Over the last few decades, the city of Vancouver has consistently ranked among the top of the most liveable cities in the world. This comes as little surprise for residents and tourists alike. Quality of life is good here: try a day lounging on Kits Beach, a jog along the seawall, lunch on Granville Island or a night out in Gastown.

So what will Vancouver’s legacy be decades from now? Through the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, it hopes to be the world leader in sustainability and set the standard for densely populated urban cities (in addition to several Stanley Cup rings…?) The action plan stands to prove that just because a city becomes more densely populated, it does not have to yield greater levels of emissions in return – in fact, it has the power to do the opposite.

Vancouver is fortunate that due to hydropower we already have the smallest per capita carbon footprint of any North American city; however, residents still generate a footprint three times larger than the earth is capable of sustaining. The action plan is separated into ten pillars:

10_pillars_Vancouver_Greenest_City

May we propose an 11th Pillar?! (It could fall under pillar 5- Zero Waste) Decrease the number of cardboard moving boxes used in Vancouver by fifty percent. Another way to say it is, “Vancouver will use 50% more reusable moving boxes when moving.”

The City of Vancouver has already designated numerous teams and highly passionate representatives to lead these initiatives. Last year, the city worked with over 3,500 consultants to establish these pillars and ensure that the objectives could be realistically met, should the initiatives be executed properly. However, this project will not achieve its paramount success without the engagement and participation of local citizens. To uncover more on this world changing project or to find out what you can do to help visit: http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/greenest-city-2020-action-plan.aspx