I had heard about the film, The Age of Stupid, through the tcktcktck Countdown to Copenhagen campaign and thought it must be a good movie. I was researching where I could see it, only to discover that is was playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival, but that I could not attend any of the screenings. I had emailed the distributor to find out about screenings and she asked me if I would like to host my own. Well since I happen to volunteer with a local environmental organization, I thought this was something we could definitely do. One email to our chat list and 44 email exchanges with other volunteers later, we have organized a screening of The Age of Stupid for Thursday October 22nd at Douglas College in New Westminster. The press release is below.
Although this has definitely taken some time and resources to organize, it was not altogether that difficult since I volunteer with such a great group of people at NWEP. If you haven't seen it already, I'm hearing great things, although it may leave you feeling a little depressed. Fear not, there are many things we can still do to save the planet! I hope this movie inspires viewers to even just change one aspect of their lives to save the planet from ourselves.
New Westminster Environmental Partners host The Age of Stupid Screening
Media Release
October 15, 2009
(New Westminster) If you missed The Age of Stupid at the Vancouver
International Film Festival New Westminster Environmental Partners is
giving Metro Vancouver residents one more opportunity to catch this
highly reviewed film.
After a gala Green Carpet event attended by politicians,
environmentalists and movies stars, NWEP will be hosting the only other
screening in Metro Vancouver outside the VIFF.
“We felt it was important to get this important film out to as many
members of the public as possible during the lead up to the United
Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, that’s why we’re
hosting this screening for those who couldn’t make it to the VIFF,” said
NWEP director Matthew Laird.
“The Copenhagen conference is a pivotal moment in our history where we
hope world leaders will set the groundwork for a sustainable future for
our planet. That's why we believe it's so important to join others
around the world in raising awareness about this summit; so residents of
Metro Vancouver municipalities can join other Canadians in letting our
government know we demand immediate, decisive action on climate change.”
The film was premiered on September 21st in over 50 countries to world
leaders, celebrities and prominent environmentalists, ranging from Kofi
Annan, to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, to Gillian Anderson, in what is being
described as the biggest and greenest live film event the world has ever
seen.
“As we’re in a by-election in New Westminster-Coquitlam, we also feel
it’s important any aspiring MPs see this film, to that end we’re sending
free tickets to candidates from all parties. We hope this will firmly
shape the debate around this vital issue and inspire whoever wins to
take a strong climate change message to Ottawa.”
The screening will take place at Douglas College’s New Westminster
Campus (700 Royal Ave), room 1614 on Thursday October 22nd at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door and can be purchased through
the NWEP website at www.nwep.ca. Pre-purchase is encouraged as seating
is limited.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Three Es of Sustainability
This was our second assignment for the Sustainable Building Advisor Program. Discuss How Green Building Programs Can Promote the Three Es of Sustainability.
Sustainability: Three Es
There are a number of definitions for sustainability, but the most widley used definition comes from the Brundtland Commission which states sustainability "implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987). This concept is said to be upheld by three pillars, which in this course are referred to as the "Three Es". These Es represent the Environment, the Economy, and Equity.
Environment is probably the most often thought of component of sustainability as it may be the most tangible. Sustainability requires that the environment is well cared for so that future generations are able to use it and benefit from it as well. This includes ensuring that we utilize resources in a way which leaves them for future use and does not pollute the environment. The Economy is an important pillar of sustainability because in order for our society to keep functioning as it does, the way we live needs to be economically viable; choices need to be affordable to all individuals in order to have the most impact. This is related to the final E, Equity. Equity includes social and health benefits, meaning that we need to consider all affected by our actions and work hard to improve conditions and life for all people. In relation to green building, the Equity E includes ensuring that housing is affordable, creates a healthy indoor and outdoor environment and contributes to a high quality of life. The Economic E means creating homes that are both affordable to the owner as well as the developer. It could also mean creating a community that promotes local business to help improve the local economy. Finally, the Environment E means reducing the impact buildings have on the environment in regards to resource use, pollution and destruction of natural environments.
Green Building Programs & Policies
Both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and BuiltGreen are green building rating systems that contribute to sustainability by encouraging green building. These programs, among additional volunteer ones as well as government regulations, help to increase the sustainability of our built environment by setting targets for builders to attain. Both of these programs require builders to meet minimum requirements in each category of their checklists. Both LEED and BuiltGreen force builders to consider the environmental impact of their materials used, the amount of energy and water used during construction and operations of the building, and in the use of the site (more so for LEED than BuiltGreen). In addition, the checklists include categories for indoor enrivonmental/air quality, which encourages healthy indoor environments for occupants, which falls under the Equity/Social benefits E. As mentioned, both rating systems have minimum points that have to be met in each category thus encouraging a more holistic approach, rather than a focus solely on energy reduction, for example. In addition, each rating system obviously wants to be the most widely used in order to sustain itself, so they make the systems as flexible as possible in order to allow builders flexibility with their projects, helping to bring costs down.
All rating systems and policies are working to create more sustainable buildings and therefore greater sustainability in our society. The rating systems have specific targets that need to be met in order to achieve specific levels. There are aspects in both LEED and BuiltGreen that consider environmental, social and economic affects on the building, thereby promoting the three Es of sustainability. As buildings have one of the largest impacts on our resource use and production of waste, encouraging green building can have a huge impact on our overall sustainability. As these programs are updated, they will gradually introduce higher standards, slowly increasing the sustainability of projects with their rating systems. As these rating systems become more widespread, customers will come to expect that all projects meet some kind of standards, for their own health benefits, for the economic value to them, as well as for the greater stewardship of the environment. Green buildings also help to educate the public as people spend so much time indoors, green buildings are bound to have an influence on the rest of life and purchases.
References:
World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sustainability: Three Es
There are a number of definitions for sustainability, but the most widley used definition comes from the Brundtland Commission which states sustainability "implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987). This concept is said to be upheld by three pillars, which in this course are referred to as the "Three Es". These Es represent the Environment, the Economy, and Equity.
Environment is probably the most often thought of component of sustainability as it may be the most tangible. Sustainability requires that the environment is well cared for so that future generations are able to use it and benefit from it as well. This includes ensuring that we utilize resources in a way which leaves them for future use and does not pollute the environment. The Economy is an important pillar of sustainability because in order for our society to keep functioning as it does, the way we live needs to be economically viable; choices need to be affordable to all individuals in order to have the most impact. This is related to the final E, Equity. Equity includes social and health benefits, meaning that we need to consider all affected by our actions and work hard to improve conditions and life for all people. In relation to green building, the Equity E includes ensuring that housing is affordable, creates a healthy indoor and outdoor environment and contributes to a high quality of life. The Economic E means creating homes that are both affordable to the owner as well as the developer. It could also mean creating a community that promotes local business to help improve the local economy. Finally, the Environment E means reducing the impact buildings have on the environment in regards to resource use, pollution and destruction of natural environments.
Green Building Programs & Policies
Both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and BuiltGreen are green building rating systems that contribute to sustainability by encouraging green building. These programs, among additional volunteer ones as well as government regulations, help to increase the sustainability of our built environment by setting targets for builders to attain. Both of these programs require builders to meet minimum requirements in each category of their checklists. Both LEED and BuiltGreen force builders to consider the environmental impact of their materials used, the amount of energy and water used during construction and operations of the building, and in the use of the site (more so for LEED than BuiltGreen). In addition, the checklists include categories for indoor enrivonmental/air quality, which encourages healthy indoor environments for occupants, which falls under the Equity/Social benefits E. As mentioned, both rating systems have minimum points that have to be met in each category thus encouraging a more holistic approach, rather than a focus solely on energy reduction, for example. In addition, each rating system obviously wants to be the most widely used in order to sustain itself, so they make the systems as flexible as possible in order to allow builders flexibility with their projects, helping to bring costs down.
All rating systems and policies are working to create more sustainable buildings and therefore greater sustainability in our society. The rating systems have specific targets that need to be met in order to achieve specific levels. There are aspects in both LEED and BuiltGreen that consider environmental, social and economic affects on the building, thereby promoting the three Es of sustainability. As buildings have one of the largest impacts on our resource use and production of waste, encouraging green building can have a huge impact on our overall sustainability. As these programs are updated, they will gradually introduce higher standards, slowly increasing the sustainability of projects with their rating systems. As these rating systems become more widespread, customers will come to expect that all projects meet some kind of standards, for their own health benefits, for the economic value to them, as well as for the greater stewardship of the environment. Green buildings also help to educate the public as people spend so much time indoors, green buildings are bound to have an influence on the rest of life and purchases.
References:
World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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