Calgary has earned a dubious reputation for decades of unrestricted growth, but there’s reason to hope that’s all about to change.

Two recently released studies confirm what any driver who has ever been trapped on Deerfoot Trail during rush hour already knows: Calgary is the Wild West of urban sprawl.

A report released by the Neptis Foundation compared urban design in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary and, not surprisingly, found Calgary ranked at the bottom of the pack in terms of density. Throughout the 1990s, nearly 80 per cent of Calgary’s
growth happened on new land.

Another study looked at Canada’s six largest urban areas and found Calgary had the second highest percentage of residents living in low-density neighbourhoods, noting more than 75 per cent of Calgary-area commuters travel by personal vehicle.

That link between urban design and how people get around is a vital one — one that is a driving force in Calgary’s latest city plan, Plan It, approved by city council last September. The 60-year blueprint for growth combines Calgary’s development patterns and transportation plans for the second time and calls for the city’s population density to increase by 35 per cent, while introducing a network of carpooling lanes, quadrupling transit service and improving cycling routes.

Déjà vu: Density targets gutted
It sounds promising, but Plan It has also been met with skepticism by critics who have watched the young plan fall prey to one of the same problems that plagued the city plans that went before it (the Downtown Plan of the ’60s, the Downtown Plan of the ’70s and the Go Plan of the ’90s – which was Calgary’s first serious attempt to connect transportation and land use planning at a strategic level).

A last-minute amendment to Plan It in September 2009 reduced density targets in new communities to allay the concerns of the development industry and a few aldermen, effectively gutting the plan, according to some critics. Indeed, the target included in the final document (60 people per hectare) is lower than what most new-generation suburbs, such as Mahogany and Skyview, are already achieving, but council argued the adjustment was needed to prevent losing the whole plan.

The 11th hour gutting of density targets is nothing new, says Bob Miller, who recently retired from the city’s planning department after more than 30 years.

He recalls the battle over the Eau Claire area between 4th Avenue and the Bow River during the days of the 1979 Downtown Plan. Developers wanted the area to be used primarily to extend Calgary’s downtown office core, but planners wanted to create a substantial, higher density residential neighbourhood as part of a healthy downtown.

“It was an ugly and drawn-out battle because public interest was so clear and so strong and the economic interest of the landowners was so big and they were clashing head to head on the floor of council,” Miller says. “Council couldn’t reject the plan because the public would have been outraged, but the downtown development industry couldn’t support the plan’s emphasis on downtown housing.”

Eventually council managed to quietly pull the sharpest teeth out of the plan. “That’s a lesson there – and one that was repeated in Go Plan 1996, and again in Plan It 2009,” Miller says.

“The tension between the public interest of Plan It versus the self-interest of suburban developers hasn’t changed much over the years,” he says. “The lobby of the development industry is so strong, and is always consistent in its ‘just leave it to the market’ approach.”

Homebuilder lobby influential, but facing tougher opposition
It’s no secret that developers and homebuilders are perennially the biggest donors to civic election campaigns. But this time around, the developers just might have more to contend with. There’s an increasingly enlightened public – more than 18,000 Calgarians were engaged in creating a long-term sustainability plan through imagineCALGARY, the largest visioning process every undertaken by a city.

And then there’s a city council struggling to make ends meet. A city-commissioned study found Calgary could spend $11.2 billion less on roads, fire stations and other infrastructure in the next 60 years if it builds the compact city Plan It envisioned, rather than continuing to sprawl.

“We can not financially afford to continue growing like this,” says Ward 11 Ald. Brian Pincott. “It’s pure and simple economically unsustainable. It’s environmentally unsustainable, it’s socially unsustainable.”

The financial saving offered by Plan It was reduced by close to $2 billion by weakening the density targets, according to advocacy group Civic Camp, but Pincott says he still has hope.

“Plan It stands to make a difference because it’s more about the principles that are behind how we grow our city,” he says. “Plan It gives us a new lens to look at decisions with.”

Miller agrees. “The plan is exceptional – they took the best of the past 30 years of planning for Calgary, refocused and strengthened it, and created an incredible sustainability plan,” he says.

Putting an end to subsidized sprawl
Council recently signalled it intends to step up to the plate, agreeing to start making suburban developers pay a greater share for water pipes, sewer systems and other community infrastructure needed in new neighbourhoods. City officials warn that utility rates will rise citywide if development levies aren’t increased and outgoing Mayor Dave Bronconnier has been increasingly vocal about ending Calgary’s history of subsidizing sprawl. The details of the development levies are yet to be negotiated, but developers say the cost of a new suburban home will be increased by $10,000 and vow to make it an election issue.

While the development industry is trying to play a larger-than-usual advocacy role in the October election campaign (the home-builder and developer lobbies have created a website at votecalgary.ca), citizen groups such as CivicCamp and the Calgary Democracy Project are upping the ante at calgarydemocracy.ca.

It’s this new level of citizen engagement that gives Plan It a fighting chance at curbing sprawl when no plan before it was able to, Miller says.

“The public wasn’t vocal about the unsustainability of suburban expansion during the 1970s although, even then, it was becoming increasingly apparent. It was the planners versus the developers, with council playing referee.” he says. “But every big city gets to a stage where its citizens finally ‘get it’ and in Calgary, after 30 years, I think the broader community is starting to wake up to the real issues here.”

Public awakening stands to change Calgary’s future
Miller witnessed this awakening at last year’s Plan It hearings.

“I watched this dance of public vs. private interests played out before council for the third or fourth time in my career,” he says.

But something was different this time around. Two hundred people spoke at the public hearing for Plan It, unprecedented in Miller’s three decades at the city.

“In the end, industry’s voice was a lot smaller,” he says. “What had changed was that another 199 individuals and groups had shown up… The reason we didn’t implement (the plans of the past) is because the community wasn’t engaged.”

But the community has to stay engaged for true progress to be made.

“We could still lose it all. That is the nature of democracy and a thousand council decisions are yet to be made,” Miller says. “If we stay asleep, then we will stay stuck in a ‘more of the same’ development pattern and Plan It will become one more Go Plan, one more Downtown Plan… Without concerned citizens’ voices being heard on the floor of council, Calgary’s development will likely continue to follow a more or less status quo direction.”

Even so, after watching three plans fall short, Miller is still hopeful this time will be different. “I’m incredibly optimistic about it and I have watched lots of important planning ideas fall through our fingers,” he says.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Get informed about the election this October by visiting calgarydemocracy.ca.
2. Volunteer to help build the Calgary Democracy Project’s website by e-mailing open@calgarydemocracy.ca.
3. Learn more about CivicCamp by visiting their website.
4. Vote. Fewer than 30 per cent of eligible voters voted in the last municipal election. This is your chance to make your views heard regarding urban sprawl and other issues of sustainability.
5. Consider which of the mayoral candidates in the upcoming election are the kind of leader that will best represent you. Think beyond political platforms and issues to values alignment. Learn how each of the candidates make decisions and assess their leadership style and philosophy at “My vote could have changed that”, hosted by Make it Good, REAP, and Calgary Public Library. $20 admission includes dinner, keynote by Michael Shermer – author of Believing Brain – and question and answer session with the mayoral candidates. For more information and to buy tickets visit Make it Good online.

Like in any other system, the many aspects of sustainability are dependent on one another. What happens in one area, say local economy, will affect the other areas – ecology, health, standard of living – either directly or indirectly.

The lowest wage within a community is no exception. Normally this means the minimum wage, a provincial figure that applies whether a worker is living in a rural community with low rents or in a large urban centre with higher rents and generally a higher cost of living. For the latter, chances are the minimum doesn’t come close to covering the cost of living, including covering basic needs, maintaining a safe and decent standard of living
and saving for the future.

As a business owner (I co-own REAP Member retail store Babes in Arms), when it came time to hire our first employee, we worked to come up with a fair wage that we felt would both reflect our appreciation for our employees and allow them to pay for childcare and have an adequate amount left over. At the time, in early 2008, we settled on $13 per hour, not knowing that this fell very close to official living wage figures. We later joined the Calgary Living Wage Action Team, a group of Calgary businesses that pay a living wage. The Action Team is overseen by Vibrant Communities Calgary.

Vibrant Communities Calgary is working to spread the word about the benefits of a living wage, which they have calculated to be $12.25 with benefits and $13.50 without in the city, based on a 35 hour work week, 52 weeks a year. These numbers are based on the Low Income Cut-off. Though Dan Meades, Director of Vibrant Communities Calgary asserts that the number is modest, he explains that it is a good starting point and therefore they have chosen not to use a higher number as the benchmark.

“There is significance to the number,” he says of the $13.50 amount. “At $13.25, you can’t get by, but at $13.50 there is the potential.”

How does the income of a community’s lowest paid relate to sustainability? For one, as Meades puts it, “people can’t make choices when they’re in survival mode.” Simply stated, a person earning too little to provide their basic needs does not have the option of choosing ethical purchases, organic options or fair trade goods or may simply not have the time to research such matters.

Living wage also ties directly in to the strength of the local economy. When members of the community have disposable income, there is money available to maintain and grow local economy. When people within the community are struggling to make ends meet, however, they have no money to contribute to the local economy and therefore the local economy cannot thrive.

The other side of the equation, of course, involves the employers who must decide whether to invest in a living wage for their employees or attempt to save money by paying less, as low as the minimum wage. In many ways, a living wage pays for itself. Employees working in an environment where they feel appreciated and valued are less likely to steal from the company and they stay with a company longer meaning lower turnover and lower training costs. Higher employee morale also impacts productivity.

At Babes in Arms we definitely see the benefits of a living wage, even though at times the cost can be intimidating. We are able to hire more highly qualified employees and our staff goes out of their way to tell us how happy they are with their jobs. Our staff turnover is very low for a retail store, which lowers our training costs, increases our staff’s relationships with regular customers and causes us less stress as owners.

Nichole Vessie, owner of the environmentally friendly Won’t Miss a Spot Cleaning, agrees that paying a living wage is good for business. Her cleaners all earn more than $13 per hour. “It can be hard to pay higher wages at first, but I think it is part of what helped my company grow. My goal is to build the skills of my staff so they can earn even more.” There is also the intrinsic value of doing the right thing. “It feels very, very good to be able to pay a proper wage,” Nichole says.

“It’s a pay now or pay later scenario,” summarizes Meades. “As business owners, where do (you) want your money to go – to pay your employees to live, or pay in taxes down the road and funnel it back to them via the government?”

Currently nearly 73,000 Calgarians earn less than a living wage. This number includes nearly 40,000 Calgarians over the age of 25 who earn less than $12 an hour and a disproportionate number of women.

“Right now with all the talk of economic downturn, the argument is getting tougher and tougher than it has ever been,” says Meades. “For that reason it’s more important to be made now than any other time.”

****
Vibrant Communities Calgary was co-convened by Momentum and the United Way of Calgary and Area to address root causes of poverty in our city. Momentum, a local community economic development organization, is REAP’s newest associate member. Nicole Vessie, owner of Won’t Miss a Spot Cleaning, graduated from Momentum’s business development training program.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Shop at businesses that pay their employees well through a fair wage, benefits, and extras. Babes in Arms, Broken City, Higher Ground, Cottage Care housecleaning services and The Unique Blend are all Living Wage Leaders.
2. If you’re a business owner, contact Vibrant Communities Calgary to find out how you can become a Living Wage Leader or start on the path to becoming one.
3. Express your support for a living wage for City employees and contractors. Contact your elected member of City Council by submitting a comment form through The City of Calgary website.

There are approximately 1.1 million residents in the City of Calgary. There are also approximately 834,000 registered vehicles in the city. That’s a ratio of almost one car per person. As anyone who travels Calgary by car is well aware, there are days when it seems like every single one of those vehicles are on the road.

A United Nations report released last month ranked Calgary the fifth highest producer of carbon emissions among fifty major cities worldwide, ahead of both New York City and Mexico City. Toronto and Vancouver had carbon outputs less than a third of our beloved Cowtown, a sobering reminder of Calgary’s reliance
on coal-fired electrical generation, but also the preference of most
Calgarians for using their cars virtually every time they need to go
somewhere.

Statistics show that more than half of all automobile trips are within five kilometres of home, a distressing fact that reveals how much reliance we tend to place on our fossil-fuelled, four-wheeled friends. Even though most Calgary residential communities are mere minutes from retail areas, many Calgarians are still in the habit of driving their cars to them, overlooking healthier, more environmentally-friendly alternatives like walking or cycling.

US media presence Good Worldwide has a comparative graphic on their web site of the energy consumption various methods of transport require per person to travel 350 miles (approx. 563kms). The average car driver uses 49 litres of gas to travel the distance; the driver of an average SUV uses 64L.

By using a caloric-equivalent fuel measure, walking consumes .001/L of fuel. The formula also reveals that cycling uses less than .0003 of a litre to travel the same distance. The upshot shows that cycling is the world’s most fuel-efficient mode of transport. It’s also exciting, healthy and produces zero carbon emissions, other than the exhalations of the cyclist, of course.

Calgary’s bike path system is heralded as one of the best in North America. Virtually the entire city is reachable via cycling pathways; you can travel from a deep-south community like Chaparral to downtown (about twenty or so kilometres) in forty-five minutes or so without fighting traffic congestion, spending money on gas or other car expenses, and reducing your environmental impact to virtually nothing at all.

There are many cycling options for the avid, environmentally-friendly commuter to consider. Touring or racing bikes are great for speed and exercise, but less practical conveyances for trips to the corner store. They’re not a bad alternative for commuting to and from work via the pathway system, but these race horses of the cycling world are extremely high strung, and easily succumb to injury when used on city streets. Even hitting a small pothole can result in an expensive rim replacement.

Built for efficiency and high velocity, light-weight touring bikes are manufactured with the bare minimum of components, and those are exposed to the elements at all times, restricting this type of conveyance to the equivalent of a classic car brought out for Sunday drives in warm, dry weather. Regular maintenance of these highly-tuned machines is also required to keep them running at peak performance.

Mountain bikes are typically built to endure the harshest, spine-busting trail conditions, but they’re not always a practical alternative for cyclists who don’t need a machine constructed to such high tolerances that’s more at home on dirt than pavement. They’re generally heavier than touring bikes, manufactured with strengthened components, and come with accessories like shock absorbers, heavy-duty braking systems, and thicker, knobbier tires. While a great alternative to racing bikes for use on city streets, they’re also subject to the wear and tear of inclement weather; repairs can be costly, not to mention time-consuming.

There are alternatives for urban cyclists looking for all-weather, all-purpose bicycles that can take on all manner of ground surface as well as cost less to maintain, options sure to please the city cycling crowd determined to lessen their environmental footprint while yet being able to perform many of the same tasks their cars can.

According to Sean Carter, proprietor of the recently opened BikeBike store in the Beltline area, one of those options is the Cargo or city bike. These bicycles have no exposed moving parts other than pedals and wheels. Gear and brake systems are hidden within wheel hubs, and thus not exposed to outside elements. Gearing is also simplified without the standard derailleur that often causes chains to derail at the wrong times, resulting in messy hands and lost time (possibly broken chains, too). Many cargo bikes have components manufactured from stainless steel, meaning they tend to last a lot longer than other types of bikes; that durability allows them to be parked outside year-round if necessary. Since many of us don’t give our bikes the seasonal tune-ups they require, less wear and tear means less maintenance, fewer repairs, and fewer dollars spent. Typical life-spans for cargo bikes can run up to twenty five years or more.

A growing trend in cycling alternatives is the use of ebikes, or electrically-powered bicycles. These machines can be hybrids of pedal-power combined with a battery-powered electric motor, and are typically classified as zero-emissions vehicles as they emit no combustion by-products. The environmental effects of electricity generation, power distribution and the manufacture as well as disposal of batteries are issues to take into account when considering purchase. Even still, electric bicycles have a much lower environmental impact than other, non-human powered vehicles, and are a highly practical alternative for use in an urban setting. They’re also excellent candidates for recharging via solar energy, thereby reducing demands on fossil-fuel fired, high-emissions producing, electricity-generating power plants.

Green City Motors has seen a dramatic increase in the overall interest in electric bikes over the past two years. According to General Manager Ryan Kloster, electric bikes make 2-wheeled transportation much more accessible to the average commuter. In fact, current models sell at comparable prices to many of the standard pedal bikes on the market.

“A lot of our customers come in looking for a way to just get out of their cars,” Kloster says. “A quiet, reliable electric motor makes this a real possibility for people who had previously been intimidated by the thought of having to do all of the pedalling all of the time.”

With the advent of new battery and motor technologies, electric bikes are becoming more and more accepted as a viable alternative for getting around the city. Green City Motors carries several different models and styles of electric bicycles, from bikes that can do all of the work for you to others that simply augment your own pedal power, making hills and headwinds much more manageable.

If you’ve been looking for an alternative to jumping into the car for that ten block jaunt to the local green grocer, or to avoid taking your expensive touring or mountain bike on wet, dirty, rutted and pot-holed city roads, then a cargo or electric bike might suit your needs, and your budget. Any bike is a great option to driving a car or SUV, and if the weather doesn’t suit your riding fancy, jumping on the bus or train is the next best thing to doing what’s right for the environment, your wallet, and your peace of mind.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Visit BikeBike at 1501 – 17 Avenue SW to check out a variety of cargo and city bikes that support urban lifestyles. There’s parking in the back of the building.
2. Visit Green City Motors at Unit B, 333 – 36 Avenue SE to see the latest in ebikes.
3. Attend the Sustainable Transportation event at the new Kingsland Market on August 7. Community Natural Foods, BikeBike, Green City Motors and REAP have teamed up to offer this event that will provide an opportunity for families to test ride a variety of electric bikes, kids bikes and cargo bikes in one place, as well as get more information about sustainable transportation.
4. Get more information and tips on how you can further reduce your carbon footprint at Alberta Acts.
5. Good Worldwide LLC is a US-based multi-media organization. In their own words, “GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. Since 2006 we’ve been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn.” Check out their web site at www.good.is/.
6. The next time you walk instead of drive or take public transit, track your actions and see the positive impact you are having.

One of the most iconic buildings in the world is going green: the 102-story Empire State Building in New York City is having an extensive retrofit in order to be one of the top 10 per cent of energy efficient buildings in the U.S.

When the $13.2 million dollar project is complete in 2013, the building will use 38 per cent less energy and save about $4.4 million a year. The world famous attraction, built in 1930, will be a new model of sustainability.

We could use a model or two in Calgary, says Graham Livesey, the Associate Dean of Architecture at the Faculty of
Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.

“Nobody seems to notice that buildings consume nearly 50 percent of non renewable energy. Nobody seems to realize when they look at a building that it’s sitting there consuming gas and oil and producing greenhouse gas emissions out the top.”

In fact, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicates that buildings are responsible for 48 per cent of all energy consumption and GHG emissions every year. That’s almost double the emissions caused by transportation.

“Ethically, architects are obligated to serve the public good. It’s clear now that serving the public good also means addressing sustainability head on,” says Livesey.

Even as dozens of LEED (Leadership in Energy + Environmental Design) certified buildings open in Calgary – on campuses, at condos and other commercial buildings – building or renovating green is still a tough sell in this city.

Part of the problem, Livesey says, is a lack of will. Many architects are reluctant to challenge their clients to build a less energy intensive and initially more expensive building. And, many clients who are challenged just say no.

Calgary architect Mark Chambers has a long conversation with every one of his residential and commercial clients encouraging them to take measures toward a more sustainable building; from creating the best insulated building possible, orienting the building to make the most of passive solar heat coming through the windows, using solar thermal and/or geothermal heating and installing the most efficient lighting on the market.

But many of these sustainable building practices are well above and beyond the current building codes. Chambers says not only do those codes have to change, but the government needs to provide incentives to build green.

“Until governments really step forward by providing incentives and write it into the building codes, I think if we leave it up to the individual’s own devices I don’t think they will do it. I don’t think they will expend the amount of money that would be required.”

Chambers points to the solar-powered community of Drake Landing in Okotoks that uses European solar thermal technology to store solar energy underground in the summer and provide 90 per cent of the heat for the community’s 52 homes in the winter. It’s an award winning example of sustainable design and it wouldn’t have happened without $7 million in grants from different levels of government and other partners.

It’s the old economic chicken and egg. New technologies are expensive, but as more people buy them, the costs come down. The organizations and governments that are willing to invest now will make it easier for others later.

“The clients that have really stepped on the green band wagon are municipalities and educational institutions, and surprisingly companies like Walmart because they see that you can make money being green,” says Livesey.

Increasingly, saving energy goes straight to the bottom line.

“We are asleep at the wheel,” says Chambers. “We in Alberta have this tremendous resource and basically we are squandering an opportunity to make an absolutely required transition from this non-renewable resource. We have some time and we have the money to do it because we have the income from this resource.”

Livesey agrees. “We have to start moving ourselves off oil, off our dependency on oil.” As well as calling on governments to beef up building codes and incentives, he also wants more of his peers to step up toward sustainability. “Architecture has to invest in the performance of the environment,” he says.

And that holds true for new buildings, as well as the thousands in Calgary that are already built, says Chambers.

“We have a huge amount of buildings from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s which are not performing very well and many are in need of major renovations,” he says. “When an owner decides to do something that would be the time to implement a whole bunch of different strategies.”

The Empire State Building is rebuilding each of its 6,500 windows, installing special radiators, automated controls, an efficient cooling plant, addressing air quality, tenant space design and tenant energy use.

When complete, the energy efficient building will have a better, less-expensive work environment which will attract tenants and keep their employees happier.

Back in 1930 when the American landmark was first being built, it captured the imagination of architects and others around the world. Eighty years later, the Empire State Building’s retrofit is raising the world’s sights again, this time toward sustainability.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Learn more about the energy expended by buildings and efforts to make them more sustainable.
2. Find out more about LEED certified buildings, including recently certified buildings in Calgary at http://www.cagbc.org/.
3. See an example of a beautiful inner city Calgary home that is off the grid.
4. Enroll in the Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Course this fall. This National Certification Program is geared toward working building professionals who are looking to extend their knowledge of green building practices and is recognized by the both United States and Canadian Green Building Councils and professional associations across Canada. Visit www.buffalojumpenvironmental.com for more information, contact michael@buffalojumpenvironmental.com to register, or watch this You Tube video to see what Alumni have to say:

5. Check out the Empire State Building retrofit project.
6. The Government of Alberta is planning to introduce new energy efficiency requirements for homes and other buildings in Alberta. A survey was completed between October 12 and November 30, 2009. This year stakeholders and the public will have the opportunity to comment on these proposed changes. Watch for details on their website or contact them for more information and make your voice heard.
7. There will be a general election on October 18, 2010 for The City of Calgary, which is your chance to elect politicians with explicit green agendas. Visit Calgary Democracy for information about all of the candidates and interview videos, or Civic Camp for candidate surveys and forums, as well as issues that affect our city.

The man who brought a green roof to the top of Barclays Bank in London’s Canary Wharf is bringing his passion and knowledge about green roofs to Alberta for a series of presentations later this month.

Dusty Gedge, the head of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations and founder of livingroofs.org will speak in Calgary on June 21st before traveling to Edmonton and Banff for speaking engagements on June 24th and 28th respectively.

Gedge has been championing green roofs for more than a decade and is pleased to report he is seeing more and more of
them sprout up.

“Way back when, people like me were considered ‘mad’, especially by the professionals – engineers, architects and the like,” he says. “Certainly in London and to a certain extent elsewhere in the UK green roofs are now relatively mainstream.”

More building owners and businesses are seeing the benefits to building a green roof; an increase in the building’s energy efficiency, better storm water management (by reducing flow and retaining water), and a longer life span than a conventional roof.

“There are quite a few major property owners and developers who are actively looking at retrofitting roofs and ensuring that their new builds have green roofs. And this is not just to fulfill planning obligations/regulations,” he says.

Since 2000, more than 30 million square metres of green roofs have been erected in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and North America.

Some of them are high profile, attention grabbing projects like Barclays, the highest green roof in Europe, but Gedge says while signature projects help get people and professionals interested in the idea: “it is when the average building in the average town or city starts to have a green roof designed for biodiversity by default that we know we are really getting somewhere.”

Green roofs are becoming increasingly more popular in Southern Alberta. Some of the dozens of projects built in the region in recent years include the Manchester Water Centre, Bridgeland Riverside Community Centre, and the Alastair Ross Technology Centre (home of Calgary Technologies Inc and the Alberta Ecoroof Initiative demonstration site).

Many more green roofs are underway, including one at the River Café in Calgary’s Prince’s Island Park. If all goes as planned, construction on the city-owned building will begin in the fall of 2011 and a 1200 square foot green roof will extend out the back of the restaurant over top over renovated public washrooms below.

The River Café’s proprietor, Sal Howell, says the restaurant’s green roof – which will be at the restaurant’s patio level and seat guests – will grow herbs, edible flowers and different greens that don’t ship or store well.

“We have an extensive container garden at the restaurant now where we’ve been piloting probably 14 to 15 different plants that work well for us,” says Howell.

“What we’re looking for in our plant material is something delicious that we want to eat, but also something that looks good and regenerates fairly quickly so that we can harvest it and it comes back quickly so we can continually harvest it.” The River Café green roof will hopefully be in full bloom by the summer of 2012.

Gedge, who was invited to Canada by the Alberta Ecoroof Initiative, will visit a few existing projects while in Alberta, but he is also looking forward to getting off the rooftops and into the wild. “I am also excited at exploring the prairies and the Rockies in search of birds and wildlife and discovery the landscape. Nature and landscape have always been my great passion,” he says.

In fact, it was Gedge’s love of nature, and the circus, that brought him to green roofs in the first place. The long time bird watcher used to make his living as a circus performer and he was teaching circus skills to children in Deptford, England, when he was asked to conduct a detailed bird survey of the area. That exercise led to his obsession to put vegetation on buildings to benefit the birds.

A final note: Gedge may never have discovered his passion for green roofs if the Canadian Gymnastic team hadn’t won Gold at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. He had been offered a job with Cirque du Soleil, but the entire Canadian gymnastic team had just signed on with the troupe.

“My acrobatics weren’t up to speed,” he says. “I thought I didn’t have a hope in hell. So I stayed in the UK!”

Gedge says over the years his various careers – from the circus ring to the top of the highest green roof in Europe – have taught him that the impossible is possible.

TAKE ACTION:

1. See Dusty Gedge speak:

   Calgary: June 21 at the Downtown Central Library in the John Dutton Theatre; noon-1:30pm (doors open at 11:45am)

   Edmonton: June 24 at the Robbins Health Learning Centre, MacEwan City Centre Campus, 10910 – 104 Avenue, Room 9-202 (second floor); 7:00pm – 9:00pm (doors open at 6:45)

   Banff: June 28 at the Senior’s Centre; 7:00pm-9:00pm (doors open at 6:45)

   For more information, contact the Alberta Ecoroof Initiative: Kerry Ross, IBI Group, tel: (403) 270-5600 or kross@ibigroup.com.

2. Learn more about green roofs at: www.livingroofs.org, www.greenroofs.org, and www.greenroofs.com

By Jennifer Dooley

In Transition 1.0 – From Oil Dependence to Local Resilience, is the first film ever released about the newest movement in sustainable living: the Transition movement. It’s a film worth watching – it’s hopeful and powerful, showing us a practical vision for creating a post-consumer society where ordinary people make a difference.

The Transition movement, inherently powerful by its very own name, is about transitioning into a more sustainable way of life. It’s about taking small steps towards environmentally friendly choices: switching to energy efficient light bulbs, recycling, turning down the thermostat, composting, using re-usable grocery
bags, or taking the bus more often. The movement has a place for
everyone and now entire communities are joining the effort.

Born out of a response to peak oil and climate change, you may wonder how can one person or community minimize our collective dependence on oil and battle climate change? Filmmaker Emma Goude provides the answer. This British production illustrates Transition efforts worldwide while begging the viewer to think of creative and practical ways to bring these efforts to our local communities.

Here are a few of the things I learned while watching this film:

• According the scientists, 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for CO2 in the atmosphere and we are already above 385 parts per million. Many experts in the field believe the weather is becoming more and more unpredictable because of increased amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the air.
• In the US, a typical carrot has to travel 1,838 miles to reach the dinner table. Similarly, in the UK half of all vegetables and 95% of all fruit comes from overseas.
• Around the world there are over 160 official Transition initiatives and thousands of places are mulling over ideas for upcoming projects.

The Transition projects featured in the film span everything from food, economics, government, transportation, and education – demonstrating that sustainability can play a role in all aspects of life. Individuals and communities are profiled by sharing their personal stories about how they have stopped waiting for the world they live in to be “fixed” and instead have taken their future into their own hands. Just a few of the remarkable Transition stories discussed come from:

• North Howe, Scotland, where community members have put their efforts towards turning a local village hall into a zero carbon wall.
• Kinsale, Ireland, a town popular for organizing social events to promote the efforts of local food producers.
• Totnes, England, which offers a project where gardeners are matched with garden space in an effort to promote locally grown fruits and vegetables. Now called Land Share, the project has resulted in countless successful pairings!
• Waiheke, New Zeland, where a social enterprise called Out Of Our Own Backyard, provides classes to local citizens about how to grow their own food.
• Lewes, England, a place where a new form of currency has been made, the “Lewes pound” to encourage supporting local businesses.
• Newent, England, where initiatives are being done in schools to teach children about creating eco art out of reusable materials.
• Penwith, England, which has a company called Eco Drive which uses electric cars and vans for transportation around the town.

Personally, I was touched by the subtle aspects of the film’s cinematography, which wove children’s narratives throughout the documentary as advocates for living in a better world. Not to mention the motivational quotes scattered throughout the film, like that from inspirational Margaret Mead:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Watch the film’s trailer:

2. View the film online and buy a DVD to share with your family and friends. Put yourself in the context of what the Transition movement means for living in our very own city, Calgary.
3. Visit the official Transition movement website at www.transitionnetwork.org to learn more about some of the worldwide projects and to download useful resources.
4. Join the Transition Calgary Facebook page to keep up to date about all the upcoming Transition Calgary meetings, projects and news.
5. Attend the 2010 People and Place conference: Cities and Towns in Transition on June 4-5, 2010. This will be an exciting two days of dialogue, skill building, and path-finding to move Calgary toward sustainable and resilient post-carbon communities. The conference starts at the University of Calgary on Friday and moves to Hillhurst-Sunnyside on Saturday. Click here for details and to register.
6. Continue to support local businesses in Calgary who are undertaking sustainable practices. REAP’s business members are just a few examples.

Permaculture – it’s a big, clunky sounding word that leaves one wondering what sort of permanent culture it’s referring to. According to Barb Hazenveld, permaculture instructor and owner of Gorgeous & Edible Landscaping Services, permaculture is a system of design which enables us to grow the maximum amount of food in a given area, employing techniques that promote efficiency and interconnectedness between humans and nature.

Developed by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison in the 1970s in Australia, permaculture design follows a number of basic principles to maximize energy efficiency and work with, rather
than against, nature. These principles include the following:

• Relative Location – placing each element closest to where it serves the best purpose.
• Many Uses for Each Element – finding these many uses for each new element or not introducing an element with only one use.
• Many Ways to Get What You Need – not relying on one method to meet each need (for example, water).
• Energy Efficiency – this includes energy from the sun, animal and human energy, energy from plants, and so on.
• Use Biological Resources (for example, using manure as fertilizer, a hedge as a fence, trees and plants for shade.)
• Energy Cycling – catch and store all available energy before it leaves the site.
• Multi-Layer Plants – this is traditionally referred to as “forest gardening,” in which the gardener emulates a forest setting with edible plants.
• Incorporating Diversity in What We Plant

Utilizing the Edges and Following the Patterns of Nature – permaculturists spend much time examining the natural patterns and rhythms of a site and work with those natural patterns to create the most efficient design.

Reading through most permaculture literature, the average Canadian is struck by one major detail: all the scenarios, sites and plants mentioned are Australian. Hazenveld explains that much of the method was adapted from traditional Balinese and Indonesian farming techniques and therefore is largely based on a tropical climate. However, the ideas of non-competition, efficiency, diversity and emulating nature are transferrable to any climate.

Though still quite new to Canada, permaculture is catching on fast. There are now permaculture design certificate courses popping up all over the place and practitioners spread nationwide. Hazenveld, for one, first attempted to teach Albertans about permaculture 15 years ago and now teaches permaculture in Olds. Ron Berezan, The Urban Farmer has had his urban permaculture garden in Edmonton for six years.

In Alberta, much of the focus is on harvest, storage and extending the seasons – all important issues if your goal is to maximize food yields. As conscious consumers and foodies alike look for ways to improve food quality, affordability and security, permaculture just might be the answer we’ve been searching for.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Join the Calgary Permaculture Community Group or take in one of their monthly speakers.
2. Many community gardens employ permaculture principles. Find a community garden near you by contacting the Calgary Horticultural Society.
3. Join the Canadian Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (CLUCK) – chickens are a staid component of permaculture gardens with inputs such as kitchen scraps and weeds and outputs such as eggs and natural fertilizer.
4. Check out Seedy Saturday each spring at the Montgomery Community Centre. There you can swap and buy seeds, visit booths from local businesses and organizations concerned with organic agriculture, and attend presentations on Seed Saving, Food Security and Composting.
5. Plant a fruit tree this year! Hazenveld recommends the new Romance series of sour cherry trees, which produce a fruit she says is like a Bing and very sweet.
6. Not a gardener? Hire a landscaper who employs permaculture principles, like Hazenveld’s Gorgeous and Edible Landscaping.
7. Take a course. Verge Permaculture, Green Calgary, and Big Sky Permaculture are just some of the organizations with programs. Visit their websites for course dates.
8. If you’re looking for a wide variety of healthy plants and people knowledgeable about the local growing conditions, visit the experts at Greengate Garden Centre.
9. The next time you plant something, track your actions.

Eco Art or Econological Art: It’s an up and coming trend around the world involving artists who use their talents for environmental sustainability. These artists have been called hippies, environmentalists, tree-huggers… you name it. Whether they are concerned with local and global environmental situations, bridging art with our natural resources, or connecting creativity with every-day-objects, one thing is for sure: Calgary is a place with some awe-inspiring talent in this field.

What exactly is Eco Art? Jeff Faye, a local artist committed to debunking the myth that Eco Art is limited to, “a bunch of hippies making jewellery from old pop cans” describes Eco Art as, “a very broad term that can contain everything from foundry and metal work to paper and book arts”. Liliana Barbosa, another Eco Artist in Calgary, uses the name Ecorations to define her work, a combination of the terms: “ecology” and “decoration”. Or in the words of Eco Artist Tawnya Glover, it is an art that is “almost nostalgic… but always inventive” and tends to elicit strong emotional reactions by viewers when they first see original materials they have a connection with displayed in art pieces.

Some Eco Artists get their inspiration from the joy of producing environmentally sustainable products, while others enjoy the challenge of finding unique ways to incorporate used objects into their artwork. Jeff finds his motivation by looking at ordinary things and working through their constraints. He was originally inspired as a child from his father, who found clever solutions to everyday problems using common objects, like inflating a flat basketball with the pneumatic stopper from a screen door. Ever since then he has been building art with everyday objects that people no longer want.

Jeff chooses to create Eco Art not just to keep landfills empty but to, “mimic nature in that nothing serves only one purpose”. Liliana is inspired by the impact her artwork has on future generations. She holds art classes with children, “the future leaders of the world”, to teach them about the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling. Tawnya is conscious about her impact as an artist on the environment. She describes how she found her path as an Eco Artist: “after noticing how many supplies I was purchasing to create my artwork, I began to rethink my methods”.

The types of materials that can be used to create Eco Art are endless. Jeff finds sheer joy in digging something out of a scrap pile from the dump, a junk store, or garage sale and letting his imagination run with it. By seeing potential in everything, he has made unique art and furniture. To name a few, Jeff makes things like household lights out of old-fashioned blenders or lanterns and chairs out of discarded suitcases. Liliana works mostly with paper, which she describes as: “one of the main sources of the waste generated by humans”. Tawnya uses water-based paints, makes pigments from nature, or simply applies items to her art that would otherwise end up in a landfill. She chooses artist materials that are environmentally friendly, recycled, or re-used.

Is Calgary a city receptive to this new kind of art?

Artist Jeff Faye describes Calgarians as: “welcoming and enthusiastic”. He goes on to mention, “instead of being jaded by performance art on every corner, paintings on every wall and plays in every park, Calgarians, for the large part seem genuinely curious and interested in what artists are doing. It’s pretty cool”. Liliana agrees, mentioning “I have had pretty positive feedback… particularly now that the green movement has grown stronger and more people are interested in finding alternatives to care for the environment”.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Support eco artists online. You can visit Jeff Faye’s site to look specifically for furniture, pick up a Do-It-Yourself book or a line of solar/rechargeable desk lights. Liliana’s Ecorations sells personalized gifts, cards, center pieces, vases, paintings, and candles. If you are interested in paintings, be sure to take a browse through Tawnya Glover’s site.
2. Attend eco art shows. Ecopalooza – which is a one-day festival of green art, fashion, science, technology, as well as non-profit groups and businesses – organized by Calgary Public Library, will feature Tawnya Glover’s artwork among other things. The show will run Saturday April 17 from 10 am – 5 pm at the Downtown Library (616 Macleod Trail SE). For more information about Ecopalooza visit the Facebook page. Jeff Faye will be at the next Market Collective on May 1st from 10 am – 6 pm and May 2nd from 11 am – 5 pm at the old Ant Hill Fabrics building (148-10 Street NW). Admission is $2 or a food bank donation. For more information visit www.marketcollective.ca or join the Facebook page.
3. Use eco art as a fun way to spend time with your children. Lilianas Ecorations offers art classes year round teaching parents and children to create art out of recycled materials, while educating them about the benefits of recycling and re-using. Registrations are now underway for Spring 2010 among children 6-12 years. To find out more, take a look at her site: www.lilianasecorations.com.
4. Ask questions. The next time you’re shopping for art ask what type of recycled materials were used in the making of the art piece and whether the art was made locally.
5. Get creative! Are there ways you can turn every-day-objects into art? Read this inspiring story about a Moose Jaw teenager that entered her vinegar bottle and button necklace in a high-school competition to win a design competition.