IndexIntroductionToronto, OntarioVancouver, British ColumbiaConclusionIntroductionAs consumption levels continue to rise, so does the environmental degradation it causes. To maintain a livable environment, environmental sustainability will have to be a primary objective in the coming years. 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 a range of 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 they all have the fate of generations to come in mind. Sustainability on a National Scale Although environmental sustainability impacts each region differently, the federal government has established a baseline for sustainability goals. In 2015, the Canadian government signed the Paris Climate Agreement, leading Canadians in the fight against climate change. In this agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Other national goals such as those expressed in the Federal Strategy for Sustainable Development for 2016-2019 they are working towards “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. With these obligations as a foundation, cities are creating localized plans to address environmental sustainability in ways best suited to their community and its needs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Toronto, Ontario In recent years, Toronto has set a goal of becoming one of the highest-rated sustainable cities globally. 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 large population in the Toronto metropolis, waste is undoubtedly a major problem. With over 900,000 tons of waste managed each year, a large amount of energy and resources are used to manage this unnecessarily large amount of debris. In an effort to reduce this problem, the municipal government has implemented a series of waste reduction movements. Just like Vancouver, the city of Toronto is focusing on the amount of items that can be disposed of in landfills through the reuse of old objects. The intention of these programs is to reduce the amount of waste in landfills by 70% by 2026. One such campaign is the semi-annual Second Hand Sunday event where residents can leave unwanted items on the curb for other citizens to collect them. After the event, residents are encouraged to donate remaining items to a local thrift store. Essentially, it's a free citywide yard sale to reduce 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 the use of additional resources, as well as collecting much-needed items for local charities. The community also has many other landfill diversion programs such as community composting, Urban Harvests to reduce waste of surplus produce, and The Sewing Program which teaches the basics of how to repair damaged clothing. Initiatives like these provide easy alternatives to simple disposal of items for the people ofplace. Overall, this creates less waste in landfills and reduces the amount of energy consumption. Climate Change: Another major issue that Toronto is facing is climate change. Unlike Halifax and Vancouver, Toronto does not experience the impact of sea levels, but is felt primarily by citizens in the form of heat waves and hot spots in highly urbanized areas. Providing resilience to citizensThe climate change risk management policy has been introduced which requires the city to integrate this resilience into the decision-making process. 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 80% by 2050, with a short-term goal of 30% by 2020. They are currently on track, exceeding the previous goal set for 2012 by 6%. To achieve these goals, many control points have been placed along the time span. By 2030, all new buildings must be built to emit no greenhouse gases and be within walking distance of public transportation, 45% of city-owned vehicles must be low-carbon, and city facilities must be zero-waste. Other long-term goals include modernizing old buildings and receiving 75 percent of the city's energy from renewable sources. To have such a positive impact on climate change, the city must also focus on energy consumption. Energy use: In response to the provincial Green Energy Act regulation enacted in 2012, the City of Toronto released an energy conservation and demand-side management plan in 2014. To achieve its goals, the report's recommendations Power to Live Green have been adapted. Using more than $100 million so far, the city has installed wind, solar and facilities to reduce emissions. In 2012, $53 million was spent to power 19 million square feet. To reduce the amount of energy consumed, the city selected all the facilities in the area and created a reduction action plan for each one. As seen in Appendix A, the municipality has also created renewable energy plans for each facility. To raise awareness about renewable energy sources in future generations, 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 continue to pursue current goals, Toronto will be able to ensure long-term goals are achieved. With Toronto's ambiguous goals and success to date, hope for a green future is possible. Halifax, Nova Scotia Although Halifax is a less urbanized area than Toronto and Vancouver, sustainability is still a top priority for the overall well-being and continuation of the area. To recognize the issues facing Halifax, an Environment and Sustainability Council was created to advise the council in decision making. This committee focuses on waste management, energy security and other sustainability issues. Waste Management: The Stantec Waste Resources Strategy has taken many steps towards sustainable waste management since 1995, when it was first implemented. Unlike other cities, Halifax is focusing exclusively on waste diversion, not reusing materials. By 2013, this strategy helped divert more than 50% of waste from landfills and continues to increase the amount ofdisposed waste. To further this cause, the provincial government is working to ban organic waste from landfills and is controlling the importation of non-local waste into its facilities. Through public participation, the landfills hope to reduce that to 300kg per capita per year, resulting in a total of less than 125 million kilograms of waste for the City of Halifax. This would be a significant achievement considering that the average Canadian disposes of over 700 kilograms of waste per year. Climate Change: Another part of Halifax's impact on environmental sustainability is the reduction of climate change. Similar to Vancouver, Halifax is a coastal city heavily impacted by rising sea levels caused by climate change. As shown in Appendix B, the city sits on average just 50 meters above sea level, which leaves many oceanfront buildings at high risk of flooding. As shown in Appendix C, just three meters of inundation, a very possible reality, consumes much of the shoreline, including multiple treasured landmarks. To combat the devastating effects that climate change could bring, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has created a business plan for 2012-2020. Their goal is to reduce 30% of the 2008 emissions rate by 2020. A more in-depth reduction estimate can be found in Appendix D. Since 67% of Halifax's emissions come from municipal buildings, the city has decided to focus on their own buildings before expanding their ventures to the public. After 3 years of renovation, the local government managed to prevent more than 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere, or nearly 13% of the total emissions reported in 2008. To continue reducing emissions, the city It also needs to focus on energy usage. Energy Consumption: In the Atlantic Canadian region, Halifax is currently one of the top cities for energy efficiency. Following the HRM Community Energy Plan, “HRM aims to achieve the most significant improvement in energy sustainability, security, renewable technology and environmental emissions among similarly sized cities in Canada over the next ten years. Their success towards this goal depends heavily 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 the Solar City project. This program helps citizens by financing the installation of solar energy systems for their residences. To continue its success in reducing the city's energy consumption, HRM continues to explore more solar energy options, as well as more opportunities for combining heat and electricity. 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 problem, the municipal government has implemented the Greenest City initiative. Just like Toronto, their goal is to become the greenest city internationally through the support of everyone who works and lives in the area. Waste Management: In urbanized coastal cities like Vancouver, many problems related to waste and ocean pollution pose major barriers to environmental sustainability. One of the key initiatives that Vancouver has put in place is the vision of becoming a zero waste communityby 2040. A key way to achieve this is to reduce the amount of single-use items in the community. This initiative covers a number of issues, mainly related to takeaway containers, and imposes the obligation to create reduction plans on the part of businesses. Unlike the standardized goals set for the entire Toronto region, this alternative way of creating individual plans makes the zero waste goal more achievable because each directed plan is carefully tailored to each company's capabilities. To combat plastic bags, the city is asking all businesses to create a reduction plan specific to their business by 2020 and to place a bag collection station at each business by 2025. The city also created a additional plan to completely ban the distribution of plastic bags. plastic bags if reduction targets are not met by 2021. Since 22% of waste in Vancouver comes from disposable cups, the municipality has also addressed this issue. The policy includes a reduction plan and a law requiring all cups to be recyclable or compostable that will be enacted in 2021. The city has also seen a steady increase in the amount of composting done citywide. As seen in Appendix E, sales of composting bins have increased since 2001, due to the subsidized rates Vancouver charges on these bins. Another very innovative waste reduction move involves the city's demolition permit requirements. In an effort to reduce waste and reuse materials, regulations on building demolition have been implemented. To legally demolish a building, residents must submit a development permit, a recycling and reuse plan, as well as a post-completion recycling and reuse compliance form. To complete “green demolition,” demolition crews must recycle or reuse at least 75 percent 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 residents, and coastal cities like Vancouver, comparable to Halifax, are heavily affected by rising sea levels. As sea levels rise, coastal communities face problems such as flooding, strains on sewer systems and stress on the fishing economy. With such devastating impacts, climate change has become a key focus for the City of Vancouver. Unlike many other cities, Vancouver focuses primarily on adapting to changes instead of trying to reverse the effects. In the Adaptation Plan, possible consequences are addressed with actions towards a solution. For example, to prevent damage from heavy rains, the city plans to modify its sewer and stormwater infrastructure to increase capacity. In response to hotter summers and prolonged drought seasons, the municipal government is implementing water conservation and education programs, with the goal of reducing per capita water consumption by 33%. With ever-changing climate conditions, the City of Vancouver is constantly adapting to protect the environment and its citizens. Energy use: beyond resilience to change.