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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Anne Pozywiak Director, Strategic Initiatives |
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PREPARED BY: |
same as above |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
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SUBJECT: |
Global Sustainable Buildings Conference
2008 |
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RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Town of
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to provide a letter of support to the CUI in its
partnership endeavour to host the
BACKGROUND:
The CUI is a
non-profit Toronto-based organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of
life in urban areas across
The CUI was established in
1990 by the City of
Four organizations, the CUI,
The title of the three day conference is “Sustaining an Urban Future”
and its three principal themes are Buildings, Systems and Communities.
The choice of conference title and the three
principal theme areas builds on the accomplishments of previous international
congresses in this series, which have progressively advanced the understanding
and appreciation of sustainable buildings as a catalyst for sustainable
practices at all scales, linking green building development and sustainable
building practices to global market transformation opportunities.
To adequately respond to emerging ideas, technological
change and market demand, the conference bid will present delegates with a
range of scientific, practical and educational subject matter. The exhibit
space and poster presentation facilities will be set out to complement
conference programming and will be richly augmented by external site tours to
dozens of sustainable building projects in the Toronto region (such as Markham
Centre) before, during and after the formal conference program.
Each of the themes will be
viewed from three perspectives.
Quality of Life
Quality of life is strongly influenced by the way buildings
are planned and constructed and how communities are developed. At the local
level, three distinct development processes are underway simultaneously –
economic, social and ecological development. Advancing sustainability, no
matter what the scale, requires taking a balanced approach between all local
development elements. Achieving balance is also the watchword for effective
decision-making, to ensure that choices made that provide appropriate returns
on investment and effort.
Innovation.
Innovation is at the heart of all technological change.
Identifying the drivers that facilitate exploration, testing and implementation
are central to the conference and at the core of the Green Building Challenge.
Innovation matters because it is critical in advancing the delivery of higher
value-added products and services, new, cleaner and more efficient production processes
and for ensuring that today’s buildings meet tomorrow’s standards.
Transformation
Sustainable development benefits are well documented
for both new and retrofit projects and it is now clear that sustainable
building represents one of the best possible courses for combining
environmental stewardship and economic opportunities. Creating a development
environment that is willing to invest in and capable of implementing sustainable
building practices is an integral aspect for successfully transforming the way buildings
and communities are constructed.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
The
themes and premise of the conference bid is in keeping with the environmental
and development principles of the Town of
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There
are no financial considerations pertaining to supporting the CUI’s bid.
ATTACHMENTS:
Letter
of Support
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Anne Pozywiak Director, Strategic Initiatives |
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John Livey Chief Administrative Officer |
