Recently friends of mine considered having their home designated as LEED certified. With local materials, recycled material, geothermal for heating and cooling and several other features under all the LEED categories this house would be sure to qualify for LEED certifications. They have applied and received all the government incentives for choosing environmentally friendly methods, balanced all the LCC and looked at the benefit-cost ratios and have decided not to apply to LEED Canada.

Why? LEED would become a marketing feature to their house. They are no incentives for being LEED certified. In the end it was just an extra $5000 to say that they were environmentally friendly.

I decided to do a quick Google search on why it is important to register your building with LEED. Here are some of the things that were returned.

• Buildings that are LEED certified almost always use resources more effectively when compared to traditional buildings that are built to code. Because of this, they are recognized as better for their surrounding environments.
• LEED certified buildings often provide healthier work and living environments, contributing to higher productivity and improved employee health and comfort.
• LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: (1. sustainable site development, 2. water efficiency, 3. energy efficiency, 4. materials selection and 5. indoor environmental quality)
• Encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
• Promotes integrated, whole-building design practices
• Building amenities include lush rooftop gardens, individual storage units, covered parking for bicycles, proximity to transit lines and direct access to car sharing.

This list could get quite lengthy. There are many benefits to having a LEED certified building.

My argument – if you’re willing to do all the environmentally friendly things to your house, do you really need the label of LEED? And what does that money that you pay for registration go towards?

In the end if we take the steps forward to think of the environment before we think of the bottom line, when we’re constructing, we are taking the right steps forward. LEED certification may only be a ‘label’ but it embodies what designers should be thinking when they start any new design.

Like many of the surrounding suburbs of Toronto, Burlington has larger homes on bigger properties and streets that seem to go no where. In addition to that parents of the Burlington area were worried about student safety (and who wouldn’t these days with two pedestrian deaths in the Toronto area yesterday). Each day more kids get a drive to school than walk.

The program in Burlington encourages teachers and student volunteers to ‘pick up’ students much like a bus would, but instead of a bus they all walk together. It is active transportation at its best. Plus it means more time for students to socialize with their friends.

There are so many benefits to students walking to school:

• It stimulates their bodies making them more alert and attentive at school
• It stimulates their metabolism; increasing their metabolic rates and food processing abilities
• It gets the ‘social bug’ out – instead of socializing in the classroom students socialize on the way to school
• It encourages life long lessons in exercise

Ontario is encouraging students to walk to school, as both a green community initiative and as an active transportation initiative. There are no 40 communities participating in the Active and Safe Routes to School Program, all the way from Windsor to Ottawa and up and over to Kenora.

How did your kids get to school today? Change up your routines and encourage your children to be more active.

Here are my green New Years Resolutions:

Be less wasteful: We are all guilty of it. That tomato sauce that goes moldy so we throw out the container instead of cleaning it and either reusing or recycling it. Throwing out food, especially wasted fruits and vegetables. I am going to try to consume more left overs for lunch and use more of the lettuce that is delivered to me week

Consume Locally: organic or not organic I think overall the environmental impact is smaller if I consume things that are produced locally. Root vegetables and squashes are delicious in Ontario through the winter and preserve well. I may have to satisfy my strawberry addiction (but isn’t it better to consume things from California, than say China or the middle east?)

Eat more ancient Grains: Not only do they keep you feeling satiated longer but there are lots of health benefits to ancient grains. In December I discovered Quinoa and all the great things you can make with it, today I ventured into Steel Cut Oatmeal.

Use My Car Less: I’m pretty good with this one already but I believe in always trying to be better. I’ll continue to walk to the grocery store and use transit, my bicycle and my legs where ever I can.

What are your green resolutions this year?

Last night someone really got me thinking about the things we eat and what influences our eating choices. My friend was telling me that he has a secret obsession with KFC (not that he eats it frequently now) and he thinks it stems from the fact that it was the closest place to walk for lunch while he was in high school. And he’s probably right, his decision for lunch everyday was likely based on proximity, after all, we are a society of convenience.

I pack my lunch most days and can’t help but wonder if it is influenced by the fact that there was nothing really close by to my high school? I really didn’t like the cafeteria food so I was forced to pack a lunch, a practice I still continue to this day.

Fast food is more convenient, easily accessible and usually steps from most high schools. If we are to try and teach this current generation of teenagers about better eating habits should there be a radius in place that prevents un-healthy restaurants from opening near a school?

Schools are traditionally part of neighbourhoods so not permitting fast-food chains to open near a school is unjustly unfair to the remainder of the community. As parents, as teachers as mentors it is our job to influence the teenagers around us, to teach them that it is ‘cool’ to eat healthy, and even to pack a lunch. So what can we do to help our teenage generation think more about the choices they make for lunch

1. Apples: crunchy, crisp and full of energy (according to my bf they provide you with more energy than the jolt from a cup of coffee). With all these teenagers addicted to coffee from all the Tim Horton’s Commercial’s and the stigma of not carrying a Starbucks cup, it’s time to help shift that mentality. Most people like the taste of apples, they are sweet and refreshing. It’s not just about teenagers seeing you with an apple but seeing you eat one.
2. Salad: It is becoming part of the fast food chain and more importantly salad is becoming trendy. Both the Lettuce Eatery and Freshii are two of Toronto’s healthy fast food alternatives. Load them up with protein and you can get a pretty balanced meal out a salad. Salad is one of my favourite things and I typically pack one to accompany my lunch each day.
3. Water: If I were to hazard a guess I would estimate that about 90% of the population is dehydrated. An average person should consume 2 litres of water a day. Caffeinated drinks as a diuretic robbing our bodies of the necessary water it needs. Juice is an okay substitute, but the calories from a lot of juice add up quickly.
4. Sandwiches: I’ll admit they can get really boring when you eat them day-in and day-out but you can have a really balanced meal all in one bite. Protein, carbs, vegetable servings, the more creative you are with your sandwich the better it tastes and the better it is for you.
5. Smoothies: OK, maybe not a lunch thing but if you walk around with a smoothie in a clear glass you get peoples attention. Smoothies are typically a vibrant colour and are very appealing to the eye. Because smoothies are just fruits and vegetables they come filled with nutrients and not much fat, if any. Much like the common cold, smoothies are contagious. Just by walking around with one you’ll inspire others to make one every day.

My friends always ask how I have time to make my lunch and to make such a healthy lunch. It is a matter of proper planning, buying the right things and making enough leftovers. On average I think I spend two to five minutes a day making my lunch. Just the right amount of time from when I put the kettle on in the morning until it boils.

My bf and I try as much as possible to sit down together at the end of our busy days and enjoy a meal together. As he says ‘she likes to cook and I like what she makes’ so usually it is my responsibility to make dinner. With limited time I’ve had to be somewhat creative over the last few weeks. And although we may have had KD at some point (great comfort food)  have generally been able to come up with some great meals.

Here are some of my suggestions for quick and easy meals:

1. Fish: Salmon is a favourite in our house. A little balsamic, maple syrup and brown sugar and put it in the oven or in the bbq wrapped in foil and it’s delicious. Always moist
2. Soups: Fresh vegetable soup is one of my favourite things to eat right now. Carrot, Corn, Roasted Red Pepper. Soup can be made in about 15 minutes and left to simmer while you do other things around the house. We usually have containers that can be defrosted quickly to enjoy with a meal
3. Pasta: It gets a bad reputation, full of carbs, nothing really valuable in it … well that’s true if you make plain pasta with salt filled canned tomato sauce. Instead boil a few tomatoes with balsamic and redwine vinegar, add some corn starch and you can make excellent sauce or follow Jamie Oliver’s sauce recipe. Add goat cheese, chicken and pile of roasted veges. The more veges you have the fewer noodles you need, which leads to one balanced meal.
4. Steak and Broccoli: another favourite in our house. Steak is a great source of iron and broccoli is a wonder vegetable, together they are an unstoppable combo
5. Chicken Breasts: With some white wine, lemons and thyme you can make a very delicious chicken breast pretty quickly.
6. Steamed Vegetables: anything green in a steamer and you have a side dish in 10 minutes

I actually could go on and on about quick and simple dinners. Maybe one day I’ll have enough time to publish some of these recipes. What are you quick and simple dinners?

I cannot remind people enough how important it is to eat well balanced meals. Without proper nutrition I wouldn’t have the energy to do the things I love to do, and do so many of them at once.

And remember always reward yourself with treats. It’s apple season in Ontario so I’m currently enjoying a candied apple!

I often get asked when I have to put my lunch together, when I have time to keep the fridge stocked with fresh foods and generally reminded by people that they just don’t have time to prepare healthy food. I decided I would put together some of my ideas on quick and healthy foods to go (at home and dinner meals to be a follow up)

Simple ways to create quick, healthy meals

• Keep cleaned, cut-up lettuce in your fridge – many stores sell pre-washed lettuce in clamshell containers or bags. Most of the fancier greens like baby spinach, arugula and mache (my favourite) and they tend to have more nutrients in them too Plus it is always easy to add some protein and carbs to have a well-balanced meal
• When making dinner make a bit extra for a left-overs lunch the next day
• Eat fresh, local fruit – most of the time it just needs to be washed to be eaten
• Use local vegetables that can be eaten raw or only need a few minutes of steaming
• Have yogurt as a side dish – yogurt is packed with calcium, protein and all the good probiotics. And with all the great flavours there should be one to suit your palate
• Keep a bag of trail mix on you – I am almost always hungry. Instead of opting for the donut, chips or candy I usually have a bag of mixed nuts, raisins and dried cranberries on me. It’s a simple way to get some energy with a whole bunch of great flavours.

And when you are trying to make your decisions in the grocery store, try to opt for the local, organic varieties.

To add to what Marni said, here is what I believe, “Healthy, everyday eating can be simple and delicious.”

Marni has some great holistic recipes on her website for quick and easy meals. In the end it is a matter of finding balance and making time for the things that are important to you. Nutritious food doesn’t have to take a long time to prepare and in the end you’ll find you have more energy, fewer afternoon crashes, you’re more positive and you won’t miss the greasy food you used to eat for lunch.

Sure it is a pain to peel and cut the carrots but the taste is definitely worth the effort.

Baby Carrots are put through a chlorine wash to make them look the way they do

Once upon a time I had heard that in order to make baby carrots they were dipped in acid, chlorine and other harmful chemicals to make them look and taste perfect. At the time I did not really eat that many carrots and when I did buy them I went for the convenience of the baby ones – regardless of how they were made.

How is the baby carrot made? According to the World Carrot Museum there are actually two types of baby carrots, ‘true’ and ‘manufactured.’ The difference? True baby carrots are carrots grown to the ‘baby stage’ that is long before it reaches the mature size, either because of thinning or as a specialty item. A true baby carrot resembles a mature carrot, a pointed tip and a strong shoulder. The ‘manufactored’ baby carrot was invented by Mike Yurosek, a Californian farmer that was tired of throwing away disfigured carrots. Instead he took these unappealing carrots, cut them into 5 cm/2 in sections and then peeled them. The end result, what we know as baby carrots.

What about the talk of acid, chlorine, pesticides, etc. From what I have read it depends on the farming process both for true carrots, baby or otherwise, and manufactured carrots. If you buy organic you’ll avoid all the chemicals.

Why mature carrots are better

Back to the debate between a mature carrot and a ‘manufactured’ baby carrot (True baby carrots can also be considered as mature carrots for this argument). To make the ‘manufactured’ baby carrot the farmer peels and prunes away much the nutrient value; most of the nutrients in carrots are in the skin and just below that. Finally the chlorine uncovered, non-organic farmers wash their carrots in chlorine as a disinfectant and to preserve the colour. According to both the FDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency this ‘free’ chlorine is not harmful to humans. Personally I’ll stick to the organic varieties that are washed in a citrus based solution.

‘Manufactured’ baby carrots are convenient and cute but they lack in the nutrients and flavour of mature carrots. I’ll be sticking to my mature carrots despite the inconvenience. And just as an added bonus, mature carrots are significantly cheaper than their manufactured counterparts.

When you bring over your host/hostess gift why not bring them a card that gives back? This week I came across ‘seed cards,’ a card that when planted will grow beautiful flowers in your garden.  So not only are they made from recycled paper and other earth friendly but they produce lovely flowers in someone’s garden (and if you don’t have a garden they work well in flower pots too!)

You can buy standard cards or create your own, definitely a great alternative to a traditional wedding, shower or holiday card. Try Botanical Paperworks, Symphony Seed Cards, Beau Coup or try to find one more local to avoid the footprint from shipping.

As I try to reduce my footprint on the environment I’m always looking for innovative ways to do my share. Not only are the seed cards one more way I can help but once in bloom bring a second smile to someone.

The strategy institute set out the following mandate to achieve the following through the variety of presentations:

1. Capitalize on infrastructure spending
2. Stimulate economic recovery
3. Enhance environmental sustainability
4. Assure accountability and transparency
5. Manage your risk
6. Attain greener energy
7. Build strategic partnerships
8. Measure performance of suppliers and vendors

The conference was a good balance of case studies and the creative science behind projects including, the necessity of public engagement, how to make a project successful, what climate change is doing to our infrastructure and how to effectively manage existing infrastructure.

The Keynote Address: Setting Priorities for the Improvement of National Infrastructure

The keynote address by Graeme Purves was brilliant and highlighted how climate change was affecting global infrastructure and then delved into some Scottish and UK examples. To set the priorities the Scottish government began with a framework, combining public perceptions with government priorities. In the end the government produced the National Planning Framework that highlighted the 14 essential projects that would benefit all Scottish residents; but Purves did state that at the at the municipal level the federal government was willing to engage in discussion about improving the local infrastructure, but that there would need to be a cost-sharing agreement. I think globally that is true that nationally infrastructure projects should be selected that benefit the country and at the regional and municipal level there can be cost-sharing agreements but that the entire infrastructure cost will not be borne by the national governments.

The Necessity of Public Engagement

My bf works in the digital marketing world so I get to learn a lot about the benefits from social media and public engagement from him. I believe that the engineering/public sector world is lagging in this area, but finally the trends of social media are catching on. From twitter to facebook to building a website that engages people to using mobile phones and including traditional public information sessions, all of these are essentials are key to capturing the greater audience for any infrastructure project. Three speakers discussed the importance of public engagement and social media.

1. Joseph Virgilio, a councillor in the Town of Markham spoke at length about social media and how the current mayor used it to capture the vote in Markham. Virgilio spoke about the successes of having an intuitive website and about creating social media campaigns; two of the most successful campaigns being the ‘Gridlock, Rapid Transit & You’ as well as the ‘Quest for the Best.’ Markham also successfully used an on-line voting system for the most recent mayoral election (will we see something like this in the next federal or provincial election?)
2. Kim Stephen’s the Program Director for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC weaved social media and public engagement through his presentation. Stephen’s didn’t mention specific social media programs in his presentation he did discuss the importance of them, including the website waterbalance.ca. Success did come from a ‘coffee table’ book, as Stephen’s described it, Living Water Smart that BC created to engage the public on the water crisis in BC.
3. Cathie O’Toole the CFO of The Halifax Regional Municipality also spoke to the benefits of social media. The infrastructure of Halifax, like many other Canadian cities, is aging and failing. Halifax is looking to find a balance between priority projects and what is important to the public.

How to Make a Project Successful

Several presentations pointed to the post-war through the 60’s build of Canadian cities, which means that we are in a second phase of rehabilitation and rebuilding. With all this construction it is important to set your project up for success from its initial conception. Three ideas were discussed regarding this, Public Private Partnerships (P3s), How to Pick the right consultant, and how important planning is.

1. P3’s are the standard now in BC says Sue Fimrite, Project Director of Partnerships BC, which is a subsidiary of the BC Ministry of Finance. From Design-Build all the way through including the management and operation BC has found was to mitigate construction and price risk through the use of P3s. The number of successes is immense but some of the hallmark projects include the Charles Jago Northern Sports Centre, The Sea-to-Sky Highway and the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
2. John Haythorne presented on how to pick the right consultant to make your project a success. He is a partner with Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP and holds degrees in engineering and law, but more importantly has been involved in a variety of projects throughout his career. Briefly his strategies for effective selection for infrastructure project are:

• Align selection/evaluation criteria to goals for infrastructure
• Evaluate for value
• Use market competition to define scope
• Retain consultants early
• Use consultants to retain consultants
• Get meaningful references

3. Plan, Plan, Plan!! Jennifer Keesmaat a Partner of the Office for Urbanism gave a brilliant presentation on the necessity for planning. Perhaps I enjoyed this one most because of my love of engineering combined with all the knowledge I’ve gained from Phil about Marketing; presenting a plan for a major infrastructure project combines engineering with an effective presentation. Keesmaat drove home that projects are only successful with plans and the plans should be comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and collaborative. And the proof is in the case studies; all of the projects presented had success because they had well sought out plan.

How Climate Change is Affecting Our Infrastrucutre

More storms. More intense storms. More extreme weather. It is the reality of climate change. Gordon McBean the Director of Policy Studies of the Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction at the University of Western Ontario (my Alma matter) spoke extensively on climate change and how to prepare the existing and new infrastructure to cope with climate change. McBean’s key message, “The climate has changed, will continue to change and humans are the main cause.” From this we, engineers, scientists, planners, etc., must reduce the impact infrastructure has on climate and reduce the infrastructure’s vulnerability to a vulnerable, changing climate and its extremes. Climate change was a theme that ran through many of the presentations and is one of the key challenges facing many of Canada’s urban centres. Steve Dorey, VP of External Relations of Hydro One emphasized the critical role climate change will play and stated that “climate change is the key challenge of the developed world.”

Climate change is a reality and we are all being forced to deal with it. It simply is not just about changing what we are doing going forward but mitigating what we have done in the past.

Effective Management of Existing Infrastructure

“If you build it, they will come” – made famous by the Phil Alden Robinson movie Field of Dreams. But once you build it make sure you keep track of it. It was some what of a shock to hear that municipalities were catching up on tracking the construction of the post-war boom still. From initial construction through maintenance some of the projects had no organized records. However, some municipalities were the opposite, acting proactively to plan for how to build maintenance programs for their functional, existing infrastructure.

1. Cathie O’Toole of Halifax admitted that the city was poor at keeping track of their infrastructure in the past but that the future held the prospects of an organized data base to best manage their existing infrastructure and allow for the planning of new, effective infrastructure. From here she tied the presentation in with planning and its necessity for maximum efficiency
2. Colin Prang the Manager of Infrastructure Preservation for the City of Saskatoon. Saskatoon has been proactive with their pavements and has captured the notion of spending $1 at the right time and it saves you millions of dollars in the end. The focus for Mr. Prang is roads and he has set up an extensive evaluation system that rates pavements from very good to poor and from this he developed an extensive rehabilitation system to match his evaluation system. Saskatoon employs an extensive array of rehabilitation techniques from rut filling, to overlays, to complete reconstruction. Again the success of this program is its ability to effectively manage the existing road infrastructure and to be proactive with the restoration.
3. Steve Dorey also spoke to effective management of existing infrastructure and how it relates to energy in Ontario. The Ontario government has committed to the elimination of coal fired plants by 2015. Dorey stated that this would be a success with a commitment to ‘green’ energy and nuclear (although given the most recent announcement about nuclear this seems impossible). In order to effectively make the switch it was necessary for an evaluation of the existing coal fired plants; how much energy are they producing, where is fed to but also what other energy infrastructure could Ontario rely on, local and foreign.

Case Studies

1. Portland, Oregon: Known as one of the best US cities to live, Portland sent Karl Lisle, Sr. Planner, to talk about the success of a well planned city. Their slogan really sums it up well, “…we planned. it worked…” Ultimately the goal for Portland is to have everything within a 20 minute walk or bike, aka twenty-minute neighbourhoods. As they continue with the city, Portland is expanding its cycling and public transportation routes. Lisle believes their strategy can be applied globally; Build a sustainable economy through job growth, prosperity and a sustainable way of life.
2. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories: The Deputy Mayor Mark Heyck came to present. Before he opened his presentation he asked the audience if and when a more sustainable way of presenting would happen; the projectors consume a disproportionate share of heat and electricity. Yellowknife was named the most sustainable small city in Canada for 2008-9 by the Corporate Knight’s Magazine. Much like the twenty-minute community of Portland with a city of only 20,000 people Yellowknife is promoting a similar theme, have a compact city with easy access to biking and walking trails. Unfortunately unlike Portland, Yellowknife faces very harsh winters where people become much more car dependant.
3. Windsor BIIG/DRIC: Dave Wresinski the Project Planning Division Administrator of the Michigan Department of transportation presented on the proposed new Detroit River crossing. This is trans-national project that links Detroit and Windsor. With the Ambassador bridge reaching the end of its useful life and the tunnel unable to manage the capacity; jointly both the Canadian and American governments are investigating a new crossing. Without getting into too many details Wresinski discussed the challenges with the project including budgeting issues since two countries are involved and the fact that the current Ambassador bridge is privately owned and operated. Likely funding for this project will come for the private sector making this one of the first P3’s for Ontario.

I’m hoping I can attend again next year but also hope to see more on some of the larger cities infrastructure projects. There is a lot of interesting work coming out of California and I think all the Canadian Metropolis’ can learn from it. Other great infrastructure ideas that should be included:

• Tunneling – such as the Chanel Tunnel and the new Vancouver rail link between the airport and Burnaby …
• ‘Green’ Infrastructure – topics such as GFRC (glass fibre reinforced concrete), blast furnace slag, recycling old concrete & aggregate, using renewable resources …
• Changing the Transportation Culture – promoting active transportation in cities, telecommuting, webinar hosting …

There was a lot of great information at the conference and over the coming weeks I’ll expand some of the information.

That is the slogan for the 2009 Pollution Probe Clean Air Commute Week; contribute nothing to pollution. It is an attempt to get individuals to re-think how they travel to work everyday. Instead of driving, carpool, drive a hybrid, bike, walk, take transit or telecommute.

I started my week off by riding my bike to work. Tomorrow I think will be a transit day. And then hopefully alternate bike-transit until the end of the week (I play ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday and Thursday and it’s never safe to bike to the fields).

Smog is all around us

Why is Pollution Probe asking us all to change our commuting habits? Because of the increased levels of smog. Smog originally known as a mix of smoke and fog, it is now more commonly known as a noxious mixture of air pollutants, including vapours, gases and particles that can often be seen as a yellowish-brown haze in the air.

Some quick facts about Pollution Probes Clean Air Commute Week:

• Began in 1993
• Registered over 650 GTA workplaces
• Saved over 4,000 tonnes of air pollutants from going into the air (NOx, SOx, VOCs, CO, CO2) (since 2000 when reporting of pollutants was introduced to the event)
• Over 80,000 diary cards returned by participating employees.
• On average, between 70-80% of the individuals who switched from driving alone to a cleaner mode of transportation during the event said they intend to continue on a permanent basis (based on surveying done since reporting began in 2001). Over the past 16 years, the event has succeeded in switching thousands of people to public transit, carpooling, biking, walking and telecommuting.

With an estimated 500,000 cars travelling on the 401 everyday programs like this are needed to remind us that every little bit makes a difference