February was a hive of activity as preparations for the SBE16Toronto Sustainable Built Environment Conference of the Americas move full steam ahead. Hmm, maybe it’s time for a greener version of that metaphor? How about, as preparations for SBE16 are propelled by great electro-magnetic force…?
However you say it, there is much news to relay as we head into daylight savings time, including capturing video footage of a range of important green building and policy professionals who will star in an upcoming SBE16Toronto video series (Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Diane Saxe speaks to the camera below). We are pleased and grateful for the strong support of SBE16Toronto sponsor and partner organizations, led by our Platinum Sponsor, Enbridge.
The SBE16Toronto conference theme of urban resiliency is multi-faceted and is drawing the interest of diverse environmental stakeholders, architectural community, engineering, academic, utility and technology to name a few.
And the day has finally arrived! We are extremely excited to announce conference registration has opened so we invite you to take advantage of the early bird rates now in effect and save $100 on a delegate pass. You can register here.
SBE16Toronto has a strong technical stream and we have received more than 70 technical papers in response to our call. Our Canada conference partner is hard at work in the review process. The diversity of subject matter re-affirms the myriad solutions to the climate change challenge on so many fronts. Some 40 papers will be either presented on September 19 and 20, or the subject of facilitated workshops.
Among submitted papers, for example, multi-unit residential buildings in dense urban settings is a frequent topic. For much of the existing building stock, suite metering is rare. Yet more than 70% of energy is consumed in-suite, de-coupling the resident from the financial impact of energy use as a result of the net lease, and there are millions of unmetered suites. While this is not news, the dilemma begs for, in the absence of a technology solution, an approach that builds on resident engagement and attitudes.
Another paper looks at the success of an initiative spreading across North America called the 2030 District. The premise is that engaging building owners/managers at the ‘district scale’ is a manageable undertaking that can unite, motivate, and mobilize stakeholders, to collaborate in pursuit of a collective (and measured) set of resource reduction targets. In this piece, the success of the 2030 Pittsburgh District and its 66+ million sq. ft. of real estate is both an inspiring and insightful story.
A third paper takes a look at the implications of “triple bottom line” thinking, the accounting framework that redefines the ‘R’ in ROI and properly accounts for the social and environmental implications and how it can (re)shape public infrastructure projects and redefine the requirements beyond conventional financial metrics. The inner workings of two world-class community developments, boasting the highest levels of sustainability anywhere are the focus of this workshop, exploring the realm of the possible and what it takes to get there.
This is just a sampling of the dozens of presentations and workshops, in what will be two days packed full of provocative and inspirational content.
Check in regularly for news and updates, and don’t forget to register while the early bird rates are in place. We look to seeing you at SBE16Toronto Sustainable Built Environment Conference of the Americas.
