derstand at the ground level, what does
it mean to be sustainable, to reach per-
formance goals, or exceed them,” says
Sawatzky “What is the investment and
what is the return on that investment? We
offer a new webinar series to help break
barriers in greening the industrial building
sector.”
Light House also holds courses to answer
similar questions from manufacturers and
suppliers. This valued services helps com-
panies promote and market their services
to access the green market, and add value
that compels customers to trust, select
and specify their products.
ZERO EMISSION CITIES
The City of Vancouver is the first Canadian
municipality to establish a goal that will re-
quire all buildings constructed from 2030
onward to achieve zero Green House Gas
(GHG) emissions—which can be seen as
either a huge opportunity for the building
industry to step up, or a huge challenge.
To fill the industry gap, Light House de-
veloped the first comprehensive long term
strategy for guiding British Columbia’s
residential buildings towards being carbon
neutral/near net zero. (The report can be
downloaded from the Light House web-
site). Light House continues to seek op-
portunities to support the building industry
achieve this goal.
By definition, a net-zero building “means
the total amount of energy used by the
building is the same as the amount of re-
newable energy created on the site,” says
Sawatzky. Strategically, Light House is
working in partnership with companies and
associations currently in Europe, where
energy prices and environmental factors
have forced the advancement of carbon
neutrality faster than in North America.
A broad range of issues must be consid-
ered to create optimal Net-Zero Low-Car-
bon building energy solutions, such as un-
derstanding energy demands, calculating
carbon performance, establishing a base-
line, and developing policies. In close col-
laboration with clients, Light House works
to outline a systematic and holistic ap-
proach to identifying the best solution for
each project with optimal match between
“Buildings impact the environment and the people who live, work, and breathe
in them. Let’s all work together to create thriving, life enhancing environments
we can all be proud of.” Joanne Sawatzky, Director of Green Building Services
MAY 2017
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