Victoria has been a long-time location for advocates of sustainability and climate action, and now, with leadership from The Building Owners and Managers Association BC (BOMA BC), has joined the 2030 Districts Network.
This milestone reached on January 12, 2021, marks a commitment to reducing building energy, water usage, and transportation GHG emissions by 50% by the year 2030. The area committed includes 36 buildings and 3.5 million square feet of space. With such a wide array of stakeholders and variables, this project is being moved forward by 10 major property managers, the City of Victoria, the District of Saanich, and the research support of the University of Victoria.
The 2030 District started with its first district in Seattle with the mission of supporting districts to develop and implement a plan for more sustainable infrastructure. They work to provide resources and collaboration to retrofit and “future-proof” buildings and infrastructure. There are 23 North American districts committed to this goal with Victoria being the second Canadian location after Toronto.
“By investing in cleaner, more efficient buildings, businesses and partners in the Greater Victoria 2030 District are leading the way forward to a cleaner future, helping meet our climate change targets and supporting good local jobs for people in the process,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“Congratulations to BOMA and its members on the establishment of the Greater Victoria 2030 District. It is great to see private sector led projects that align with our Climate Leadership Plan and will result in carbon reductions for buildings in Victoria,” said City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “We are happy to provide financial assistance to the overall project and to actively participate in the District by committing some of our own City facilities to meet the established emissions reduction targets.”
To learn how your city might be able to get involved visit https://www.2030districts.org/.
