Earth Day is a timely reminder that building reuse desperately needs to become the new normal. There is growing consensus in the heritage conservation sector, and beyond, that we cannot build our way to net zero carbon. Existing buildings represent over 80 percent of Canada’s building stock which will still be standing in 2030. These buildings present a greater emissions reduction opportunity than any new construction activity between now and 2030.

Old Buildings, Climate Change, and the Race to Net Zero Carbon

New construction involves massive raw material extraction and GHG emissions, therefore change will require a profound restructuring of our economic system – using all available levers to drive this shift, including building codes, market forces and financial incentives.

MTBA’s Mark Thompson Brandt, a leader in sustainable rehabilitation, is quoted in the recent special edition of Locale, a magazine published by the National Trust of Canada, in Old Buildings, Climate Change, and the Race to Net Zero Carbon by Cynthia Gunn. He emphasizes that although the green building community is starting to get on board with the reuse of existing buildings as a climate imperative, demolition and new construction are still too often the default, and awareness about the impact of building conservation on sustainability has been slow to take hold. Change will have to be driven by all disciplines.

Arguably, with increasing resource scarcity, there is potential that retrofitting and refurbishing older buildings will become an attractive economic alternative to the construction of new buildings. Brandt predicts more and more deep retrofits of existing buildings will happen in Canada, particularly with the large stock of Modernist era buildings, which he believes will see a tsunami of sustainable rehabilitation in the next few years.

To access the full article, please click HERE

What if Earth Day was Everyday?

Earth Day was celebrated for the first time, in the United States, on April 22, 1970. Since then, Earth Day has become the world’s largest environmental movement. Earth Day Canada’s mission is to help people and organizations reduce their environmental impact. This year, people are invited to the first annual Earth Day Everyday Celebration! This event will be a unique annual benefit that will bring together individuals from a variety of backgrounds and industries, happening online. This event is taking place on Thursday, June 10th from 7-8 pm ET.

To learn more about Earth Day, upcoming events and to discover Earth Day Canada’s Campaign for 2021, please click HERE

US Climate Action Week – April 19-23, 2021

In honour of Earth Day, and as part of the Climate Group’s U.S Climate Action Week, building industry thought leaders will discuss the path to achieve net zero building performance in the next decade. US Climate Action Week, provides the platform for events and discussions, taking place during the week of the Leaders Summit on Climate being hosted by the Biden Administration. Taking place April 22, 2021 at 11am ET, representatives from the Urban Land Institute, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, ASHRAE, Trane, U.S Green Building Council and U.S. DOE, will join a roundtable discussion on getting to zero in the building sector by 2030.

Zero energy and carbon neutral pledges from leading building industry organizations are accelerating the AEC community toward zero. These industry leaders have committed to progressing codes and policies and are providing members with advanced education and design guidance for delivering a clean energy future through collaboration and planning.

For more information on this event, please click HERE

To learn more on US Climate Week and a full list of events, please click HERE

Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash.