Join us in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, for CitiesAlive 2010 and enjoy this excellent opportunity to learn from a wide variety of experts the latest in research, policy, design, and product development for green roofs, walls and other forms of green infrastructure. Expand your business opportunities, develop new policy approaches, discover new design techniques and tools, share and develop new research opportunities and have fun!

In 2009, the green roof industry grew by an amazing 16 per cent across North America, despite the downturn in the economy. 2010 is already shaping up to be much better! Yet the market potential remains enormous, with more than 4 billion square feet of flat roofs built or retrofitted each year and an untold potential for green walls. Green roofs still account for a very small fraction of this market, but each year we lay foundations, like the new Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation, that advance the industry. In Vancouver, the results from a number of new initiatives will be launched that will help you to achieve your goals faster and more effectively. Urban rooftop food, energy calculator savings, fire and wind design standards, renewable energy integration, embodied energy analysis, water-energy dynamics, net zero water goals, ecological design principles, advanced maintenance, food and biofuels from urban forests, award winning projects, and life cycle cost savings from the updated GreenSave Calculator are all new, leading edge offerings on the agenda at CitiesAlive.

Earn continuing education credits from GRHC for new GRPs, USGBC, AIA, ASLA, OAA, RCI and others. Take advantage of leading edge presentations and conversations about new products, new design practices that deliver client benefits, new projects and markets, and new policies and research opportunities. At CitiesAlive we will focus our efforts on the importance of integrative/collaborative approaches to design, research and policy development. We will work together to uncover new methods on how to mitigate greenhouse gases through better systems design and engineering. We’ll also explore the ability of green roofs and walls to help cities adapt to climate change challenges such as the worsening urban heat island, food security and intense storm events.

CitiesAlive is truly a unique celebration of green roofs and walls – unlike any other event you are likely to attend this year. CitiesAlive will include a formal reception, amazing local tours, networking sessions, industry meetings, training courses and GRP accreditation examination. Our pre-conference education program offers a wide variety of choices, from full day courses to 1.5 hr seminars on subjects ranging from Integrated Water Management to the Living Building Challenge 2.0. Conference delegates receive discounted rates on all of our pre-conference educational opportunities and the new ability to pre-purchase audio recordings of all of the conference sessions.

The CitiesAlive Trade Show will be populated by industry leaders in the field of green infrastructure and leading-edge educational institutions. While in Vancouver why not stay an extra day and go skiing or snow boarding in the internationally famous Whistler Resort, or take the cable car up to visit the Grizzly Bears at the top of Grouse Mountain, just 30 minutes from our harbourfront hotel, the Pan Pacific?  We’ve negotiated a great rate for conference delegates– only $199 CDN/Night in this fantastic hotel which overlooks the harbour, the giant green roof on the new Vancouver Convention Center and the mountains.

Full agenda and detailed information on the conference and sessions are available at www.citiesalive.org .

Innovative Solutions - Building Tomorrow is the theme of the  2010 BC Building Envelope Council Conference & AGM which will be held at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver on Wednesday, September 22.

This one-day conference will provide a forum for discussion of technical challenges, advances and opportunities posed by building enclosure systems as the industry moves towards increased demands in sustainable buildings. Participants will share their experiences on a range of building enclosure issues including the investigation, repair, design, construction of projects, energy efficiency and retrofit strategies from net zero houses to more energy efficient highrises. Join 200+ delegates, including new and existing BCBEC members:  builders, developers, architects, engineers, renovators, trade contractors, warranty providers, building suppliers, manufacturers, and representatives from government and industry associations.

To find out more or register online, please visit the BCBEC Website: www.bcbec.com

VENUE: Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, 900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver, BC
ATTENDEES: 200 + delegates (builders, developers, architects, engineers, renovators, trade contractors, warranty providers, building suppliers, manufacturers, and representatives of government and industry associations)

MORE INFORMATION: If you have any questions or would like to learn more please contact: Jason Teetaert (Chair, BCBEC Conference Planning Team) by phone  778-373-2070  or email jason@smtresearch.ca

“Eco-Logical” The Power of Green Cities to Shape the Future

Vancouver, BC October 4-7, 2010

Conference Location: downtown Vancouver campuses of BCIT, SFU and SFU Woodwards.

www.gaininggroundsummit.com, info@gaininggroundsummit.com 

This year's Gaining Ground Conference, Eco-Logical, will emphasize practice, execution and innovation in policy, urban-system and community design, green economy, education…and the full integration of sustainability in professional practice.

Gaining Ground celebrates sustainability practice and its innovators: practitioners and advocates across a range of fields working to advance and accelerate urban sustainability in Vancouver and North America.    

Each day of the conference is devoted to a different theme—sustainability innovation and next practices in governance and policy; green economy; and community engagement and well-being.  Given Vancouver’s mission to become the world’s greenest city, we can’t think of a better place or time for exploring these themes.

Register now for the full conference experience or choose from a pre-conference day and 3 theme-focused days offered as stand-alone programs:

• Pre-conference Program: Monday, Oct. 4th Pre-Conference shoulder program featuring the debut presentation of the International Ecocity Standards, BCIT development and construction industry engagement program, presentation of the Gaining Ground Open Directory.
  

• Governance Innovation: Tuesday, Oct 5th “Vancouver Turns Deep Green.” How fast and how far can political leadership and new policy direction move? Building on Monday’s preconference activity, Tuesday will focus on how a city and region (Vancouver) can advance the green city agenda with the greatest possible speed through its policies, leadership and partnerships.
  
• Business and Professional Practice Innovation: Wednesday, Oct. 6th “Real Value Thinking About Urban Systems”—A One-Day Business Summit for leaders and decision-makers in: Cleantech, alternative energy, innovative infrastructure planning, urban systems planning, valuation and true value/true cost analysis, and related capital markets. It emphasizes the need to refine the ‘value story’ and expand ‘value literacy’ as a way of reinforcing the business case for sustainable options and approaches.
  
• Social Innovation: Thursday, Oct. 7th “Healing Cities” addresses first, the powerful intersection of urban design/planning/architecture/complete communities and personal and community health and well-being; second, the role of media and social media in community-building; and third, the best strategies for expanding the scope and scale of ‘ecological citizenship’ at the community level.

Building Sustainability  is a 2-day program of live and web-based presentations, panel discussions and workshops on Friday and Saturday, January 29 and 30, 2010.

The Friday night conference opener, Onstage at McKim: Talking About Green Building, features an entertaining and informative introduction to green building at McKim Theatre with both on-screen and on-stage presenters.  The College of the Rockies campus in Kimberley will be host to ten different workshops on Saturday, with an exciting range of presenters.  Entries in the design competition will also be featured throughout the conference.

The full conference package, includes the Friday evening event, 4
workshops and lunch on Saturday, access to the Green Building
Showcase.  Full package price is $75 until January 15, after which it
is $95.  Single admission to Onstage at McKim is $10, tickets
available at Black Bear Books & Video in Kimberley, or at the door
for $12.  Single workshop seats will be available (space permitting)
after January 18th.  Single workshop fees are $20.

A full conference schedule can be download HERE.

For more information: Contact the Wildsight Kimberley branch at 250-427-2535 or email kimcran@wildsight.ca.

To register: Contact the College of the Rockies locally at 250-427-7116 ext 3752 or toll-free at 1-877-489-2687 ext. 3752.

Achieving sustainability requires a multi-disciplinary approach and a broad social commitment. It also requires the energy and passion of youth.

That’s why The Co-operators has launched an unprecedented partnership of business, academia and non-government organisations to bring together students from all fields of study from across Canada to develop and implement real sustainability solutions for their current lives and their future careers.

To register visit http://marketinsightsq42008.eventbrite.com/ now.

This quarter we focus on the green commercial real estate sector. What strategies are lenders using to assess risk? How can property owners mitigate losses to their asset value? What are the latest trends in green commercial real estate? Join us for a market overview, followed by panel discussion and keynote speaker.

This quarter’s panelists include:
Norm Taylor, Associate Vice President, Client Representation Group, Colliers International;
Bill Tucker, Managing Partner, Omicron and past president NAIOP;

For REALTORS®, staff, volunteers and visionaries, the Banff Western Connection has been a destination conference since 1994.

Powerful speakers, a dynamic trade show, first-class entertainment and unique networking opportunities deliver a valuable conference experience. With the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel as home base, delegates are surrounded by spectacular mountains and everything Banff National Park has to offer.