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Vancouver is an environmental leader to cities around the world, and our goal is to make us the greenest city in the world. Our work over the past three years has strengthened the health of our neighbourhoods, saved tax dollars through improved efficiency, and enhanced our local economy.

This didn’t happen by accident, and Vision Vancouver is committed to building on our environmental progress in the years ahead.

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What we've done: 
  • Created the Greenest City Action plan, a long-term strategy focusing on ten targets ranging from clean transportation to energy efficiency to food security. The plan was set in place by a group of environmental experts including Dr David Suzuki and former Premier Mike Harcourt
  • Introduced the greenest building standards in North America, requiring all new buildings to be LEED Gold
  • Started a curbside compost program for single family homes, with a pilot program in place to expand to apartments and multi-unit buildings
  • Invested in improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, including separated bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge, Hornby Street and Dunsmuir
  • Achieved the lowest  per capita GHG emissions in North America
  • Named second greenest city in North America by The Economist, and the most sustainable city in Canada two years running by Corporate Knights
  • Created the corporate climate leaders program, which partners local experts with Vancouver businesses to identify and achieve greenhouse gas reductions
  • Advocated for and helped secure a U-pass for all Vancouver post-secondary institutions
  • Partnered with the federal government on a $12 million upgrade for Stanley Park, including a refurbished seawall for cyclists and pedestrians
  • Made regulatory changes to allow for Farmers’ Markets to expand and make it easier to open
  • Partnered with Cisco and Pulse Energy for improved energy management and reduction at City facilities
  • Approved the most ambitious new electric vehicle requirements in North America, including installing the first fast-charging station in Canada, and requiring all new multi-unit residential buildings to have charging stations
  • Increased the number of new trees planted in Vancouver, with over 3,200 in 2010
  • Required all new single and dual-family homes to include water meters starting in 2012, to reduce Vancouver’s water consumption
  • Partnered with FortisBC, BC Hydro, and EMBERS on a home weatherization pilot project, training DTES residents to weatherize and draft-proof homes as a way to save energy and create green jobs
  • Collaborated with Pacific Community Resources Society on a home deconstruction project; twenty inner-city youth were trained to deconstruct homes, creating green jobs and diverting housing material from the landfill and recycling and reusing 90% of the home materials
  • Added 450 new community garden plots in 2010
More to do: 
  • Implement Vancouver’s greenest city plan, which has clear targets for increasing green space, protecting our air and water, and improving our transportation system
  • Continue to invest in making Vancouver’s streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians
  • Work with Translink and the Province to expand bus service and build rapid transit through the Broadway corridor
  • Build local jobs and support Vancouver’s fast growing green sectors including clean energy, green building technology, and energy + waste reduction services
  • Expand the City’s new curbside compost program, working towards including apartments and other multi-unit buildings
     

Vision Delivers

The Vision team has delivered for Vancouver. Click the map above to see what we’ve accomplished in 3 years.