CaGBC – January News and Events

Published January 21, 2010 by iris_author

Chapter Meeting - The Challenge of Greening Existing Buildings, February 1st, Toronto City Hall Council Chambers
Integrated Design Process Workshop - March 4th
Sustainable Building Challenge - Call for Canadian Entries
CaGBC LEED Buildings in Review - SAB Magazine
A World without Oil - Conversations in Design - This Thursday - LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
Volunteer Opportunities
Green Drinks - January 20th - Grace O'Malleys

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Chapter Meeting

- February 1st, 2010, Toronto City Hall Council Chambers

The Greater Toronto Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council will hold its first Chapter Meeting of the year on February 1, 2010 in the Council of Chambers of City Hall! Join fellow members for a great educational and networking opportunity featuring the following presentation:

The Challenge of Greening Existing Buildings.

We're very excited to present presentations by experienced experts in the area of green retrofits. With the introduction of programs like the Mayor's Tower Renewal, the RealPAC 20 by '15 Challenge, the many incentives offered by organizations like the Better Buildings Partnership and the launch of LEED® Canada for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance last year, green retrofits have become a HOT topic in the Greater Toronto Region. The evening's presentations will feature some of the top Toronto experts in green building retrofits as they offer expert advice and their experiences in greening existing buildings.

Eleanor McAteer, P. Eng. MBA
Project Director, Tower Renewal
City Managers Office
Director, Greater Toronto Chapter of the CaGBC

Eleanor will provide us with an update on the progress of the Mayor's Tower Renewal Project and fill us in on the success and challenges of this exciting project.

Barbara Ciesla LEED® AP, ARIDO, NCIDQ 019872
Vice President
Leader, Sustainable Design Consulting
HOK

Barb will provide us with an overview of the delivery process for LEED EB and highlight some of the challenges she and her team overcame during the delivery of LEED-EB. She'll also highlight the opportunities presented by occupant engagement strategies in the implementation of LEED Canada EB: O&M.

Scott R. Armstrong, Dipl. Arch. Tech., A.Sc.T., LEED® AP
Associate
Manager, Sustainable design services
Halcrow Yolles
Director and Secretary, Greater Toronto Chapter of the CaGBC

Scott will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities he and his firm encountered in the LEED EB project at 483 Bay Street in Downtown Toronto.

Click here to Register Now for this exciting Event!

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Integrated Design Process (IDP) Workshop

Back by popular demand, we're delighted to offer this IDP course to our members this year. Space is limited so be sure to sign up soon to secure your spot! Also, stay tuned for other exciting workshop offerings later this winter!

Date: March 4th, 2010
Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Location: Black Creek Pioneer Village, 1000 Murray Ross Parkway, Toronto
Cost: CaGBC National Member $325 +GST (Proof of CaGBC National Corporate membership required)
Non-Member $385 +GST

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW and SECURE YOUR SPOT

This full day workshop has been designed for people who will play a leading or support role in the facilitation of IDP and want to improve their skills and ability to design, facilitate, and enable this process. It will also assist project team members to make the case for IDP to their clients and colleagues, and develop methods to communicate the value of facilitation of IDP to a design team.

The workshop takes an in-depth look at the art and practice of facilitating the integrated design process. It will focus on IDP through the lens of facilitation in order to better understand the purpose of this role, how the ¬integrated design process itself is designed, the skills required for effective facilitation of IDP, and tools and strategies to use in the facilitation of integrated design.

The workshop explores the theory of integrated design, how it differs from conventional design, and how IDP can result in more cost effective, efficient, integrated and elegant projects. The workshop will draw on the experience of participants to explore the range of ways that IDP is used in practice, and the successes and challenges associated with different applications.

It will also provide participants with the opportunity to learn and practice basic skills fundamental to effective participation in IDP.

It is anticipated that participants will be people who are already working as IDP facilitators or wish to begin doing this kind of work, and will include a mix of designers, planners, project managers, owners, and facilitation consultants.

What will you learn?

Develop an understanding of the range of ways that IDP is used in practice, an the benefits and challenges associated with different strategies
The fundamentals of pre-charette preparation and post-charette follow-up, such as what to communicate to participants, and when;
How to ensure optimum participant performance both during and in-between charettes
How to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration – how to maintain the energy and integration throughout the design decision making process;
How to improve personal facilitation skills to provide confidence in conducting effective charettes and an IDP
Enabling an organic and synergistic creative process by guiding participants through phases of idea generation and decision-making
Who should attend?

Existing IDP facilitators
Those expecting to facilitate IDP
Designers
Municipal and Government staff
Project Managers
Owners
Consultants
Educators
Architects
Engineers
Builders / Contractors
Facility Managers
Product manufacturers
Real estate managers, owners & tenants
For more information please e-mail Claudia Duggan at cduggan@gta.cagbc.org

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Sustainable Building Challenge - Call for Canadian Entries

The Sustainable Building Challenge is an International co-operative process to develop understanding of performance assessment tools and highlight innovative sustainable building design techniques. The Challenge will form a key part of the Seventh World Sustainable Building Conference (SB11) to be held in Helsinki, Finland, from the 18th to 21th of October, 2011.

The SB Canadian Team is soliciting submissions for projects to be evaluated and presented at SB11. The closing date for this call is April 30, 2010

Click HERE for more information on how to participate.

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CaGBC LEED Buildings in Review - SAB Magazine

Show your project in the CaGBC LEED Buildings in Review - A Special supplement in the January/ February 2010 issue of Sustainable Architecture & Building Magazine (SABMag).

Book your space now and send your material by January 25th!

For more information, please contact Sue Lewis at slewis@cagbc.org and 613-656-1943 or Don Griffith at dgriffith@sabmagazine.org and 1-800-520-6281 ext. 304.

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A World without Oil - Conversations in Design

International designers lead this new symposium that addresses a world no longer dependent on oil.

Presented by InterfaceFlor and Jaga / Produced by the Interior Design Show/MMPI Canada

Join internationally recognized designers and share in their practical experiences in sustainable design at the new all-day symposium on January 21 at the DX/Design Exchange. Their mandate – imagine a world without oil, the impact on society, and if it can be done.

Twelve of the world’s leading designers have been invited to provide critical insight to the new and alternative practices, materials, technologies and products.

Thursday, January 21, 2010, 9 AM – 6PM
Toronto’s DX/ Design Exchange (234 Bay Street)

Tickets: $250 – all day symposium

To Register and for more information, visit www.interiordesignshow.com/world-without-oil

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Volunteer Opportunities with the Chapter

The Canada Green Building Council - Greater Toronto Chapter is looking for 1 volunteer for each of the upcoming LEED workshops. The volunteer will be required to be present at the location early on the day of the workshop and stay for the whole duration of the full day event.

For available dates and more information on how to volunteer, please visit our website or click HERE.

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Green Drinks - January 20th - Grace O'Malleys

The first Green Drinks of 2010!

Join Chapter members and other like-minded green sector folks for an evening of fun and networking at Grace O’Malley’s.

WHAT:
Meet & share a few laughs with >200 others - Catch up on enviro-news & business

WHEN:
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Every 3rd Wednesday of the month - People start showing up at 5:45 p.m. and the mingling goes until you say stop!
5:45pm to 9:00pm - Networking
9:00pm to ??? - Music and fun

WHERE:
New location - Grace O’Malley’s 14 Duncan Street, Toronto
One block north of King St., 2 blocks west of St. Andrew’s subway.

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We look forward to a 2010 full of growth and positive change! Thank you for your continued support of the Chapter!

- The Greater Toronto Chapter Board of Directors and Staff.

Presentation by Federal Commissioner of the Environment (March 5)

Published January 21, 2010 by iris_author

The Program on Water Issues at the Munk Centre for International Studies University of Toronto

Invites you to attend:

A Special Presentation by Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General

The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development provides parliamentarians with objective, independent analysis and recommendations on the federal government’s efforts to protect the environment and foster sustainable development.

Please attend this special presentation concerning the Commissioner’s mandate, and learn about results of a recent study on decision making for sustainable development, including tools, techniques, approaches, information and indicators.

Friday, March 5, 2010
12:00 - 2:00 EDT
Room 108, North House
Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto

1 Devonshire Place
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3K7

Light Lunch Provided

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Please RSVP immediately to rsvp.powi@gmail.com

(acceptances only)

For more information please see the attached poster

Two New Books Released by IRIS Executive Member: Stepan Wood

Published January 19, 2010 by iris_author

A Perilous Imbalance
The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance
Stephen Clarkson and Stepan Wood

Through an examination of Canadians’ complicated roles as agents and objects of globalization, this book shows how Canada’s experience of and contribution to globalized governance is characterized by serious imbalances. It explores these imbalances by tracing three interlinked developments:
the emergence of a neoconservative supraconstitution, the transformation of the nation-state, and the growth of governance beyond the nation-state. Advocating a revitalizated Canadian state as a vehicle for pursuing human security, ecological integrity, and social emancipation, and for creating spaces in which progressive, alternative forms of law and governance can unfold, A Perilous Imbalance offers a compelling analysis of the challenges that middle powers and their citizens face in a globalizing world.

Please refer to the attachment for more information.

Climate Law and Developing Countries
Legal and Policy Challenges for the World Economy
Benjamin Richardson, Yves Le Bouthillier, Heather Mcleod-kilmurray, Stepan Wood

This timely book examines the legal and policy challenges in international, regional and national settings, faced by developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Please refer to the attachment for more information on this book. Please click here to see the review plan.

You can also get more information about Google Book Search Previews by clicking here.

The Contemporary Dilemmas in Canadian Security Lecture Series (Jan 21)

Published January 18, 2010 by iris_author

The Contemporary Dilemmas in Canadian Security Lecture Series:

The Culture, Technology, and Ethics of Virtuous War

Dr. James Der Derian
Thursday 21st January 2010
7-9pm
Theatre Room
Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre
525 Bay Street
Toronto
(Free Admission)

Questions of war and peace are now framed by technological, cultural, and ethical imperatives. From the Gulf War to the Iraq War, the United States perfected new technologies, under the auspices of a ‘revolution in military affairs’, to fight virtuous wars. Technology in the service of virtue gave rise to a new configuration of virtual power, the military-industrial-media-entertainment network. After winning the short battle of ’shock and awe’ in Iraq but losing the long war to bring democracy and peace to the Middle East, the U.S. military began a controversial program to ‘operationalize’ culture as an instrument of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism; anthropologists, political scientists and anthropologists are enlisted in the effort. As war goes virtual and cultural in the name of justice, unintended and tragic consequences result.

Dr. James Der Derian is Research Professor of International Studies at Brown University, where he directs the Innovating Global Security and Media Project at the Watson Institute for International Studies. His recent publications include, Virtuous War: Mapping the Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Network, New York (Routledge, 2009); Critical Practices in International Theory (Routledge, 2009), and AntiDiplomacy: Spies, Terror, Speed, & War (Blackwell, 1992). He is also the producer of three documentary films, VirtualY2K (2000), After 9/11 (2003) and Human Terrain (2009).

If you would like to attend please pre-register via this link: http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/forms/view.php?id=5

For further details on this event please see:
http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/news/upcoming.html

Winkling out those climate change skeptics – yes, they are everywhere

Published January 15, 2010 by dbazely

Hmmm - I arrived home after a hard week of BIOL 2010 (PLANTS) lectures and more missed deadlines, to pick up the Globe and Mail Friday edition for a nice, relaxing read, when I suddenly sat up straight at Neil Reynolds' Business section column - The mythical assertion of fossil fuel scarcity. It's all about a recent article by Professor Emeritus Peter Odell, in the European Energy Review (I haven't downloaded and read it yet, but I will).

"Wow!" I thought, "it kind of goes against everything that I have been reading about Peak Oil, for much of the last decade", so it must be important. And then, I ask myself, who is this Odell? Quickly checking him on Google Scholar, I found that my academic work is cited more than his, and he's 30 years older than I am. Then, I check him out further, and find some interesting comments in response to an article, in the same vein, that he wrote in The Guardian in 2008. Some of the quite long, coherent, as opposed to the short, incoherent, responses say things like "Mr. Odell, I request that you get up to speed on what's happening with the world oil situation. Your misinformation is doing everyone a great disservice" and "Unfortunately, Mr. Odell is woefully unaware of the current oil situation" and "Anybody who knows anything about oil is aware that the R/P ratio is a pointless statistic. If Peter Odell is using it, he either ignorant or disingenuous" and, my favourite, "I seriously don't see how you could be a professor emeritus of international energy studies and believe the stuff you have written".

But, it gets better - Prof. Emeritus Odell is on Republican Senator J. Inhofe's notorious and hilariously debunked list of supposed expert climate change skeptics. For the debunking by Prof. A. Dessler, just go to: http://www.grist.org/article/the-inhofe-400-skeptic-of-the-day1/ and keep changing the number at the end of the url to 3. And, while you're at it, check out the very detailed debunking of Dr. Seitz as a climate denier, which is one of Peter Sinclair's "crock of the week" videos.

A few blogs ago, I outlined what I perceived to be a failure of the Canadian media to carry out proper investigative reporting vis-a-vis Bjorn Lomborg, and, well, it just carries on, unfortunately with a columnist in my favourite Canadian newspaper. This is not the first time that Neil Reynolds has published anti-climate change columns that sort of have an an aura of balanced reporting. In the same way that academics carrying out medical research must reveal all of their sources of research funding when publishing articles, it would be helpful for members of the Canadian Press to reveal their political affiliations. Then it'd be obvious to those readers who are not prepared to dig a little deeper as to exactly where they are coming from.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Michael Enright give an after-dinner speech, and was surprised to hear him decry the appalling state of investigative journalism in Canada. (He named the New York Times as the best newspaper in the world. I started paying a lot more attention to it, and have been forced to come to the conclusion that he probably was right. For TV journalism, I would have to say, that Al-Jazeera English, is also right up there in terms of quality of in-depth reporting, with respect to covering generally ignored issues). I have now come to the sad conclusion that his assessment of the general state of Canadian journalism was also pretty much bang on.

Dawn R. Bazely

IRIS Speaker Series: Women, Microfinance and Afghanistan (Jan 20)

Published January 14, 2010 by iris_author

IRIS Speaker Series: Women, Microfinance and Afghanistant, Wednesday January 20, 1pm in N109, Schulich

IRIS Speaker Series: Women, Microfinance and Afghanistan

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Room N109, Schulich School of Business, York University

An interactive presentation and discussion of current work in Afghanistan by MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development Associates – to support women’s empowerment through economic development. For more information please refer to the attached poster

My thoughts are with the Haitian people

Published January 14, 2010 by dbazely

From David Adam’s article about the CARMA International report, Western Media Coverage of Humanitarian Disasters, January 2006:

“The western media’s response to … humanitarian disasters is driven by “selfishness and egocentricity”… Domestic politics, tourism and feel-good tales about western heroism and donations make a story… rather than human suffering.” The Guardian, 30 Jan. 2006

I had two thoughts yesterday morning, when I heard the CBC news reporting the devastating earthquake near Port-au-Prince. The first was about how limited the capacity of Haiti will be to respond to this disaster, given that it is one of poorest countries in the world. Haiti has one of the smallest per capita ecological footprints in the world, at just 0.5 ha per person. Compare this to a whopping 7.1 ha/person for the average Canadian. Yes, one average Canadian consumes the resources used by a total of 14 Haitians. I just shook my head in dismay at the ongoing suffering of the Haitian people, recalling their continuing political turmoil of the last decade, which included the US-backed removal of their elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide. And arguably, this history clearly plays a role in the suffering created by the impact of the earthquake.

My second thought was that because Canada’s Governer-General, Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, is originally from Haiti, that the kind of self-interested Western media response to humanitarian crises, described in the CARMA International report, may not, for a change, happen here. What do I mean? Well, the media plays a major role in defining a disaster and CARMA (who are global media analysts) analyzed how various natural and man-made disasters that resulted in high loss of life were being covered in the Western press. The report’s main conclusion was that “Western self-interest is the pre-condition for significant coverage of a humanitarian crisis”. It’s great to read the report directly, but David Adam’s article gives a good summary (Western media ‘underplay disasters in developing world’ in the Guardian Weekly, Feb 10-16 2006 p.27, and Crisis of Communications, The Guardian, Monday Jan 30 2006).

The report examined 2,000 articles from 64 daily and weekly publications from among 9 countries (including UK, USA and Australia, with emphasis on the European press). The newspaper coverage of 6 disasters was compared:
1. Earthquake in Pakistani-Kashmir
2. Indian Ocean Tsunami
3. Earthquake in Bam, Iran (2003)
4. Darfur, Sudan - a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by environmental degradation
5. Hurricane Katrina, USA
6. Hurricane Stan, Central America, especially Guatemala

Each article started with a 50 point score and points were subtracted depending on:

Headline, Placement in the paper, Portrayal of the situation and Evidence of bias. The articles scored were those published from 2 days before to 10 weeks after the disaster. Here’s what the report found: that there was “no link between the scale of a disaster and resulting media coverage”. For example, Hurricane Katrina received the highest media coverage (referred to 3,105 times in UK papers), while Hurricane Stan received the lowest media coverage (referred to, only 34 times in UK papers). But, both hurricanes killed over 1,000 people.

"The hurricane Stanley emergency stands out as the worst indictment of the selfish western approach to humanitarian disasters. There is no obvious significant economic or political interest. Consequently, there is virtually no coverage of any kind beyond the first few days." (CARMA International, 2006).

And to think, that Haiti was on my mind only a week ago, as I headed back to Toronto from a one-week cruise in the western Caribbean. During my trip, I had a number of interesting encounters with several of the many Haitian immigrants to Florida, including an adventure with a taxi driver who got lost between the port and the Amtrak station. This story was going to be in one of my forthcoming travel blogs about whether it’s possible to holiday with a low carbon footprint – but hey, CARMA, I get it, and I hope that other people do, too – it’s not about me and my recent chats with Haitians - IT’S ABOUT DOING SOMETHING, BOTH SHORT AND LONG-TERM, TO RELIEVE THE IMMEDIATE SUFFERING OF THE HAITIAN PEOPLE AND TO SERIOUSLY ADDRESS THEIR “POVERTY-DRIVEN LOW-LEVEL OF EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS”!
Is it to much to ask every Canadian with an ecological footprint that is greater than 2 ha to reduce their footprint by 1/14th and to demand that the Federal Government direct those resources to the average Haitian? Simplistic, yes, but worth reflecting on.

Dawn R. Bazely

Please note that the Ecological Footprint figures are from WWF Living Planet Report 2008.

Wendy Michener Lecture at York University: Ben Todd (Jan 14)

Published January 13, 2010 by iris_author

If you cannot see this message, click here.

Ben Todd of Arcola Theatre (London, UK)
delivers the Wendy Michener Lecture
at York University

"Humanizing the Science of Climate Change:
The Role of the Arts in Driving Sustainable Lifestyles"

Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 3pm

"While scientists tell us that we already have the technologies required
to avert catastrophic climate change, policy makers and businesses
continue to seek new technological 'solutions'. I believe that to
change the lifestyles of entire populations, a cultural shift is required,
and thus it is cultural agents which must take the lead."

Dr. Ben Todd is an engineer, technology broker and executive director of
Britain's Arcola Theatre, a groundbreaking green performance venue that
is critically acclaimed for the excellence and diversity of its programming.

In his talk, Todd will discuss the leading edge of eco-arts production and
performance, and its potential as a catalyst for changing awareness and
behaviour around the most compelling environmental issue of our day.

Free admission

Full event details

Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre | Accolade East Building
York University | 4700 Keele St. Toronto | Map

Upcoming Canada Green Building Council Events

Published January 7, 2010 by iris_author

Some quick notices for our last news bulletin of the year!....

TowerWise High-rise Renewable Energy Seminar
A World without Oil - Conversations in Design
GREEN UP Pilot Projects
January LEED Workshops

TowerWise High-rise Renewable Energy Seminar
Is Your Building a Good FIT for Renewable Energy?

Thursday, Feb. 4th — 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
The Old Mill Inn, Toronto - Breakfast and Lunch Included

Ontario’s new Green Energy Act and Feed-in Tarrifs (FIT) are sparking great interest in local wind power, solar electric, and geothermal heating and cooling projects. Incentives have also recently increased for solar hot water and the province may soon have a standard offer program for combined heat and power.

Have you been considering green energy options? Wondering if it is right for your building? Are you curious about what systems cost and what you can save or earn?

GET THE FACTS before you talk to vendors. Presentations by leading independent experts will help you to:

Understand the Green Energy Act and what it means for you.
Look at the costs and benefits of different renewable power sources in easy to understand terms.
Learn what works and what doesn’t from Toronto area building owners/operators who have implemented renewable energy projects.
Determine the best course of action to either conserve energy and/or generate power and heat in your building(s).
Registration deadline: Jan. 22, 2010.

Cost: $105 (GST included)
Early Bird Registration: $80 (before Jan. 12, 2010)
You can register securely through Paypal (no Paypal account required).

To Register and for more information, visit www.towerwise.ca

A World without Oil - Conversations in Design
International designers lead this new symposium that addresses a world no longer dependent on oil.

Presented by InterfaceFlor and Jaga / Produced by the Interior Design Show/MMPI Canada

Twelve of the world’s leading designers have been invited to provide critical insight to the new and alternative practices, materials, technologies and products.

Thursday, January 21, 2010, 9 AM – 6PM
Toronto’s DX/ Design Exchange (234 Bay Street)

Tickets: $250 – all day symposium

What: Provocative all-day symposium with innovative designers, engineers, architects, artists, filmmakers, biologists and innovators.

Who:

Mirko Zardini is the Director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) and is the curator of the critically acclaimed exhibition, “Sorry Out of Gas.”

Fritz Haeg is an architect, artist and landscape designer based in Los Angeles who
transforms domestic landscapes into productive, connecting spaces for urban food
production.

Tord Boontje and Enrico Bressan - industrial designer Tord Boontje is credited for renewing romanticism and ornament in product design. He will have a conversation with architect engineer Enrico Bressan, co-founder of the innovative housewares company Artecnica, about global sustainable sourcing and collaboration with artisans to transform new and recycled materials into concrete objects.

Sheila Kennedy is a principal of Kennedy & Violich Architecture Ltd. (KVA) and a Professor of the Practice of Architecture at MIT. Designated as one of Fast Company's Masters of Design, Sheila is described as an "insightful and original thinker who is designing new ways of working, innovating and leading."

Bruce Mau is a visionary and innovator designer who shares his optimism by painting a picture with ideas of a future civilization that does not rely on oil, but instead thrives on alternative energy sources.

Thomas Auer is a managing director of Transsolar, a leading climate-engineering firm based in Stuttgart, Munich and New York.

Ted Howes is IDEO’s Energy Domain Global Lead. IDEO, located in Palo Alto is a global design consultancy, ranked by Fast Company as one of the top ten most innovative companies of 2009.

Todd Wood is the Vice President of Industrial Design at Research in Motion (RIM), and will discuss some of the challenges and paradoxes that he, as a designer, faces when trying to integrate sustainability into practice.

Tucker Viemeister and David Quan - Wood is the designer of the widely-acclaimed Oxo "GoodGrips" kitchen tool, and currently head of the Lab at Rockwell Group in New York City, and David Quan, Senior Designer of Umbra, a leading manufacturer of stylish plastic housewares, will have a candid conversation about the use of plastic in product design.

Dr. Dayna Baumeister is a co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild, will describe what's new in the field, describe deep patterns of biological design, and engage us in a discussion of what's possible when we invite nature to the design table.

Also:
Jesse Ashlock, Editor-in-Chief, I.D. Magazine (NYC) will host the symposium.
Nelda Rodger, Editor-in-Chief, Azure will moderate the Boontje / Bressan discussion.
Filmmaker Ian Connacher, director of the controversial documentary “Addicted to Plastic” will moderate the Viemeister / Quan discussion.

To Register and for more information, visit www.interiordesignshow.com/world-without-oil

GREEN UP Pilot Projects

Arena Facilities Pilot Project

The CaGBC is pleased to announce the GREEN UP pilot project for Arena Facilities. Arena facilities are intensive users of energy and water, and are responsible for substantial emissions of greenhouse gases. Pilot project participants will have the opportunity to:

Benchmark energy, water and emissions performance for their own facilities compared with a growing national database of buildings.
Monitor actual energy, water and emissions savings of their arena facilities over time.
Contribute to the development and testing of:
An easy-to-use operations log and reporting system for use by arena managers to help track ongoing performance.
A standardized Building Performance Audit for arenas to document building systems and highlight areas for improvement.
Access energy and environmental performance standards, baselines and best practices derived from top-performing facilities.

Retail Branches Pilot Project

The CaGBC is proud to welcome Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce to the Retail Branches pilot project for banks and credit unions, bringing the total number of branches in the pilot to 45. Over the next year, this project will identify, document and recognize the most energy and environmentally efficient retail branch buildings in Canada. The performance metrics from the top performing buildings will inform the assessment and improvement of all buildings taking part in the project.

To learn more about pilot projects or to register for GREEN UP - Canada’s Building Performance Program, please contact Monique Goguen, GREEN UP Program Coordinator, at 1-866-941-1184, ext. 1066 or via e-mail at GREENUP@cagbc.org.

January LEED Workshops:

We have two exciting LEED workshops available in January. Book now to secure your spot!

Toronto January 25, 2010 LEED Canada for Homes Location TBD

Toronto January 29, 2010 LEED Core Concepts & Strategies Toronto Botanical Garden: 777 Lawrence Ave

Tor register and for more information, please visit: http://www.cagbc.org/education/index.php

Yfile: Michener Lecture focuses on eco-arts as a catalyst for change

Published January 7, 2010 by iris_author

Headline News Michener Lecture focuses on eco-arts as a catalyst for change

Ben Todd, an engineer, technology broker and executive director of Arcola Theatre, Britain’s groundbreaking green performance venue, will give the annual Wendy Michener Lecture at York University on Jan. 14.

In his address, titled "Humanizing the Science of Climate Change: The Role of the Arts in Driving Sustainable Lifestyles", Todd will discuss the leading edge of eco-arts production and performance, and its potential as a catalyst for changing awareness and behaviour around the most compelling environmental issue of our day.

Left: Ben Todd

"While scientists tell us that we already have the technologies required to avert catastrophic climate change, policy-makers and businesses continue to seek new technological 'solutions'. Meanwhile, global consumption and emissions continue unsustainably, with minimal abatement," Todd says.

"I believe that to change the lifestyles of entire populations, a cultural shift is required, and thus it is cultural agents which must take the lead. The past three years of work at Arcola Theatre provide examples and lessons," he says.

Established a decade ago in a converted factory in the borough of Hackney in London’s east end, Arcola Theatre has evolved into one of Britain’s most innovative, exciting and respected arts venues. It is critically acclaimed for the excellence and scope of its programming, which encompasses professional productions of new and experimental works, classic drama, music and comedy showcasing national and international talent, as well as extensive community and youth programs.

While winning accolades for its productions, Arcola has also become a global leader in environmentally responsible arts production and performance practice. With the launch of Arcola Energy in 2007, it began integrating sustainability initiatives into its core activities and embraced the mission to become the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre.

One step towards achieving this goal has been the installation of a 5-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell to power the LED lighting in selected Arcola productions and hospitality facilities. Other ambitious and innovative “greening” initiatives are underway. In recognition of its achievements, Arcola was the recipient of the 2008 Confederation of British Industry's Growing Business Green Award and the Energy Globe UK winner in 2009.

Conceived as a hub for new thinking and cross-fertilization between art and science, Arcola Energy brings together artistic, entrepreneurial, societal and technological creativity in novel partnerships to address sustainability issues. For Todd, the common threads are creative vision and a collaborative, action-oriented approach – qualities that the arts in general and theatre in particular are uniquely well-positioned to deliver.

Right: Arcola Theatre

"Inventiveness and risk-taking are hallmarks of the arts,” says Todd. "As a theatre, we have a long-standing tradition of innovation, inspiration and deep integration and engagement with the local community. Working on the same principles, Arcola Energy integrates arts and science professionals with the community to pioneer practices that will fundamentally change the way arts organizations work."

Todd holds a PhD in engineering from Cambridge University and has worked in research & development, technical and strategy consulting on both commercial and government projects, including at Cambridge Consultants, Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems and Synnogy. As well as managing Arcola Theatre, he works as a technology broker for the Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Knowledge Transfer Network run by the UK Technology Strategy Board.

The Wendy Michener Lecture was established in the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University in memory of Canadian arts critic and journalist Wendy Roland Michener. The free lecture provides a forum for discussion of crucial issues and developments in the cultural scene, past and present. Todd's lecture will take place on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 3pm in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre, Accolade East Building on York's Keele campus. For more information, call 416-736-5136.

Monthly Archives: January 2010