Vancouver is a city with an aggressive green program over the next couple of years. It is the goal of Vancouver to be the greenest city in the country by 2020. In order for this to happen, there are several things that need to be taken care of. First of all, the biggest pollution issues need to be identified. In most big cities, this is going to be pollution from industrial plants and smog from traffic. If Vancouver can help to reduce or eliminate these sources of pollution, they will be well on their way to being the greenest city by 2020. Here are several different ways that Vancouver can reach its goal over the next couple of years.

Vancouver: Greenest City by 2020

Reducing Industrial Pollution

Having a large center of industry in a city is great for jobs. In many ways, it is essential for a city to have this so that the economy can prosper. However, from an environmental perspective this can be hard to deal with. Many companies do not want to go out of their way to reduce smog or pollution because it costs them money. Cities like Vancouver have stepped up and said that a certain percentage must be reduced by 2020 in order to operate in the city and avoid being fined. As Vancouver grows we create more and more air pollution through exhaust from trucks, buses, ships, trains, planes, and industrial operations. It will take work to improve our air quality.

Alternative Transportation

There are many people who commute in and out of the city of Vancouver. Although this is a sign of a mature economy, this also means a lot of effects on the environment are created. The leaders of Vancouver must decide how to continue to grow the economy in a way that does not hurt the environment. There are many different ways this can be accomplished. Mass transit is a great way to get a lot of people around in a city. However, there is a large initial investment that is involved. For people who live in the city just a few blocks from work, walking to work needs to be encouraged. The taxi system was great many years ago, but today there are just so many issues with it. Not only does it cause a lot of traffic piling up, but it also releases a lot of pollution in the area. If a viable alternative to taxis is not created, it will be difficult for Vancouver to reach its goal by 2020.

Green Homes

Vancouver’s next challenge is to improve the environmental performance of existing building stock by focusing on retrofits such as insulation, heating and lighting system upgrades and energy efficient appliances, as well as on how people operate buildings. Financing tools and incentives provide ways to address concerns of affordability and fairness, and increase the pace of change towards green developments and retrofits. The City is in a unique position to bring together different groups and build partnerships that ensure there are enough skilled workers to meet the needs of a rapidly growing green building sector. This will make a significant contribution to new green jobs in Vancouver.