Making a commitment to develop or retrofit buildings to be more energy efficient, healthier in which to live, and environmentally sustainable is key to reducing your co-operative's carbon footprint while saving on energy bills and creating a safer, healthier space for co-operative members. Buildings are currently the number-one global C02 emitter, followed by transportation and industry.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), North America's pre-eminent independent green building rating system, was developed over 10 years by the non-profit U.S. Green Building and Canadian Green Building councils. LEED certification means that sustainable/green building criteria have been achieved in six categories:
1) Energy and atmosphere 2) Indoor environmental quality 3) Water efficiency 4) Materials and resources 5) Sustainable sites 6) Innovation and design
LEED certification is based on prerequisites and credits, which define performance requirements that must be met in each category. Points are earned by fulfilling and documenting the requirements laid out for each credit. The total number of points awarded in all credits and categories determines the level of certification (certified, silver, gold, or platinum).
Certification
Use
Examples/More information
LEED for New Construction (NC)
New buildings
Mountain Equipment Co-op has received LEED Gold certification for its Burlington, ON, and Winnipeg, MB, stores.
BC's Envision Credit Union is LEED NC Certified.
Vancity Credit Union's Lynn Creek Branch, in BC, is LEED NC Silver certified.
LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI)
Office spaces
CCA's office space in Ottawa, ON, has achieved LEED CI Silver.
BC's Coast Capital Savings Credit Union is LEED CI Certified.
LEED for Existing Buildings (EB)
Renovations of existing buildings
Western Corporate Federal Credit Union in San Dimas, CA, is certified LEED EB OM Gold.
New construction of homes or apartments up to five stories
Desjardins offers a 10% premium reduction for LEED-certified homes and business.
LEED for Neighbourhoods
New construction of neighbourhoods
Dockside Green, Victoria, BC, is the first community development to apply for participation in the LEED for Neighbourhood pilot program.
Green-Up
Program for owners/leasers of a number of buildings to track energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions
Saskatchewan's Conexus Credit Union and BC's Coast Capital Saving are currently engaged in the Green-Up program.
[1]LEED for Homes is a more affordable approach targeted at housing developments with criteria similar to LEED for New Construction. LEED for Homes certification is appropriate for co-operative housing interested in green building and LEED certification.
BOMA BESt is a national environmental recognition and certification program for existing commercial buildings. BOMA stands for the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada. BESt stands for Building Environmental Standards, and represents the direction of the commercial real estate industry in Canada and BOMA's role in providing the mechanisms for common practices across the industry. The application process helps to assess how well a building is performing, and includes suggestions for tangible ways to improve environmental practices. Buildings of any size can participate in the program and there are currently four possible levels of certification. Application materials are available through the website at www.bomabest.com.
Examples of BOMA-certified credit union buildings include:
Electricity generation is currently one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy comes from natural resources (sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat) that are naturally replenished (renewable), and do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of renewable energy co-operatives are:
Across the country, co-operatives can purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) for their local or regional grid that match the amount of power they use. RECs are typically sold in kilowatt-hours or megawatt-hours. Purchasing RECs helps support clean, renewable energy as the money goes to new and existing renewable-energy facilities. Renewable energy certificate (REC) vendors include:
Natural Resources Canada's ecoENERGY Retrofit program provides a financial incentive of up to 25% of project costs to a maximum of $50,000 per application, and $250,000 per corporate entity to help small- and medium-sized industrial facilities implement energy-saving projects. EcoENERGY for Renewable Heat is a $36 million program that provides incentives and industry support for the use of renewable energy for heating.
Most provinces also offer programs for buildings.
Energy Services Contracts
A co-operative with a portfolio of buildings can consider an Energy Services Contract (ESCO). ESCOs enable a third party to invest in retrofits for buildings in exchange for a share of the energy savings over a set period of time. ESCOs have the advantage of ensuring that the cost of the retrofit is off the books of the building owner and draw on the experience of ESCO providers, but the disadvantage of losing some of the financial benefits that result from reduced energy costs. ESCO providers like Honeywell and Direct Energy typically only engage with large building owners, such as governments, universities, and hospitals.
Eco-Efficiency Loan
To help businesses and not-for-profit organizations finance energy upgrades, Vancity Credit Union offers extended amortization on loans, aiming to match monthly energy savings to monthly loan payments. Vancity's Eco-Efficiency loan is available to businesses, not-for-profit organizations, housing co-operatives, and property-managed stratas (a community of owners).
Of the total amount of treated potable water that is distributed to buildings throughout Canada, approximately 3% is used for human consumption. Adopting water efficiency measures in commercial buildings can reduce water consumption by 30% or more.[1] In Canada, landscape irrigation practices consume large quantities of water. For example, in Alberta, urban residential and commercial landscape irrigation is estimated to account for 15% of total water consumption. [2] There are numerous opportunities for co-operatives to adopt a holistic approach to landscaping that reflect the broad goals of environmental sustainability and regeneration.
Considerations
Landscaping Philosophy
Base your landscaping design and practices on permaculture principles. Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a design toolkit that aims to create ecologically sustainable human habitats. Tools include watershed mapping and design, intensive organic planting, and integrated pest management among others.
Adopt and implement xeriscaping. The term xeriscape is a fusion of the Greek word xeros (meaning dry or arid) and landscape. Xeriscaping is a dry gardening technique particularly suited to environments where water is limited. Plants are selected for their low water requirements and the site is designed to support water conservation.
Transform your site into an edible landscape. A fascinating way to spice up your landscape is to integrate food production for both humans and wildlife within the system.
Use bioswales, creeks, and ponds as natural ways to help manage storm water.
Certification methods for organic landscaping have not evolved to the same degree as those for organic agricultural systems. At this time, no certifying agency has been identified, but standards are available. The Organic Land Care Standard was developed by the Society of Organic Urban Land Care Professionals (SOUL) in response to the need for clear guidelines for the creation and maintenance of environmental, recreational, and ornamental landscapes.
Water Usage
Minimize water use and optimize water quality by storing and cycling through passive systems (such as reed beds).
Choose plants with no, or very low, water requirements.
o Exceptions to this requirement should only be made for plants that offer additional benefits to the whole system, such as edible, medicinal, and culturally significant species.
o If water is required for landscaping, it should be integrated into grey- and black-water treatment and reuse systems.
o Grey- and black-water should be used in the most efficient manner possible, such as through the use of drip emitters at appropriate times of the day.
Do not use potable water for landscaping except when salt build-up requires fresh water flushing at an annual or bi-annual frequency.
Grey-water: Wastewater from lavatories, showers, bathtubs, washing machines, and sinks that are not used for the disposal of hazardous or toxic ingredients or wasted from food preparation.
Black-water: Wastewater from toilets and kitchen sinks that contain organic materials.
Mulch surfaces with appropriate materials that are permeable to avoid excessive evaporation.
Pesticides/Herbicides
Introduce non-persistent or non-biological chemicals into the environment to maintain a balanced and healthy ecosystem.
Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides whenever possible.
Pursue alternative control methods as a first measure. These include: manual removal of insects, removing diseased plants, and encouraging biological controls such as beneficial insects through plant selection.
Plant Selection
Use plants that are suited to the environment.
Favour indigenous plants over foreign species.
Select plants that can preserve cultural knowledge, create food security, conserve water, and safeguard rare species.
Maintenance
Minimize the amount of maintenance required to avoid disturbing systems with mechanical equipment.
No matter how sustainable a building may have been in its design and construction, it can only remain so if it is operated responsibly and maintained properly. The use of off-gassing paints, sealants, and adhesives for repair work can deteriorate indoor air quality; failure to monitor HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems can compromise energy efficiency; and poor training of building operations and maintenance personnel can lead to early system failures. Buildings must be operated and maintained with the security, safety, health, comfort, and well-being of their occupants in mind, as well as with an understanding of the next generation's need to reuse and recycle building components after their useful service lives have ended.
Reliability-Centred Maintenance
In order to maximize the useful lifespan of your co-operative's buildings and systems, and to minimize unplanned downtime, a Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) approach can be extremely useful. RCM is defined as a process used to determine the maintenance requirements of any physical asset in its operating context.[1] Reliability-centred maintenance uses a mixture of preventive, proactive, and reactive maintenance strategies depending on the relative importance of the equipment or facility, and the human and financial resources available.
Listed below are factors to be considered when working towards reliability-centred maintenance, as well as a description of the guidelines and considerations that can assist your co-operative in attaining its environmental sustainability objectives with regard to site maintenance.
Speak with building and maintenance managers about the following:
o Developing a master equipment list that identifies the equipment in your facility;
o Prioritizing the listed components based on their importance to process;
o Assigning components into logical groupings;
o Determining the type and number of maintenance activities required and periodicity using:
- Manufacturer technical manuals,
- Machinery history,
- Root cause analysis findings: Why did it fail?, and
Pollution Probe offers a 
