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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
Executive Summary
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May 2008
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Region of Waterloo’s Past and Present Environmental Initiatives report is the first of three
reports being written as part of the development of an Integrated Environmental Sustainability
Strategy for the Region of Waterloo. The need for an Integrated Environmental Sustainability
Strategy is set out in the Region’s Strategic Focus 2007 – 2010 which commits the Region to
“…develop and embrace environmental considerations in all of its decisions and to foster
community stewardship of the natural environment.” During the past several decades the
Region of Waterloo has engaged in numerous worthy environmental initiatives but without the
benefit of an integrated strategy. These initiatives have built a strong foundation for
sustainability, on which the Region will be building an Integrated Environmental Sustainability
Strategy.
This report outlines those past and present environmental initiatives of the Region and is a
critical first step in the process which will:
raise awareness amongst Council, staff and the community by providing a consolidated
view of Regional initiatives that achieve a benefit to the natural environment;
develop a primary reference document for Regional environmental initiatives enabling
staff to take stock of past and current achievements prior to setting sights on future
targets;
set the stage for future environmental performance reporting as an ongoing mechanism
to monitor progress over time, and;
show the Region’s commitment and leadership in this area.
The three reports being prepared as part of the development of Environmental Strategy are:
1. Region of Waterloo’s Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008) – a
reference document of environmental achievements and primer for future progress
reporting.
2. Preliminary Recommendations - guiding principles and framework options for a Regional
Environmental Sustainability Strategy (July 2008)
3. An Integrated Environmental Sustainability Strategy (February 2009) – a comprehensive
approach to pursue Regional Environmental Excellence corporate-wide and to pursue
the Region’s Mission: of providing “...innovative leadership and services essential to
creating a inclusive, thriving and sustainable community.”
With the assistance of approximately thirty representatives from Regional management and
staff, this report lists over 70 different initiatives that help reduce environmental impacts from
Regional operations and community activities delivered through Regional programs and
services. This list is not exhaustive and does not capture every single initiative. For purposes
of preparing this report some aggregation or summaries were developed to condense the
immense amount of detail available. Highlights of these achievements include:
Lowest water consumption per person of any major municipality in Canada (335
litres per day)
49,000 toilets replaced with low flow versions since 1994
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
An annual reduction of 1288 tonnes of air pollutants/GHG from switching to cleaner
fuels and installation of advanced pollution control equipment on Regional fleet
vehicles since 2003/2004;
Ridership on Grand River Transit has increased 52% since 1999
Generation of enough electricity to power 4,000 homes annually using methane from
the Waterloo Landfill
LED conversion of traffic lights in 2006/2007 resulted in a 70% reduction in electricity
39,000 incandescent lights replaced with low compact fluorescents in 2550
community housing units
road salt reduced by 35% from 2000 to 2006
amount of land protected as Environmentally Sensitive Landscapes doubled in last
three years to 17,000 acres
94 kilometers of new bike lanes established since 2001
43% of waste diverted annually from landfill towards recycling and reuse programs
20 kW photovoltaic system installed in 2004.
For the complete list of initiatives captured in this report, please refer to the summary table in
Appendix A. Included below is a summary list of environmental initiatives from each of the six
categories outlined in this report along with some insights on trends and future opportunities:
Transportation
Utilizing more fuel efficient vehicles within the Regional fleet
o
Expansion of the Grand River Transit fleet and service enhancements
o
Purchase of hybrid-electric buses and cars
o
Specialty Transit Pass programs for employers and post-secondary schools
o
Educational programs with elementary schools
o
Improvement of transportation infrastructure such as the Regional Cycling Network.
o
Trends and future opportunities:
The Region remains committed to expanding the Grand River Transit fleet.
o
The advancement towards ridership and modal shift targets remains a high
o
priority for the Region.
Transportation infrastructure is recognized as an integral part of growth
o
management in this region within a sustainability context
Commitment to prepare a Green Fleet Strategy in 2008
o
Ensuring the Rapid Transit Initiative meets its full potential
o
Water Conservation, Efficiency and Protection
Continuing implementation of effective residential and ICI water conservation and
o
efficiency programs
Ongoing management of resource protection initiatives such as the Rural Water Quality
o
Program and Municipal road salt reduction
Monitoring water consumption and wastewater flows to optimize use of existing
o
infrastructure
Trends and future opportunities:
Implementation of updated Water Resource Protection and Water Efficiency
o
Master Plans
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
Extension of Rural Water Quality Program
o
Expansion of the water efficiency program for industrial commercial and
o
institutional organizations
Formalized tracking and reporting of water use from Regional Facilities will be
o
initiated in 2008 and programsdeveloped to reduce water consumption
Waste Reduction and Management
Implementing successful community waste diversion programs including green bin pilot
o
program
Optimizing re-use programs (e.g. yard waste for compost, Habitat for Humanity)
o
Ensuring Hazardous materials management and resource protection via a certified
o
Environmental Management System
Improving waste diversion at Regional Administrative Headquarters
o
Providing education and communications such as the EnviroNews, and the Waste
o
Reduction Customer Service Centre
Trends and future opportunities:
The expansion of the Green Bin Program for organic waste within both the
o
community and Regional corporate facilities
The reduction of plastic bags and packaging waste
o
Additional waste audits at Regional facilities
o
Energy Management and Facility Operations:
Harnessing renewable sources of energy such as landfill gas, solar and wind power
o
Ongoing upgrades in lighting and HVAC systems at the Region’s corporate buildings,
o
Implementing significant technology conversions such as use of LED traffic signals
o
The Region’s energy, water and fuel consumption will be measured using a newly
o
purchased information management system.
Establishment of the Corporate Energy Conservation Office
o
Trends and future opportunities:
Installation of renewable energy sources
o
Conversion of streetlights to more energy efficient LED lights;
o
Energy reduction in Waterloo Region Housing units
o
Development of Energy Management Strategy in 2008
o
Collecting performance data on the Region’s energy, water and fuel consumption
o
will remain a priority.
Facility Construction and Materials Management:
Construction of Regional Facilities to Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design
o
(LEED) silver/gold standards;
Implementing best practices in road construction for resource conservation
o
Managing material inputs with the Region’s corporate green purchasing program
o
Establishment of on-line auction site to sell items for reuse rather than landfilling them
o
Trends and future opportunities:
Commitment to LEED standards for all new facilities
o
Future enhanced staff education on green procurement principles
o
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
Community Development and Environmental Preservation
Rewriting the Regional Official Policies Plan
o
Ongoing implementation of the Regional Growth Management Strategy
o
Pursuing sustainability within Community Food Systems
o
Exploration of Healthy Built Environment models with innovations such as the
o
Walkability and Accessibility Tool
Preservation of natural areas and biodiversity with designations such as
o
Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL’s)
Delivering effective community based social marketing campaigns towards reduction of
o
environmental impacts to air land and water;
Trends and future opportunities:
Expansion of local food system and making purchasing local food more
o
convenient
Public engagement to encourage community involvement in developing healthy
o
development policies, strategies and actions
Expansion of protected lands
o
New forms in the Region’s Official Plan including intensification and compact
o
neighbourhood design
In addition to the above highlights and achievements, Table 1 provides an overview of some
notable ‘firsts’ that were reported on whereby the Region pioneered new or innovative
approaches, policies and programs.
Table 1: Summary of “Firsts” for Region of Waterloo
YearAreaActivity
1976 Planning Regional Official Policies Plan (ROPP), the first of its kind in Ontario
st
1981Waste 1 Blue Box Pilot project in North America,
st
Management
19841 Blue box program in North America - official launch in Kitchener
1st household hazardous waste pilot in Canada
1st industrial waste reduction pilot program in Canada
1st Regional waste exchange pilot in Canada
Waste
19871st municipal composting facility in Ontario (Cambridge site)
Management
st
1993 Water 1 Region to implemented a Water Resource Protection Strategy in Ontario
1998Waste 1st municipally run landfill operation (Erb Street) in North America to be certified
Management to ISO 14001 standards
One of the 1st municipalities in Ontario to employ a full-time Transportation
1999 Transportation
Demand Management (TDM) Planner
2005 Transportation 1st municipal transit system (GRT) in Ontario to install bike racks on all buses.
2005 Facilities 1st certified Gold LEED® municipal building in Ontario awarded by the
Canadian Green Building Council for the EMS headquarters and Fleet Centre
2005Facilities1st municipality in Ontario to adopt the LEED Canada Silver level as a
sustainable construction standard for new Regional buildings over 500 m2 of
occupied space.
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
The effort that went into summarizing these initiatives and results (where available) has
identified some challenges to consider for future reports. Data gaps significantly impair the
ability to monitor progress over time which consequently affects what can be reported
quantitatively. Some of this data may not have been collected at the introduction of an initiative
and therefore new data collection efforts may need to be initiated. Additionally, as the Region
grows in size, there will be challenges achieving improvements in areas that are directly linked
to growth. How the data are reported, such as efficiency improvements versus absolute
reductions in environmental impact as provided within this report, will assist the Region in
further defining priority areas.
In addition to this report, the Integrated Environmental Sustainability Strategy development
process includes other components such as:
researching environmental frameworks/strategies around the world to assist in
developing strategy options, including ongoing identification of best practices;
performing a gap analysis to help identify opportunities for improvement in Regional
operations, programs and services;
development of guiding principles which help identify and prioritize future actions, and;
long-range planning and solidifying an implementation process.
The final strategy will be submitted to Regional Council early in 2009 for their consideration.
This will include recommendations for ongoing monitoring of progress and reporting.
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Region of Waterloo Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008)
Appendix A: Summary of Initiatives
Appendix A. Summary list of initiatives included in T.R.E.E report (spring 2008)
Environmental
Category Initiative
Benefit
ROW Corporate Fleet Management
Fuel switching Air
Pollution control equipment Air
Hybrid electric busesAir
Greening the FleetAir
Smart Driver trainingAir
Promotion and Education
Use of Bike CourierAir
Employer InitiativesAir
Transportation
Active and Safe Routes to School Air
School Curriculum -You Can Clear the AirAir
Transit Service Enhancements
GRT Service ImprovementsAir
iXpress bus serviceAir
Transit Specialty Pass ProgramsAir
GRT fare discounts on Clean Air Day(2004-2007)Air
Transportation Infrastructure and Planning
Pedestrian Charter and WalkabilityAir
Regional Cycling Network and Supporting InitiativesAir
Water Resource Protection
Public Education and AwarenessWater
Groundwater Quality and Level Monitoring Water
Groundwater Protection at Regional facilitiesWater
Enforcement -Sewer-use By-law & Spills ResponseWater
Spills Prevention WorkshopsWater
Rural Water Quality ProgramWater
Business Water Quality Program (2001-2005)Water
Municipal road salt reductionWater
Private salt reductionWater
Water Conservation
Water Conservation and Efficiency Measures
and Protection
Water Conservation By-lawWater/Air
Residential Education and AwarenessWater/Air
Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (ICI) Sector Programs
Rain Barrel programWater/Air
Toilet replacementsWater/Air
Xeriscape demonstration gardensWater/Air
Monitoring of Water Consumption and Waste Water Management
Water Use MonitoringWater
Aquifer storage & recoveryWater
Waste water managementWater
Biosolids Master PlanWater
Waste Diversion/Reduction
Waste Management Master PlanLand/Water
Residential waste diversion Air/Land/Water
Waste diversion from Regional facilities/operations Air/Land/Water
Cambridge composting facilityLand/Water
Waste Management Education
Waste Management
EnvironewsAir/Land/Water
ICI Waste DirectoryLand/Water
Tours, presentations & displays Land/Water
Environmental Management Controls
Environmental Management SystemAir/Land/Water
Reforestation of Waterloo LandfillAir/Land
Rehabilitation/closure of Landfills (Kitchener/Cambridge)Air/Land/Water
Energy Production
Landfill gas captureAir
Renewable energyproduction Air
Energy Conservation and Efficiency
Retrofits and upgrades to Regional corporate facilitiesAir
LED traffic light conversionAir
Energy Reduction
Energy improvements in water service facilitiesAir
Energy improvements in community based facilities Air
Smog day/peak energy demand reduction (policy) Air
Energy demand policies and staff educationAir