Toward greener, smarter cities

Friday, April 20, 2012

Environmentally friendly initiatives help cities cut down on pollution and lower their energy costs, among other benefits

NICK ROCKEL
Special to The Globe and Mail

When Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside delivered the 2006 State of the City address, he put aside his prepared remarks. Mr. Woodside had just returned from a business trip to China, where he had seen a booming economy but also widespread pollution. In his impromptu speech, the mayor called on the citizens of Fredericton to protect the environment.

The New Brunswick capital was no slouch in the sustainability department. For example, Fredericton had saved energy and money by retrofitting 18 municipal buildings. It had also joined the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program back in 2000.

But Mr. Woodside wanted his city to do more. So in 2007, Fredericton launched a community outreach strategy called Green Matters.

The next year, it established the Green Shops program, which recognizes local businesses for shrinking their environmental footprint. Then in spring, 2011, the city of 56,000 piloted the Green Matters Certified program for not-for-profits.

"I'm not about to argue the pros and cons or who's right and who's wrong," Mr. Woodside says of climate change. "But if we take it more seriously and start in our own homes and our own businesses, the most terrible thing that's going to happen to you is you're going to notice that your expenses come down."

Fredericton is just one example of how smaller cities can make themselves greener and more sustainable by engaging local residents and businesses. Municipalities improve their odds of success if they set goals and measure results.

Mr. Woodside says he was amazed by the response to his challenge. By 2009, Fredericton had brought municipal government greenhouse gas emissions down to 16 per cent below its 2000 benchmark. Last January, the FCM certified it as the fourth Canadian municipality to reach all five PCP milestones. More than 80 businesses have joined Fredericton's Green Shops program. As part of the city's infrastructure renewal efforts, the Grant-Harvey Centre sports complex has geothermal heating and cooling.