Why be a sustainable community?
- Involved connected creative community
Necessity – statutory requirements of land planning
- Building within the environmental carrying capacity
- Population growth 1988 – 4,000 people 2015 30,000 people. (16% growth)
Country residential fragments and expands infrastructure of all types
Dwellers on the threshold
A choice to be made –
- Planned destiny
- By intent
- A vision for 2030
Good Governance is critical
Resident Commitment
- 89% of community is somewhat in support
- 90% of residents are somewhat aware of the sustainability activcities of the community
Corporate Commitment
- It’s a project of not a department of the municipality
Can it be done?
Strategic Growth
- Clear targets negotiated well in advance
- 15-20 year build out
- A plan
- Land ownership of environmentally sensitive areas
- Density
- Water use (currently 333, target of 318 litres per capita per day).
- Increased non-residential service base.
Water
- Living within our means
- compared with high river at 778 litres per capital per day.
- Sheep river ecological and water alocation issues
- 30% reduction per capita since the 90’s
- 100% metering
- incentives and initiatives
- self funded water system
- moving toward 90% Consumption Based / 10% Fixed Rate Structure (currently 80/20 split)
- Increasing Block Rate Structure for seasonal consumptive patterns
- Water Conservation Regulations
- Odd numbered addresses Thurs and Sunday etc
- Development Density Bonus Water Conservation
- Also relates to GHG reductions.
Wastewater
- system generates grade A compost sewerage sludge (mixed with sawdust) 100% pathogen kill, average 16 days then 6-8 months offsite.
- Bio reactor processes 2.45 million litres per day
- EPCOR design build operate contract
- returns high quality treated effluent amounts of 70-80% of the Town’s daily water withdrawl.
- Massive improvements in effluent quality
Energy
- Municipal buildings – ecoefficiency
- 30% Total reduction in energy (up to 805 in some buildings)
- 20% reduction in GHG
- Solar energy for aquatic centre
- UV Pool Cleaning System – lower energy and reduced CO2
Drake Landing
- Seasonal Solar Project
- 90% solar fraction
- 1st subdivision to be entirely R2000
- Reduction of 5 tonnes of GHG per year (average home 6-7 tonnes)
- Solar collectors on rear detached solar heating loops
- underground thermal storage (boreholes energy thermal system)
- district energy system
- 50-60% of a families hot water needs are met by the solar system
- Homes are all Built Green Certified
Waste
- Zero waste target goal by 2015
- Tonnage per capita dropped in the 90’s, then crept up since then
- Discontinue collection of yard waste
- 40% of waste being diverted from landfill due to community recycling efforts
Land
- turf management
- forest management
- pesticide use
- xeriscaping
- sustainable neighbourhood design
- Downtown revitalization
- Prohibit strip malls
- discourage unnecessary signage
- Commercial assessment ration has risen
- Labour Force commuting outside of the community has reduced from ~60% to ~40%
- Preserving the small town atmosphere
- Preserving the “Past”
- Parkway connections
- Interface of parks and gathering locations
Choices around finite growth model concerning the population pressures around the Calgary Region.