Do you ever wonder what it would take for everyone to live in such a way that we could stop global warming? [caption id="attachment_2354" align="alignright" width="206"] Photo Credit: Jennie Moore[/caption] The Paris Agreement (UNFCC 2018) set an aspirational climate stabilization goal at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial...
Work is underway to shape the program for the upcoming Ecocity World Summit to be held in Vancouver, Canada from October 7 to 11, 2019. The overarching conference theme is “socially just and ecologically sustainable cities” with three sub-themes addressing: climate action circular economy informal solutions...
The World Bank (2018) has created a very useful Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals that tracks global and individual country progress towards achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). There are 17 goals that were first articulated in 2009 and cover a wide range of...
At the first Ecocity Focus Lab held in Vancouver in November 2016, participants worked on confirming headline indicators for the International Ecocity Standards. A report was produced that will lay the foundation for indicators and benchmarks by which to measure and assess the 18 system...
Our first Ecocity Focus Lab will be taking place November 7 to 10 in Vancouver, Canada at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Participants will review indicators capable of assessing the Ecocity Standards, and the benchmarks for defining the Ecocity 1 level. The preliminary workshop day on...
The international Ecocity Standards (www.ecocitystandards.org) call for “Access by Proximity,” a design solution that enables people to meet their needs on a daily basis without relying on motor vehicles for transportation. This requires pedestrian oriented design (POD) to be the dominant focus in urban planning. Many...
The international Ecocity Standards call for “Healthy Biodiversity” (www.ecocitystandards.org). This means that the range of plants and animals living in local, bioregional and global ecosystems is sustained, and that natural habitat is restored. Conservation of habitat has been an important strategy to ensure nature’s long-term...
The world of Ecocity practitioners will once again converge this fall at the biannual Ecocity World Summit. The Ecocity World Summit 2015 will be held October 11-13 in Abu Dhabi (http://www.ecocityworldsummit.com/index.php). Participants will have an opportunity to learn about and contribute to...
Have you ever stood in the supermarket aisle, looking at rows of detergent or snacks, trying to decide which one's packaging and ingredients would do the least environmental damage if it landed in your shopping cart? Have you found yourself fretting over whether the conventionally...
The International Ecocities Framework and Standards (IEFS) identifies human wellbeing and quality of life as an essential social feature. Specifically, "residents report satisfaction with their quality of life including employment, the built, natural and landscaped environment, physical and mental health, education, safety, recreation and leisure,...