s
works are connected to their environments aesthetically and functionally
and offer teaching/learning moments at the same time.
So often our designs hide or otherwise make invisible the systems that
support us and the relationships that connect us to one another.
Sustainability has called us to recognize and think differently about many
of these veiled or hidden systems and relationships but, even as many
scramble and struggle with understanding & finding sustainability-oriented
solutions, the sustainability idea itself is becoming normalized and
formalized. While this process may be seen as quite naturally a ‘settling’
process, Buster’s work reminds us and challenges us to keep seeking and
engaging creative streams; to explore and extend beyond the boundaries of
the familiar; and to awaken and re-member the magic and delight of
connection and place that should remain familiar to us all.
Thanks to Buster for his presentation and post-presentation time with us;
to Bryan (COV Public Art) and Greg (Emily Carr) for providing support &
resources to host Buster; and to EDRS Board Members Matt and Dolores
particularly for all the persistence to realize a >3year EDRS dream to have
an event on public art and sustainability. Buster was certainly well worth
waiting for!
For those who missed it, you may want to check out his site at
www.bustersimpson.net. My personal favorites on the site: The Water Glass &
Water Table, and First Ave Treeguards . But then I had additional stories
to go with them too! [grin]
FSC
Eco-industrial Networking and Sustainable Community Design - the Maplewood Charrette Experience.
EDRS is pleased to offer a presentation on the innovative field of Eco-Industrial Networking (EIN) and how it applies to community design -- by our own EDRS Vice-President, Mark Holland!
Mark Holland has been part of a team developing EIN and sustainable community plans for the community of Maplewood in the District of North Vancouver. On the weekend of May 24th, this year, 2 years of work culminated in one of the most innovative charrettes the region has seen. Mark will present the results of this charrette, including insights and background on the practice of EIN and the unique opportunities a community with a significant area of industrial land uses offers in regard to sustainability.
EIN is the practice of developing physical and business relationships between companies, a community and a local government to increase profitability while increasing environmental and overall sustainability performance. EIN is rapidly gaining profile across North America as business parks and industrial areas work to increase their efficiencies and environmental performance. This charrette took the step of including a residential community and town centre concept in the industrial considerations. The Maplewood charrette approached the challenge of design starting with energy, water, material and waste flows and identifying needs and possible economic opportunities for each amongst companies and the community and then considered changes in land use and design to support these. Engineers and development economists were involved in each of the teams, along with a team of public artists, to both ground-truth the ideas as the teams went along, and to promote creativity in the engineering.
As many of you know, Mark is an engaging speaker and the evening promises to be interesting.
WHEN: Tuesday, June24, 2003 @ 5:30 pm
WHERE: Water Street Cafe, 300 Water Street
COST: $35 members; $40 non-members; $30 students (includes dinner)
TO REGISTER:
Seating is limited so reservations are required; please register early as the EDRS speaker evenings are
often fully-booked.
The Kyoto Protocol, Our Region, Our Cities and Green Development
EDRS is proud to offer the next in our green development speaker series - a joint presentation by
Aldyen Donnelly (GEMCO) and Jennie Moore (GVRD) on the Kyoto Agreement and on
the GVRD's approach to developing a corporate GHG emission reduction credit tracking system.
Most all those involved in green development cheered when the federal government ratified the Kyoto
agreement last year. Now, we are exploring what it really means to our region and our projects.
Aldyen Donnelly is one of Canada's leading experts on climate change and the Kyoto Agreement -
including its good and bad points and what it means to Canadian business and the energy sector. Aldyen will
address the existing federal government plan for implementing the Kyoto Protocol and concerns that it relies
very heavily on increases in federal taxation of energy consumption to raise funding for federally-
administered climate change programmes. There are also concerns that the Kyoto Agreement is going to fail
once the general public understands the tax implications of the plan and because most federal climate change
programs ironically may not be designed to effectively achieve real reductions in Canada's GHG inventory.
Credit trading is seen as a key mechanism that will mobilize private sector investment in energy efficiency
and sustainable development practices, although there are concerns that credit trading plays too small a role
in the federal strategy. Her presentation promises to be a high-energy, fast-paced, fact-filled exploration of
this issue.
Jennie Moore will then discuss the GVRD's approach to working with its member municipalities through
the Partners for Climate Protection Program as well as work underway to explore how the GVRD might track
its own GHG emission reductions. This presentation will provide perspectives on the important role of
design as a tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as the challenges associated with local
government action and insight regarding some of the considerations that need to be brought to bear when
attempting to develop a corporate tracking system.
BIOs for both presenters can be found after registration information below.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 @ 5:30 pm
WHERE: Water Street Cafe, 300 Water Street
COST: $35 members; $40 non-members; $30 students (includes dinner)
TO REGISTER:
Seating is limited so reservations are required; please register early as the EDRS speaker evenings are
often fully-booked.
Payment can be made in advance by cheque, or by cash or cheque at the door.
SPEAKER BIOS
Aldyen Donnelly
Aldyen has been the President of the Greenhouse Emissions Management Consortium ( GEMCo ) since
its creation in 1996. The Greenhouse Emissions Management Consortium ( GEMCo ) is a not-for profit
corporation formed by Canadian energy companies to demonstrate industry leadership in the development
of market-based approaches to greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions management. Seven Canadian energy
companies that had been loosely collaborating since early 1995 established GEMCo in mid-1996. GEMCo
s mandate is to develop greenhouse gas emission offsetting projects and emission reduction credit
transactions for member investment. GEMCo is a founding sponsor of Canada's Greenhouse Emissions
Trading Pilot (GERT").
The founding members initially worked together to learn to develop corporate GHG issue management
strategies and business planning systems that integrated investment in GHG emission offsets in corporate
investment decision-making. Since December 1997, GEMCo and its members have committed almost $40
Million (Cdn.) to research, new technology and innovation-based projects, largely acting as a buyer in carbon
emission reduction credit option and forward purchase agreements.
Prior to her work with GEMCo, Aldyen served as the Senior Economist in Westcoast Energy Inc. s
Sustainable Development Office. Reporting to the Chair of the Westcoast s Sustainable Development
Council, Ms. Donnelly participated in the development and implementation of environmental and sustainable
development policy, including; (1) the integration of environmental management and emerging energy
business strategies; (2) environmental issues management; (3) sustainable development education and
training.
Prior to her work with Westcoast Energy, Ms. Donnelly worked as a consultant specialised in:
environmental technology evaluation and marketing; public policy and program evaluation; and new
technology business financing, both for her own company and for KPMG.
Jennie Moore
Jennie Moore is a Demand Side Management Planner with the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Her
work focuses on building local capacity to implement actions for sustainable communities. She assisted the
BC Greenhouse Gas Forum in developing BC's negotiating position on emission reduction targets and
preferred policy measures relative to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. She developed the Greater Vancouver
Regional District Employee Trip Reduction Program which received an Eco-Action award of recognition
from the Federal Government in 1998, and the Regional and Local Government Working Group on Climate
Change which has been recognized as a best practice by the Canadian National Climate Change Secretariat.
In 2001 she was invited by the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives to participate
in the U.S. and Canadian Municipal Leaders Rio+10 Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations World
Summit on Sustainable Development. Recently she developed the Greater Vancouver Regional District,
Corporate Energy Policy and is currently working on a Greenhouse Gas Action Guide to assist member
municipalities with the development and implementation of their own Local Action Plans. She is also
involved in the Sustainable Region Initiative.
Dinner and presentation by Robert Barrs and Herb Barbolet
From Rooftops to Restaurants: An Exploration of the Latest in Planning for Sustainable Urban Food
Systems
Culture, architecture and fine food - some of the foremost things we think of when considering the great
aspects of cities. Interestingly, however, while city planning and design in North America may address
culture and architecture, it has missed the many marvellous opportunities that the growing, processing and
selling of food and its exhibition in the public realm can offer a community. These activities are
conventionally zoned either to the edges or out of the city altogether resulting in poorer ecological
performance and a significant number of missed opportunities for social interaction, learning and cultural
activity.
The challenge of sustainable cities has re-introduced the art and science of "food" to urban planning and
design. Some of the most progressive work on this topic in recent years was done here in Vancouver last
year for the Southeast False Creek model sustainable urban neighbourhood planning process. A team led
by Rob Barrs produced a fascinating report on the issues of urban sustainability from the perspective of food
and agriculture systems. It highlighted the potential of urban agriculture to link together numerous aspects
of a sustainable community and offered development-friendly guidelines on how to identify and claim the
many benefits a more sustainable local food system can offer a high density development.
EDRS is pleased to provide an opportunity to hear about this latest work in urban agriculture planning
from Rob Barrs along with perspectives on key food issues in our region and the world from the widely
respected Herb Barbolet of Farm Folk City Folk.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 18th, 2003 @ 5:30 pm
WHERE: Water Street Cafe, 300 Water Street
COST: $35 members; $40 non-members; $30 students (includes dinner)
TO REGISTER:
Seating is limited so reservations are required; please register early as our evenings usually are fully
booked.
Payment can be made in advance by cheque, or by cash or
cheque at the door.
Robert Barrs Robert Barrs is a principal of the Holland Barrs Planning Group, a Vancouver-based planning consulting firm focusing on sustainable urban development. He has dedicated a number of years to the study and practice of community food systems and urban agriculture projects in both the non-profit sector and as a consultant. Rob is the prime author of the recently completed Southeast False Creek Urban Agriculture Strategy that examines community food strategies for Vancouver's planned 80-acre sustainable community. This study, perhaps the first its kind, focuses on practical policy and implementation steps that address food issues in a high density community from a number of perspectives. Rob was also recently the keynote speaker in Hong Kong at the Organic Hong Kong 2001 conference. Rob's other research and writing has covered a broad range of topics, including tax strategies for greening municipalities, environmental stewardship of school landscapes, public green building programs, and a protocol for developing Eco-Industrial Complexes (multi-tenant, high performance buildings incorporating the principle of resource sharing). Rob currently sits on the board of directors of Smart Growth BC, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting compact, transit-friendly, mixed-use communities. The SEFC Urban Agriculture Strategy report is available as a pdf document at: http://cityfarmer.org/SEFalseCreekFinal.html#southeast Herb Barbolet Executive Director, FarmFolk/CityFolk Herb Barbolet has worked in Community Development for 30 years. He has been the founding member of numerous limited companies, cooperatives, and non-profits, including FarmFolk/CityFolk, which he is still with. FarmFolk/CityFolk Nurtures Food Democracy and works on issues of food security, food policy, agriculture, and related topics. Herb is a monthly participant on CBC Almanac's Food Panel and appears regularly in all media. Co-author of FarmFolk/CityFolk, the book, Herb is currently working on his second book. Many consider Herb Barbolet to be a leader of the sustainable food movement in Canada.
BLUE VINYL
The Cascadia Chapter of the USGBC and The EcoDesign Resource Society (EDRS) are proud to present:
BLUE VINYL a film by Judith Helfand & Daniel Gold
2002 Sundance Film Festival
** Excellence in Cinematography Award Winner**
With humor, chutzpah and a piece of vinyl siding in hand, Daniel Gold &
Judith Helfand's award-winning Blue Vinyl picks up where Helfand's Peabody
award-winning film A Healthy Baby Girl left off - in search of the truth
about vinyl, America's most popular plastic. Helfand's parents' decision to
're-side' their house with this seemingly benign cure-all for many suburban
homes turns into a toxic odyssey with twists and turns that most ordinary
homeowners would never dare to take. A detective story, an eco-activism doc
and a rollicking comedy all rolled into one - its a journey you can't afford
to miss!
WHEN FEB.11,2003 6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.
WHERE UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St. Vancouver, BC
COST $15.00 payable by cash or cheque at the door
RESERVATIONS
Hurry, space is limited!
Eco-Industrial Networking: The new dimension in green planning, business development and triple
bottom line profitability.
CANCELLED due to presenter illness. Best wishes to Tracy for a quick
recovery.
Start this new year with a powerful view into some of the most innovative steps being taken in increasing
business opportunity and profitability through attention to environmental and community issues -
Eco-Industrial Networking (EIN).
EDRS is pleased to present an enjoyable evening on January 14th, 2003, with Tracy Casavant [1], a Vancouver-based engineer, widely recognized as one of Canada's
leading experts in the field of EIN. Ms Casavant will be speaking on her most recent work, including
observations and recommendations on how to integrate the principles of EIN into urban and development
planning projects. Eco-Industrial Networks are the physical and business systems established to address the
principles of Industrial Ecology, including the perspective that all wastes are simply unused resources. Ms
Casavant works to integrate these principles into the planning and management of communities, commercial
areas, industrial parks and multi-tenant commercial buildings. She has a number of innovative projects in
Western Canada including several in the GVRD and is forming some of the more interesting collaborations
between a chemical engineer and development professionals we have seen in a long time. EIN is rapidly
becoming part of sustainability planning and design, including being the focus of strong interest by the
GVRD, Industry Canada, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. This event offers you an
opportunity to get an insightful overview of projects, processes, issues and challenges in this cutting edge
field by one of its leaders.
WHEN: Tuesday, January 14th, 2003 @ 5:30 pm
WHERE: Water Street Cafe, 300 Water Street
COST: $35 members; $40 non-members; $30 students (includes dinner)
TO REGISTER:
Seating is limited so reservations are required; please register early as our evenings usually are fully
booked.
Payment can be made in advance by cheque, or by cash or
cheque at the door.
Tracy Casavant Ms Casavant is a leading consultant in Canada with a focus on eco-industrial projects. She has a number
of innovative projects currently in development in Western Canada. She is working on the Maplewood
Community Eco-Industrial Partnership in North Vancouver; in which both industrial relationships and the
community are being planned to integrate both industrial activity and sustainable community planning. She
is also leading work in the development of the Hinton Sustainable Industries Park in Alberta, which will
involve the creation of an energy and materials efficient industrial operations within a ‘green’ site that
incorporates alternative energy systems, high performance buildings, and ecological design. Other projects
include two recently completed studies for the GVRD and the City of Richmond, and an eco-industrial audit
for a major Canadian telecommunications company.
Tracy holds a Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Applied
Science in Chemical Engineering with Honours from the University of British Columbia. She is a Director
for the emerging North American Eco-Industrial Development Council, and research advisor for graduate
students in industrial ecology at Dalhousie and Royal Roads University. She has made numerous
presentations on eco-industrial networking, to organizations including the Council of Alberta Recyclers,
Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers, and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry.
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