ReNew Canada acted as media sponsor for the Sustainable Building 2007 Conference (SB07) in Toronto. Members of the Green Building Councils from Canada, the United States and around the world were there to talk about how to make the best practice in green building common practice. Two days of panel discussions interspersed with breakout sessions brought together the leaders in green building and development. One breakout session featured key players of both the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the World Green Building Council (WGBC). The World Green Building Council (WGBC) currently has ten member countries, but expects that number to rise to over 100 countries in the next two years. WGBC chair Kevin Hydes stressed the need to share ideas and constantly improve our minimum standards were stressed many times in the various panels.
Bill Humber, chair of Seneca College’s Centre for the Built Environment came without powerpoint slides and made the most attention-grabbing presentation of the first panel. On that same panel, Wal Mart Canada’s director of design, Roger Snowball, talked LED lighting and overall efficiency. He said that customers remain loyal even when changes are made for the sake of a more sustainable building.
John Gerretsen, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, gave a standard speech that prompted engineer David Elfstom to ask him during question period: “What definition of sustainability are you working with?” The Minister’s response was something along the lines of “It’s good and it’s a goal we’re working towards.”
