OPEN Awarded CMHC Housing Supply Challenge Funding!
We are thrilled to announce that OPEN has been awarded full funding through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Supply Challenge, to develop and implement the Affordable Housing Navigator tool.
As you may recall, in May, our project was amongst the 21 shortlisted proposals, and we received funding to develop a proof of concept. We spent several months conducting industry interviews before developing and validating a prototype which we presented to the Housing Supply Challenge Committee in October.
We could not be happier to have this opportunity to bring the Affordable Housing Navigator to life in the coming months.
Check out our blog post to learn more about the Affordable Housing Navigator, and watch this space for updates!
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Metro Vancouver’s Pathway to Zero-Emissions and Climate Resiliency in Buildings
Last month, Metro Vancouver released their Climate 2050 Roadmap for Buildings, with two overarching goals: To reduce GHG emissions, and to increase climate resiliency, in the Metro Vancouver building stock.
Targets for 2030 include a 35% reduction in operational GHG emissions relative to 2010 and net-zero emissions in new buildings, setting the course for a 2050 target of net-zero across all buildings in the region. Climate resiliency targets include protection from extreme weather events, harmful air quality events and the incorporation of world-leading water conservation measures.
As it stands, the regions building stock will need to reduce annual GHG totals by over 1 million tonnes to meet the 2030 target, and by over 4 million tonnes to meet the 2050 target. While there is still much work to be done, we are optimistic that this strategy is a step in the right direction.
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CaGBC Calls for Decarbonization in Canada’s Large Buildings
Speaking of roadmaps, the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) has also released a new report: Decarbonizing Canada’s Large Buildings. This latest study calls for a “supercharge” of deep carbon retrofits for Canada’s existing buildings, providing building owners and policy makers with the tools and information they need to take action.
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Building Benchmark BC Report Coming Soon!
At the start of 2021, we proudly released the first Annual Report for Building Benchmark BC. This year, we have welcomed several new partner jurisdictions and organizations into the program, more than doubling the number of buildings in British Columbia that are benchmarking and disclosing their energy and greenhouse gas performance data.
As Year 2 comes to a close, our team has been working hard with data assembly, the planning of a recognition event and our second annual report.
Stay tuned for some exciting updates in the New Year!
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Happy Holidays from OPEN Technologies!
2021 has been an eventful year for our team at OPEN, as we’ve grown our team, moved into our new office on Water Street and taken on some exciting new projects.
Our office will be closed from December 27th - January 3rd to give our team a much deserved break.
We would like to thank our partners, friends, and followers, for a great year. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
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New and Notable
A few news stories, reports, opportunities, and other resources that recently caught our eye:
- EfficiencyOne has released a comprehensive white paper, 2050: Net-Zero Carbon Nova Scotia, outlining the challenges and opportunities the province faces in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
- Great news for the clean energy economy, as a recent report from the Pembina Institute highlights job creation in the wake of growth in BC’s green building sector.
- More exciting developments coming from across the border, as U.S. President Biden announces an executive order committing to the procurement of 100% carbon free energy by 2030!
- The World Green Building Trends Report for 2021 has found that embodied carbon is being increasingly recognized as a priority within the industry. This USGBC article breaks down the data.
- The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus has developed their Climate Action Plan 2030, which has received endorsement from the UBC Board of Governors this month.
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