Our neighboring city to the north, Vancouver B.C., is fast becoming one of the most innovative, green cities in the world.  It draws 90% of its energy from renewables.  Under the progressive governance of Gregor Robertson, the just-reelected mayor, they are looking to become a hub for green jobs and sustainable industry.   Unlike most other North American cities, Vancouver appears to be meeting the coming climate crisis head-on.

According to an article by Allan Hunt Badiner, eclectic author, writing at AlterNet says, "For one- and two-family dwellings, Vancouver already has the greenest building code in North America. New homeowners now stand to save up to 30 percent on their energy bills, use less water and have healthier places to live."  There are also grants and incentives for renovation of older homes and money for weatherizing houses and appliances.

Attending next year's Olympics looks like it can be a very green experience as well.  Vancouver "has constructed a nine-block green Olympic Village, where 10,000 athletes will stay and which will become green condos after the games. . . . The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Olympic Village a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification for its green initiatives. Half of the buildings will have green roofs, meaning they will have plants growing on them, providing insulation and reducing the energy needed to heat or cool them."  Environmentalist David Suzuki has partnered with the Olympics to reduce its carbon footprint.  They are doing such things as heating the Athlete's Village with heat provided by a municipal water-water treatment plant.  Suzuki estimates there will be 300,000 tons of carbon used, to be offset with carbon credits.

Vancouver has also made significant transportation improvements that improve the city's carbon footprint.  Robertson was re-elected after his insistence on adding a bike and pedestrian path to a major city bridge despite resistance from media, business groups and other politicians.  However, biking has increased 180% in the city in the last 10 years and 3/4 of the residents in a recent poll "support redirecting money from road expansion projects toward better public-transit systems and alternative transportation" . . ."Free parking is provided for all electric cars and scooters, all new single-family homes and off-street bicycle storage rooms are required to have dedicated electric plug-in outlets, and electric vehicle plug-ins will be provided in at least 20 percent of the parking stalls in new condo/apartment buildings."  It goes on and on.  Mitsubishi will test the world's first highway-capable electric cars in Vancouver.  The city has incentivized increases in hybrid and energy-efficient vehicles.  Public bike-sharing and more bike paths are on the way.

Vancouver is proving that cities can lead the way to sustainable and innovative public policies.  We have yet to see if this will translate into more green industry and jobs selling new technology to the pokier cities in the U.S.  Vancouver also demonstrates how one committed, forward-looking mayor can move a city into the 21st century.