Attaining carbon neutrality will have a profound impact on how we design communities and deal with waste. This webinar includes a number of pioneers who are creating innovative solutions to carbon neutrality and ways to change restrictive regulations. Featuring:

Kim Fowler has 30 years experience working as a sustainability planner for local government. She specializes in innovative design projects such as Dockside Green located in Victoria’s Inner Harbour; a unique development application process in Port Coquitlam in the Greater Vancouver Area based on economic; environmental and social factors and implementing a Waterfront Plan for the Town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island in collaboration with the Stz’uminus First Nation.

Larry Gardner is the Manager for Solid Waste Services for the Regional District of Nanaimo. The Regional District is one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to embrace zero waste with a formal goal of diverting 90% of waste from the landfill by 2027. Larry has over 30 years experience in the solid waste industry including working for the BC Ministry of Environment regulating landfills and industrial waste. He is pioneering an innovative financing model which encourages waste haulers to divert waste from the landfill replacing traditional tipping fees which can encourage waste dumping.

Hugh Stephens is a Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and an Executive Fellow School of Public Policy University of Calgary, plus the Director and Vice Chair of the Society for the Protection of the Mount Work Region, known as the Mount Work Coalition (MWC).
The primary goal of the Mount Work Coalition is to advocate for the reduction of the environmental footprint of the Hartland Landfill and to ensure that public enjoyment of the area is not disrupted by increased traffic, industrial activity or expansion of the Hartland facility.
Hugh has lived at Willis Point, not far from Mount Work Park, since 2012. He moved to Victoria in 2010 after an international government and business career. He actively supported the campaign of the Saanich Inlet Protection Society to oppose the building of a floating LNG plant at Bamberton and is a member of the Willis Point Community Association executive.

Gene Miller is a real estate development consultant who has devoted his professional career to innovative design to promote environmentally and socially advanced projects. He initiated Gaining Ground Urban Sustainability conferences in the 2000’s and writes for various publications on urban sustainability. He is now a practitioner proposing a multi-unit housing development called Affordable Sustainable Homes as a new form of compact living with high energy efficiency; low transportation and waste generation at below market prices.

Arno and Linda Keinonen’s Harmless Home, the first of its kind in the world, is a living example of a carbon neutral building where the carbon sequestration literally begins from the ground up. Host and Creatively United founder, Frances Litman, shares this home and exciting examples of what the future could hold.

Vancouver-based author and poet, Fiona Tinwei Lam shares her creative approach to educating the public about plastic waste and reduction. Her work appears in more than 35 anthologies, including The Best Canadian Poetry in English (both 2010 and 2020) and Forcefield: 77 Women Poets of BC. Her award-winning poetry videos have screened at festivals locally and internationally. She won The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Prize and was a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award. Lam teaches at Simon Fraser University’s Continuing Studies.

Additional Q&A

Q. Can one of the gentlemen provide one or more examples of other jurisdictions that may be considered ‘best practices’ in working towards ‘zero waste’ that could also inform the CRD?

A. Larry Gardner: British Columbia is a world leader with regards to waste reduction. Vancouver Island has some of the lowest per capita disposal rates in the world. The attached RDN staff report from 2016 reviewed waste diversion in a number of areas throughout the world and gives insights to diversion success in other areas.

Q. How much waste entering landfills is from construction and renovation? How can it be reduced?

A. Larry Gardner: Based on a 2012 waste composition study in the RDN, building materials made up 10.6 percent of the waste steam. Differential tipping fees and a ban on disposal of clean wood has been responsible for this percentage to be lower than in other jurisdictions. RDN strategies (e.g. waste hauler licensing) is expected to reduce this percentage further.

Q. The stickers on ALL produce are a bane to commercial composters. What lobbying is being done to remove these stickers and change to an alternative?

A. We unfortunately do not have an answer to this question, but welcome comments from our readers who may.

Q. If we all want paper wrap, how do we protect the trees? I want a ban on all single-serve plastic packaging along with many other plastics. Go back to fabric recycled into packaging?

A. Kim Fowler: Hemp would be great – renewable and fast growing.

A. Finoa Tinwei Lam: We need more Zero-Waste stores! I agree with a ban on single-use plastic packaging etc.

I used to bring my own stainless steel containers and yogurt containers to get filled at the butcher’s prior to COVID. The butcher would weigh the empty container first before filling it, or weight the meat separately. Hopefully, when everyone is vaccinated, I can start doing this again.

Most butcher paper is plastic-lined–but some butchers (like my neighbourhood one) use nonplastic lined, or unlined butcher paper, so you need to ask them.

By not using plastic, you are actually indirectly helping trees. The plastic takes decades or longer to biodegrade, and harms wildlife and creates more CO2 emissions, leading to hotter temperatures and more storms that lead to forest fires.

Nada Zero-Waste store in Vancouver uses upcycled plastic containers for sausages. I return the washed containers to them to reuse.

I have brought my beeswax wraps to Farmhouse Cheeses to wrap the cheese prior to them cutting a slice from their wheels pre-Covid. In Vancouver, Nada’s Zero Waste store and Soap Dispensary use either glass, paper bags or upcycled plastic for cheese. I use beeswax wraps to store cheese. I got the wraps as gifts, and give them as gifts.

And of course, eating less meat and cheese overall anyway is better for the planet.

Q. How to approach city/regional district on these issues as a newly formed climate action group?

A. Jon O’Riordan: Most cities and regional districts have some form of climate action plan on their websites. The best approach is to review this plan and see how it aligns with your vision and actions. You should then contact the Mayor or the Chair of the Regional Board with an outline your concerns and ask to meet with the appropriate elected officials or staff. You can also present at Council or Board Meetings directly. There is generally a time slot for such presentations at each meeting depending on the agenda.

Q. While it only deals with energy and health, the R2000 house project of Canada used to be a federal initiative, is it been stopped?

A. Kim Fowler: R2000 still continues but is a voluntary program solely focused on energy efficiency. LEED and Built Green are more comprehensive frameworks that include water conservation, air quality and materials use. Further, both the National Building Code and the BC Building Code now have mandatory standards for energy efficiency. As of January 1, 2021, BC is at Step 3 of 5 to carbon neutrality in 2032.

Q. How has the market value of the DG complex performed since initial investment? How does that compare to market value of conventional building?

A. Kim Fowler: The market value of DG is at par or slightly higher than comparative market, including conventional buildings. A key issue is the failure of many conventional condo buildings to have put away adequate funds for capital replacement. The Province mandated capital plans for all condominium buildings a few years ago, so potential investors can now determine if the building is a good investment or will experience significant assessments in the near future to fund capital maintenance and replacement. Dockside Green has a fully funded capital plan. And potential buyers who do their research will also realize Dockside Green is a much healthier place to live given the low volatile organics in paints, glues and flooring, no smoking throughout entire development, air-sealed units (no air is shared between units), fresh air directly from the roof to individual units, and daylight to 90% of living spaces, all make the development a much healthier place to live.

Q. To RG Nanaimo: How do you treat waste from demolished houses that are crushed up by excavators?

A. Larry Gardner: Differential tipping fees and bans have some impact on encouraging deconstruction, but they are not effective where the demolished material is sent out of region for disposal. The waste hauler licensing scheme will essential eliminate the option of low cost disposal and we will see more effort place on deconstruction in the future.

Q. Do you have a parallel strategy to address the social and wealthy equity issues around moving to more sustainable environmentally friendly options? For some reason, those options cost more than others, and affordability is a barrier for low-income wage earners.

A. Kim Fowler: Many local governments, including the RDN have, or are developing a social equity lens for its programs. For example, green building rebate programs for heat pumps and solar arrays favour those who can afford those sustainable options. The Province is in the process of amending its legislation to enable green mortgages on houses undergoing energy retrofits, which will improve social equity.

A. Finona Tinwei Lam: Buying directly from local farmers is great if you have a CSA in your community (which really helps local farmers and you get nutritious fresh items), plus buying in bulk helps reduce packaging. Save-On Foods has a good bulk foods section and is affordable. There is recycled paper toilet paper packaged in paper that you can buy in bulk directly for less than a $1 a roll: e.g. from Staples https://www.staples.ca/products/2855845-en-scott-essential-100-recycled-fiber-standard-roll-bathroom-tissue-2-ply-white-80-rollscase.

With Zero-Waste stores, I’ve found there are some items that are cheaper than buying them off the shelf in the store, for example baking soda (good for cleaning as well as cooking), organic spices and apple cider vinegar, tofu, dijon mustard, and some organic dried fruit. Nuts tend to be expensive.

Q. How will you be helping to develop secondary markets/markets for recycled material (especially plastics) for recycling to be successful? Waste to energy – can you avoid incineration currently?

A. Larry Gardner: Wood waste has and continues to be used as fuel (e.g. hog fuel). The RDN promotes highest and best use so waste-to-energy will only be considered with residual items that can’t be recycled. As for developing markets, the waste hauler scheme incents industry to divert over dispose. If industry has the monetary incentive, they will innovate to develop markets rather than dispose. BC-based Merlin plastics has been operating for decades and effectively processes recycled plastic into raw material plastic pellets.

A . Finoa Tinwei Lam: CBC just reported on a London, Ontario company that takes discarded PPE from hospital and turns it into fabric for medical uniforms. It’s a great step toward a circular economy. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/lifecycle-ppe-london-ontario-1.5879488 Rather than incineration, the PPE is turned into pellets that get turned into fabric, which is sewn into uniforms. This creates jobs and prevents the plastic going into landfills.

Q. I hope you will list some concrete actions that you wish the CRD to take during the webinar.

A. Hugh Stephens: The CRD could start by re-evaluating their present business model for Hartland which is based primarily on funding the operation through collection of tipping fees. The more waste that is delivered, the more tipping fees are collected. This financial model provides no incentive for the managers of the Landfill to embark an aggressive program to reduce waste delivery; instead it is easier to expand the Landfill using the expected revenue stream from ongoing tipping fees. The RDN is using the fee structure creatively to incentivize haulers to reduce waste rather than simply offering the best tipping rate to ensure that waste does not leave the region, as is the CRD’s current guiding philosophy when it comes to setting the fees.

Q. How has COVID affected ASH?

A. Jon O’Riordan: No impact as the development is seeking a development permit from the City of Victoria

Q. Can you please give an online resource for ASH?

A. Jon O’Riordan: Please see the attached slides here for more information on ASH.

Q. What is the best way to approach the city, regional district who seem reluctant to change?

A. Hugh Stephens: The only approach that will work is to bring pressure on elected representatives to the CRD. (In the CRD, Directors are indirectly elected, drawn from regional municipal councils). Pressure on municipal councillors who sit on the CRD is even more effective. Staff develop long term plans that tend to be resistant to change unless significant political pressure to change direction is brought to bear through elected representatives. Community-based groups, either issues-based (such as conservation or environmental groups) or geographically-based groups (such as community associations) can be very effective in making elected officials aware of resident’s concerns and mobilizing elected officials to act. Often, some officials are more amenable to support eco-friendly positions than others and it is important to identify who these individuals are, work with and support them to advance agendas that favour conservation rather than consumption.

Q. Is using arable land to produce hemp for various products a threat to food security?

A. Kim Folwer: In general, there are significant arable land on Vancouver Island that is not currently farmed, so could be available to hemp crops.

Q. Many people simply don’t have the money that allows them to shop at farmers markets or zero-waste stores. And we all need food that isn’t available at farmers markets.

A. Kim Fowler: Social equity is a key aspect of food security.

A. Finoa Tinwei Lam: Small steps are good steps. Even if we can’t go totally zero-waste, even reducing one plastic bag a week is huge. Items in glass are better for the environment than plastic, e.g. milk. Save-On Foods has a good bulk section as do some Superstores, and there are some small independent green grocers that often have sales on produce that want to unload. For example, I buy old bananas (which I freeze) for making banana bread and muffins and smoothies. Certain items at Zero-Waste stores are actually less expensive than items on the shelf (e.g. baking soda which is great for cleaning and for cooking). Also, some folks bargain at Farmers Markets, usually at the end of the day when the vendors just want to unload stuff, especially the fruit/veggies which aren’t as pretty but are still good for making soups, jams, and sauces. Growing your own sprouts, herbs, and veggies is very satisfying, and can be done inexpensively. If you don’t have room, there may be community gardens nearby. Also community kitchens are a great way to reduce costs. Making homemade nutritious food can be a lot less expensive and more delicious than buying processed food.

There’s a hidden cost to food that has been grown with pesticides and herbicides using underpaid migrant labour and transported from a long distance–so even if we pay less now, we all will pay more in the long run. But it’s never all or nothing. Taking those micro-steps really can make a difference. We all have to start somewhere and not feel it’s hopeless. It’s like trying to learn an instrument–one note at a time, over time. Being mindful and conscious is the first step, then being curious and asking questions is another step, and joining with others to ask our grocery chains to do more is yet another step.

 

Presenter Links

Stop Hartland Landfill Expansion Leadnow Petition
CRD Solid Waste Management Survey
Mount Work Coalition – Stop CRD
Kim Fowler’s Dockside Green Book
Stats on ocean plastic – Additional 1 – Additional 2
Clean Bin Project Documentary
A Plastic Ocean Documentary
The Story of Plastic Documentary
Sea Smart School, a nonprofit run by UBC marine biologist Dr. Elaine Leung
Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
Rising Tides: Reflections for Climate Changing Times – collection of short fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir and poetry addressing climate change
Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists respond to the Climate crisis – A print anthology AND an online anthology containing Canadian poems, stories, essays and artwork
Sweet Water: Poems for our Watersheds & Refugium: Poems for the Pacific