by Brianna Crandall — December 23, 2016 — Ontario-based construction services company EllisDon Corporation and several founding partners recently established the Carbon Impact Initiative program as a means to engage market leaders across sectors in response to the new priorities society and the environment are placing on buildings and infrastructure. The new program site states: “We must also be prepared for the rapid pace at which emerging technologies are transforming our markets, and we must do so in a resource-responsible way to ensure global populations have access to the tools they need to drive a growing economy.”
Andrew Bowerbank, global director of Sustainable Building Services at EllisDon, stated:
We will set in motion the tools and resources required to showcase Canada’s commitments through large-scale projects. The CII will provide the leadership required to transform our market toward a low-carbon economy.
The CII brings industry leaders together to create long-term strategies that establish low-carbon built environments in Canada. To achieve this goal, CII members will work with government leaders to reduce the carbon impact of commercial buildings during all stages of development, from design to operations. CII founding members include EllisDon, BASF Canada, the Cement Association of Canada, Cisco Systems, Cricket Energy, Enbridge Gas, WSP Group and Avison Young.
Mark E. Rose, chair and CEO of Avison Young, said to be the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate (CRE) services firm and the first CRE company to join the CII, noted that the initiative “will play a key role in reducing emissions in new and existing buildings across Ontario, including office towers, shopping centers, industrial warehouses and facilities, and other commercial and residential properties.”
Rose added, “By working together, the CII founders and future members will have the expertise to design and construct hyper-efficient, green buildings and infrastructure by integrating smart-energy technology, conserving resources, and using low-carbon materials.”
In serving the companies’ own clients as well as helping the commercial building sector manage its emissions responsibly for years to come, the CII has four action items:
- Build/retrofit the next generation of buildings and infrastructure to meet and surpass new performance standards;
- Develop a method for those in the industry to offset the footprint that building development, construction and operations incur;
- Through research, testing and verification, facilitate rapid industry adoption of chosen strategies; and
- Through investment and collaboration in Ontario, create economic opportunities connected to low-carbon approaches.
In addition, the CII expects to impact communities across Ontario for a sustainable, low-carbon future, thereby supporting regional growth and economic prosperity.
For more information about the Carbon Impact Initiative program and an introductory video, visit the CII Web site.
