Table of ContentsIntroductionToronto, OntarioVancouver, British ColumbiaConclusionIntroductionAs consumption levels continue to grow, so does the environmental degradation it causes. In order to maintain a livable environment, environmental sustainability must be a priority in the years to come. Cities like Toronto, Ontario, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Vancouver, British Columbia, have all created their own ways to protect the living environment of all citizens. These cities have all responded to various sustainability issues such as waste management, climate change and energy consumption. Each of these municipalities has created its own goals for a sustainable future, but all have the fate of generations in mind. Sustainability on a National Scale Although environmental sustainability affects each region differently, the federal government has set a baseline for sustainability goals. In 2015, the Canadian government signed the Paris Climate Agreement, guiding Canadians in the fight against climate change. In this agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared to 2005 levels by 2030. Other national objectives, such as those expressed in the Federal Strategy of sustainable development for 2016 to 2019, aim for “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Based on these obligations, cities develop localized plans to address environmental sustainability in a way that best suits their community and its needs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Toronto, Ontario In recent years, Toronto has set a goal of becoming one of the top-ranked sustainable cities in the world. They hope to inspire the community by implementing contemporary programs and policies focused on waste, climate change and energy consumption. Waste Management: With such a high population in metropolitan Toronto, waste is undoubtedly a major problem. With over 900,000 tonnes of waste managed each year, a large amount of energy and resources are used to manage this unnecessarily large amount of debris. In an attempt to reduce this problem, the municipal government has implemented various waste reduction moves. Much like Vancouver, the City of Toronto is focusing on diverting items from landfills through the reuse of old goods. The intention of these programs is to reduce the amount of waste in landfills by 70% by 2026. One of these campaigns is the biannual Second Hand Sunday event, where residents can leave unwanted items on the sidewalk so that other citizens can collect them. After the event, residents are encouraged to donate remaining items to a local flea market. Essentially, it's a free, city-wide garage sale aimed at reducing the amount of reusable items that end up in landfills. This event reduces society's ecological footprint by allowing citizens to acquire new items without using additional resources, as well as collect much-needed items for local charities. The community also has several other landfill diversion programs such as community composting, urban harvests to reduce product wastesurplus clothing and the sewing program which teaches the basics of repairing damaged clothing. Initiatives such as these provide simple alternatives to simply disposing of items for residents. Overall, this creates less waste in landfills and reduces energy consumption. Climate Change: Another major issue Toronto is tackling is climate change. Unlike Halifax and Vancouver, Toronto does not experience the impact of sea level, but it is mainly felt by citizens in the form of heat waves and hot spots in highly urbanized areas. Ensuring the resilience of citizens, the climate change risk management policy was introduced, which requires the city to integrate this resilience into decision-making. A solution to climate change was introduced in 2017, when the city council agreed on a long-term strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their goal is to reduce by 80% by 2050, with a short-term target of 30% by 2020. Currently, they are on track, exceeding the previous target set for 2012 by 6%. To achieve these goals, numerous checkpoints have been placed throughout the schedule. By 2030, all new buildings must be built to emit no greenhouse gases and within walking distance of public transportation, 45% of city-owned vehicles must be low-carbon and municipal facilities must be zero waste. Longer-term goals include renovating old buildings and getting 75% of the city's energy from renewable sources. In order to have such an impact on climate change, the city must also focus on energy consumption. Energy Use: In response to provincial green energy regulations adopted in 2012, the City of Toronto released an energy conservation and demand management plan in 2014. To achieve its goals, the recommendations of The Power to Live Green report have been adapted. . With the use of more than $100 million so far, the city has installed wind and solar installations and facilities to reduce their emissions. In 2012, $53 million was spent to provide power to 19 million square feet. To reduce the amount of energy consumed, the city sorted all the facilities in the district and created a reduction action plan for each of them. As shown in Appendix A, the municipality has also created renewable energy plans for each facility. To educate future generations about renewable energy sources, the Toronto Conservation Authority created the Power Trip Trail, an interactive hike for students that teaches about renewable energy sources. By focusing on citizens who will pursue current goals, Toronto will be able to ensure that long-term goals are achieved. With Toronto's ambiguous goals and successes to date, hope for a green future is possible. Halifax, Nova Scotia Although Halifax is a less urbanized region than Toronto and Vancouver, sustainability remains a top priority for the general well-being and sustainability of the region. To recognize the issues that Halifax needs to address, an Environment and Sustainability Council was created to advise council in its decision-making. This committee focuses on waste management, energy security and other sustainability topics. Waste Management: Stantec's waste resources strategy has taken many steps towards sustainable waste management since 1995 when it was first implemented.Unlike other cities, Halifax only focuses on waste diversion and not material reuse. In 2013, this strategy helped divert more than 50% of waste from landfills and continues to increase the amount of waste diverted. To further this cause, the provincial government is working to ban organic waste from landfills and controls the importation of non-local waste into their facilities. Through public participation, landfills hope to reduce to 300 kilograms per person each year, which would result in less than 125 million kilograms of waste for the city of Halifax. This would be a significant achievement given that the average Canadian disposes of more than 700 kilograms of waste each year. Climate Change: Another aspect of Halifax's impact on environmental sustainability is the reduction of climate change. Like Vancouver, Halifax is a coastal city heavily affected by rising sea levels caused by climate change. As shown in Appendix B, the city sits on average only 50 meters above sea level, putting many seaside buildings at high risk of flooding. As Appendix C shows, just three meters of flooding, a very possible reality, consumes a vast majority of the waterfront area, including several valuable monuments. To counter the devastating effects that climate change could cause, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has created a business plan for 2012-2020. Their goal is to be 30% lower than the 2008 emissions rate by 2020. A more detailed estimate of the reduction can be found in Appendix D. Since 67% of Halifax's emissions come from municipal buildings, the city ​​decided to focus on their emissions. own buildings before extending their initiatives to the public. After 3 years of renovation, the local government was able to prevent more than 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere, accounting for almost 13% of the total emissions reported in 2008. In order to continue reducing emissions , the city also needs to focus on energy consumption. Energy consumption: In Atlantic Canada, Halifax is currently one of the leading cities in energy efficiency. As a result of HRM's Community Energy Plan, "HRM aims to achieve the most significant improvement in energy sustainability, safety, renewable technologies and environmental emissions among cities of similar size in Canada over the next ten years." next years. “Their success in achieving this goal is highly dependent on the Alderney 5 Energy project. This facility captures thermal energy from seawater and stores it using geothermal technology, which is then used to power air conditioning units in nearby municipal buildings. The city is also receiving overwhelming public approval for its Solar City project. This program helps citizens by financing the installation of solar energy systems for their residences. To continue reducing the city's energy consumption, HRM continues to explore more solar energy options, as well as more combined heat and power opportunities. Vancouver, British Columbia In an urbanized center like Vancouver, the impact of waste, climate change and energy consumption are key factors currently limiting their ability to become environmentally sustainable. To combat this, the city government implemented the Greenest City initiative. Just like Toronto, their goal is to become the greenest city in the world with the support of everyone who works and lives in the city.region. Waste Management: In urbanized coastal cities like Vancouver, many issues related to waste and ocean pollution pose significant barriers to environmental sustainability. One of the major initiatives Vancouver is implementing is the vision of becoming a zero waste community by 2040. A fundamental method of achieving this goal is reducing the amount of single-use items in the community. This initiative covers a variety of issues, mainly around take-out containers, and imposes a requirement for reduction plans developed by companies. Unlike the standardized goals set across the Toronto region, this alternative way of creating individual plans makes the zero waste goal more achievable because each directed plan precisely matches each business's capabilities. To fight against plastic bags, the city requires all businesses to create a reduction plan specific to their business by 2020, and to place a bag collection station in each business by 2025. The city has also created a complementary plan to completely ban the distribution of plastic bags. plastic bags if reduction targets are not met by 2021. With 22% of waste in Vancouver coming from disposable cups, the municipality has also addressed this problem. The policy includes a reduction plan as well as a bylaw requiring all cups to be recyclable or compostable that will be adopted in 2021. The city has also seen a steady increase in the amount of composting done citywide. As shown in Appendix E, sales of composting bins have increased since 2001, this is due to the subsidized rates that Vancouver applies to these bins. Another very innovative waste reduction movement involves the city's demolition permit requirements. In an attempt to reduce waste and reuse materials, regulations surrounding the demolition of buildings have been put in place. In order to legally demolish a building, residents must submit a development permit, a recycling and reuse plan, and a recycling and reuse compliance form upon completion. To carry out “green demolition”, demolition teams must recycle or reuse a minimum of 75% of materials. This initiative concept is the first of its kind in Canada and its success could bring more sustainability to other Canadian cities using the same ideas. Climate Change: In British Columbia, climate change has a very high impact. With wildfires currently displacing many residents, the province desperately needs to find solutions. As temperatures rise, diseases spread, heat waves affect more people, and coastal cities like Vancouver, comparable to Halifax, are greatly affected by rising sea levels. As seas rise, coastal communities face problems such as flooding, pressure on their sewage systems and pressure on the fishing economy. With such devastating impacts, climate change has become a major concern for the city of Vancouver. Unlike many other cities, Vancouver is primarily focused on adapting to changes rather than trying to reverse their effects. In the adaptation plan, possible consequences are addressed through actions to find a solution. For example, to avoid damage caused by heavy rains, the city plans to modify its sewer and stormwater treatment infrastructure to increase its capacity. In response to warmer summers and.