World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Respondents to a 1400 person global survey estimated the additional cost of building green at 17 percent above conventional construction, more than triple the true cost difference of about 5 percent. At the same time, survey respondents put greenhouse gas emissions by buildings at 19 percent of world total, while the actual number of 40 percent is double this.
“Life cycle analysis shows that 80% to 85% of the total energy consumption and CO 2 emissions of a building comes from occupancy through heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water use. If we want to make an impact on climate change, we therefore need to tackle this challenge. Combining the right materials when designing a building envelope can greatly reduce a building's energy requirements, increase its life span and ensure consistent performance over time,” he said.
- LEED Gold-rated project
Developed in the U.S., the LEED program has come to Canada in stages, with commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit residential certification now in place. With increasing concern over environmental issues, there's been growing demand for the individual homes component, which has been tested in the U.S. for two years and is due to be formally launched in November, said council vice-chair Andrew Pride, also vice-president of energy management for Minto Homes.
"We're going to take the U.S. program and make it Canadian," he said.
The U.S. expected 50 builders and 300 homes to be certified under the pilot project, but ended up with about 400 builders and 6,000 homes, Pride said.
"Rather than trying to market LEED for Homes and create demand for it, they've been trying to manage the demand and grow fast enough to meet it," Satnik said. "There's been no lack of interest. We're already seeing the same in Canada."
City of Mississauga is contributing $5.5 million towards the project. Construction is slated to start next year. GO Transit and the Toronto Transit Commission, through the Province, are chipping in the balance.Interesting! And good news for a change. Wonder who's going to win that bid?
When completed in 2010, Mississauga Transit buses will use the terminal to link with GO and the TTC, re-routing from the outmoded Islington station. The facility will also serve as the Mississauga Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system’s easterly connection once it is up and running.
The facility will be fully accessible for persons with disabilities and LEED certified as a “green building.”
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Choose one or both databases to search.
FREE ADMISSION, PUBLIC WELCOMEWhether you are a home owner curious about the latest green building technologies, or a corporate leader looking to jump ahead in the drive to sustainability the Green Building Festival trade show is not-to-be-missed event. It’s is the only event focused exclusively on green building and is a key annual event in Canada’s evolution toward sustainable development.
- October 25, 10:30am - 5:00pm
- Atlantis Pavilions at Ontario Place, Toronto, ON
- features over 70 exhibitors representing the forefront of Canada’s sustainable building industry
